Why invest in Inglewood?
We were drawn to Inglewood by another investment opportunity that allowed us to evaluate additional sites. We had encouraging conversations with Mayor (James) Butts and introductions in the community and felt the then-Hollywood Park Tomorrow project (prestadium) would generate positive change. We identified the Daniel Freeman hospital site at the corner of Prairie Avenue and Grace Street as an excellent Inglewood location. The site has proximity to light rail with a new station under construction a few blocks away, Los Angeles International Airport, freeway connections, and a large job market. The 18‐acre property has an optimal size and configuration for a successful transit‐oriented residential development.
Title: Chief executive
Company: Shopoff Realty Investments, Irvine
Project:Redevelopment of the 18-acre former Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital site as a residential project with 310 homes. Construction slated to start in 2017.
What projects prepared you to take on this development?
Our Uptown Newport project in Newport Beach and our Platinum Gateway and Vista projects in Anaheim.
You began planning this prior to the stadium confirmation. Has the news of the stadium changed your plans?
The news of the stadium confirms that Inglewood is experiencing an extraordinary urban renaissance of which our project is a valuable part.
What are your biggest challenges?
Community stakeholders are often uneasy with the prospect of change. We spend a significant amount of time reaching out to our neighbors, listening to their concerns and ideas, and then incorporating the best ideas into our plans. We spent several months conducting meetings with our neighbors and other stakeholders and made significant changes to the plan in positive response. As Mayor Butts noted at our final approval hearing, he and the Inglewood community were grateful for our efforts, which also includes preservation and protection of the Moreton Bay fig tree planted on the Daniel Freeman estate by the city’s founder over 100 years ago.
