Hawthorne Renewal Proposal Draws Worry, Praise at Hearing

Concerns about the impact of a $200-million redevelopment project in Hawthorne dominated a public hearing on the proposal Tuesday night.

The developer, Cloverleaf Group of Century City, hopes to build three hotels, 500 condominiums, a retail center, restaurants, a child-care center and a health club on a 28-acre site south of Rosecrans Avenue and west of the San Diego Freeway.

The so-called “urban village” is designed so that people could live, work, shop and play in their own neighborhood, keeping them off Southern California’s overburdened freeways and thoroughfares, officials said.

The Hawthorne Community Redevelopment Agency, consisting of the five members of the Hawthorne City Council, will hold another public hearing on the project at 7 p.m. July 24, at which time members are expected to vote.

More than 125 Hawthorne residents and property owners attended the 2 1/2-hour hearing in the Hawthorne Memorial Center, and nearly 30 submitted written questions and comments. Some praised the project, saying it would bring more quality development to the city, while many expressed concerns about its effect on traffic and the quality of life in the area.

Resident Objects

One resident, Zia Clemons, said traffic mitigation measures listed in the project’s environmental impact study are unsatisfactory.

The Cloverleaf project is expected to generate considerably less traffic than two previous proposals for the site, according to city officials. The plans by two other developers contained primarily offices, which create a considerable amount of peak-hour traffic. In the Cloverleaf project, traffic from residents, hotel guests and shoppers would be spread throughout the day, officials said.

Cloverleaf Vice President Rex Swanson said Tuesday that the developer wants to listen to community wishes, and he asked for residents’ suggestions on the selection of stores for the retail complex.

He said that because of significant neighborhood concerns about a proposed movie theater complex in the project, the developer is considering changes in the plan. “We will do nothing detrimental to this project,” Swanson said.

The project site is directly across Rosecrans from Hawthorne’s most affluent residential neighborhood, Holly Glen.

One resident asked about the project’s impact on Holly Glen housing prices. The project will contain about 500 luxury condominiums with projected prices of $225,000 to $350,000.

Former U. S. Sen. John V. Tunney, a principal in the Cloverleaf project, answered that the project is expected to affect Holly Glen property values “very positively . . . especially if you look at what’s across from Holly Glen today.”

Homes and Businesses

The blighted redevelopment district, south of Rosecrans, contains 25 residences and about 40 commercial and industrial properties.

The project would be a major source of revenue for the city, said Bud Cormier, assistant director of redevelopment. If three hotels are built, the city’s income from hotel and sales taxes is expected to average nearly $1.5 million a year during the first decade, he said. With two hotels, the annual revenues would be about $895,000, he said.

Cormier added that the public may review the draft environmental impact report on the project at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall, and public comments will be accepted through mid-July.

If the Redevelopment Agency approves the project July 24, it would probably take a year to acquire the necessary land from about 65 property owners in the redevelopment area, officials said. The project is targeted for completion in 1993, officials said.