Marqueece Harris-Dawson
President, Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Hall
200 N. Spring Street, Room 450
Los Angeles, CA 90012
August 5, 2026
Re: Request for the Completion of Destination Crenshaw and for the Creation of Crenshaw Corridor Business Interruption and Resident Relief Funds
Dear Council President Harris-Dawson,
On behalf of a coalition of businesses and residents1 that constitute the Crenshaw Corridor Business District (“Crenshaw Corridor Community”), we write to request that a concrete timeline and resources for fully completing Destination Crenshaw within a year be developed and announced; a year is the outside time it should take, and we hope and expect that it can be finished considerably sooner. We also request the immediate establishment of a Business Interruption Relief Fund for the merchants, entrepreneurs, churches, and property owners who have borne the disproportionate economic burden of the prolonged delays associated with the Destination Crenshaw project and a Resident Relief Fund for the residents of the Corridor who have been most adversely affected by the prolonged construction and delays associated with this unfinished development.
Destination Crenshaw was presented to this community as a transformational investment in Black culture, Black commerce, and the future of South Los Angeles. Initial reports stated that construction would begin “in early 2019 with plans to open in Spring 2020.”2 The project did not “break ground” until 2020,3 after which the team behind Destination Crenshaw promised a public opening by February 2024.4 It has now been six years since the project “broke ground” and over two years since the promised completion date. Construction has stalled with no apparent end date in sight.
any of the harms suffered by the residents of the Crenshaw Corridor communities. It is also not an exhaustive list of
the harms businesses and residents have suffered or the compensation they should receive.
2 https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/destination-crenshaw_o/
3 https://perkinswill.com/news/destination-crenshaw-groundbreaking-celebrates-black-l-a/
4 https://destinationcrenshaw.la/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Destination-Crenshaw-Architectural-Fact-Sheet.pdf
The Crenshaw Corridor Community embraced the vision of Destination Crenshaw, but the obstruction from the delayed construction has caused prolonged health and safety hazards, uncertainty, reduced customer access, declining revenues, disruptions, and mounting financial hardship. A broad spectrum of the community expressed their frustration over these delays and the impact they have had on the community at a standing-room-only July 30, 2026, town hall at Bethesda Temple Church widely covered by the media, including ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
Many of the businesses along the Crenshaw Corridor have closed. Those that remain suffer more harm every day. Homeowners cannot access their driveways and have endured extensive property damage, including cars totaled while parked on the street. Members of the community, including senior citizens, have to walk long distances to enter businesses or residences, and must live among the blight of unfinished construction. Some streets are now pitch black at night, endangering residents and businesses. The burden of the unexplained delays should not rest on the shoulders of the Crenshaw Corridor Community, which acted in good faith and supported this historic project.
Accordingly, the Crenshaw Corridor Community requests the following from the City of Los Angeles:
- Develop and announce a concrete timeline and resources for fully completing Destination Crenshaw within one year of the date of this letter.
- To ensure transparency and accountability, provide an itemized accounting of (a) funds spent to date, (b) remaining construction budget, and (c) estimated remaining cost of completion.
- Identify and explain each of the reasons for material delay since the commencement of the Destination Crenshaw project.
- Establish a Business Interruption Relief Fund dedicated exclusively to businesses located within the Crenshaw Corridor that have been adversely impacted by the prolonged construction and delays associated with Destination Crenshaw. This includes the expedited creation of a relief program providing (i) direct financial assistance based on documented business interruption and economic loss over the past five years; (ii) a transparent claims process with clearly defined eligibility criteria; and (iii) ongoing communication with affected businesses regarding project milestones and relief efforts.
- Establish a Resident Relief Fund dedicated exclusively to residents of the Crenshaw Corridor who have been most adversely impacted by the prolonged construction and delays associated with Destination Crenshaw.
- Provide a written proposal within 30 days detailing the City’s plan to address the Crenshaw Corridor Community’s request for a Business Interruption Relief Fund and a Resident Relief Fund and hold a hearing to receive community input.
The City asked this community to embrace the promise of a historic cultural center that would help revitalize the community. For the last five years, the business owners and residents have suffered from the City’s broken promises. While we continue to support the vision of Destination Crenshaw, the burden of inaction cannot be borne indefinitely by the businesses and residents that have sustained this corridor for generations.
If the City fails to provide a complete and substantive response to this correspondence within 30 days of the date of this letter, the Crenshaw Corridor Community reserves its right to pursue its rights and remedies.
We remain committed to working collaboratively with your office to ensure that Destination Crenshaw ultimately fulfills its promise—not only as a cultural landmark, but as an economic success for the community it was intended to serve.
Sincerely,
Crenshaw Corridor Business District
Angeles Vista Pet Medical Center
Bethesda Temple Church
Calvary Chapel Crenshaw
Gavin Morris, Resident
O’Lita Schafer, Resident
SmileyAudioMedia, Inc./KBLA Talk 1580
Today’s Fresh Start Charter School
WLCAC Southwestern Senior Center
Join the community effort to keep Destination Crenshaw transparent, accountable, and moving forward.
FAQ ABOUT DESTINATION CRENSHAW
- Would this happen on the Westside of Los Angeles? On their streets? In their neighborhood? Why are elected officials never nervous about disappointing Black constituents?
- Where did the money go? The project started at a $100 million goal, but a 2026 report puts the real cost closer to $150 million, with another $35 million still needed. What explains that jump, and who’s tracking it?
- How many opening dates have slipped, and why? The flagship piece, Sankofa Park, was originally due in 2023, pushed to February 2024, and the wider project still isn’t finished five years after groundbreaking. What’s the pattern behind the repeated slippage?
- What’s happened to nearby businesses during the wait? Community members have dealt with years of construction dust and disruption. Has anyone measured the economic toll on Crenshaw Corridor businesses during this stretch?
- Are the promised jobs materializing? The project touts job creation and local hiring goals. Is there public reporting showing how many jobs and hours actually went to local residents so far?
- Can it realistically finish before the 2028 LA Olympics? A local elected official said the project “must” open before the Games. Is that timeline grounded in an actual construction schedule, or aspirational?
- What exactly does the $50 million cost increase cover? Is the extra money going toward new elements that weren’t in the original plan, or is it covering cost overruns on things that were already promised?
- How much of the pledged $100 million was actually collected before construction even started? Reportedly, by early 2023 only $72 million had been raised toward the original goal. Did building begin before the funding was fully secured, and did that contribute to the stalling?
- Is there an independent audit of spending so far? With public money involved (county funds, Metro contributions, federal dollars), has any outside body reviewed how funds have actually been spent versus budgeted?
- What happens to the artists and vendors under contract if delays continue? Murals, sculptures, and installations from named artists are part of the plan. Are they still being paid or supported during these repeated pauses, or are some walking away?
- Who is paying the private security firm 24 hours a day 7 days a week to protect whatever half-finished project sits behind the wall at Leimert and Vernon? And at what cost?
- Why was there no business interruption fund established to compensate the businesses impacted by this years long disruption? And what about the Black-owned businesses that held on as long as they could but eventually had to close down? Who do we hold accountable for that?
- What happened to Jason who was in charge of the Destination Crenshaw project who now apparently “on leave”? Who is in charge of this project now? Who’s the point person?
- Why was neither CD 8 Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson nor his staff in attendance at the recent KBLA Talk 1580/Bethesda Temple Church town hall meeting? Why is he doing media interviews but not reporting to the people who live and work in this community? The folks who have been harmed by his indecisions.
