Dear Community Members,

Since hundreds of community members first initiated what Nipsey Hussle coined as Destination Crenshaw, it has been one of my top priorities. Nine years into this once-in-a-generation, transformative project, we have made incredible progress, and together we will accomplish much more.

To date, the project has raised and invested more than $129 million in the Crenshaw Corridor. Following the construction of the K Line, it is the largest investment in the corridor’s modern history, and I have been unwavering that this be an investment in Black permanence, with unashamedly Black presence expressed through culture and art. Further investment is still to be made, but the returns have not waited for completion. Since Destination Crenshaw was announced, Black ownership and investment along the corridor have increased, making Crenshaw the only major commercial corridor in Los Angeles where that is true.

That said, the project and the community have faced real challenges and inconveniences, including reduced public parking, blocked access to private parking for businesses (affecting up to 16 parking spaces across the 1.3-mile project area), and fencing and K-rail requirements by the City that have limited sidewalk access. In addition, Crenshaw also faces the kinds of persistent problems that frustrate the entire City: vandalized streetlights and copper-wire theft, relentless graffiti, and untreated mental health patients on our streets. I am thankful to Mayor Bass for recognizing the urgency in our community and joining with Destination Crenshaw and my office to remove fencing and K-rail, resulting in a net increase in public parking. As of this writing, all fencing along the corridor has been taken down.

There is much more still to do, and I am fully committed to meet the hurdles that a project of this scale must overcome. Since this project began, it has had to break free of the reluctance and the institutionalized, second-rate expectations that for decades have hampered investments in South LA.

The Crenshaw Corridor Business District’s letter of August 5, co-signed by eight businesses, organizations, and residents, sets out six requests, to which I respond in turn below.

1. I expect Destination Crenshaw will be completed in early 2028, with the project’s crown jewel Sankofa Park opening in 2027. To achieve this, we must find ways to address extreme weather events and Trump’s harmful tariffs and reckless economic policies, all of which have become persistent new realities and have increased costs and simultaneously hampered abilities to raise funds for the project.
2. Public funds committed to the project are accounted for through the public processes that govern them, and those records are available. Destination Crenshaw is a private nonprofit; it files financial reports with the IRS and with its grantmakers, and its annual 990s are public record available to anyone, exactly as they are for every nonprofit in this country. In total $129 million has been raised and spent to date. Today’s estimate for the final budget is $151 million – provided there are no additional shocks to the construction related economy between now and completion.
3. The delays have specific, documented causes: COVID-19 shutdowns and supply-chain disruption; construction cost inflation of over 40% since 2020; the severe winter storms of 2023 and 2024; the 2025 Altadena and Palisades fires, which demanded regional construction labor and materials for the unprecedented scale of rebuilding that is underway; and federal tariffs and the withdrawal of diversity-focused federal and philanthropic investment. Every major construction project in this period faced the same ordeals. Our project’s supporters and donors made a choice: no shortcuts, no shrinking the promise. When costs rose, we took time to fight for more resources—we did not narrow the vision to fit a smaller budget.
4. There are existing public programs providing financial and technical support to businesses, residents, and organizations, each with its own eligibility, documentation, and accounting requirements. My team is matching affected businesses and residents to the programs that fit their situations. Businesses and residents may schedule a one-on-one case review by contacting my office at (213) 473-7008, and my team will respond to each case promptly. More than 50 corridor businesses have already enrolled through the Crenshaw Jobs and Economic Development Incentive (JEDI) Zone and have received support. This is the fastest way to access available financial and other assistance. Creating a new, dedicated fund from an unknown source of money, as the letter requests, is the slowest and least certain path to relief. Using existing, proven programs can deliver support to businesses and residents faster and more efficiently. I encourage all signatories to seek out these programs. This is very important to me.
5. The program-matching effort described in item 4 includes residents. Residents seeking assistance may contact my office at (213) 473-7008, and my team will work directly and promptly with each applicant.
6. This letter constitutes my written response. My office will convene and publicly notice any hearings, testimony, or other public processes required to access these resources. Additionally, you can sign up for regular updates via text or email at destinationcrenshaw.la.

I look forward to working with you, and everyone who cares about Crenshaw, to complete Destination Crenshaw at the world-class level I have fought for, and to finish what almost a decade of community authorship began. The people of the Crenshaw Corridor deserve nothing less.

Sincerely yours,
Marqueece Harris-Dawson
President, Los Angeles City Council
Councilmember, Eighth District