Inglewood going forward with Clippers arena plan

The Inglewood City Council cemented its support today for bringing another sports venue to the city by voting unanimously to approve (again) a deal that would help bring a new arena for the Clippers to the city.

The Los Angeles Times reports that more than 40 Inglewood residents turned out to voice concerns that the arena would contribute to displacement in the neighborhood by spurring “already rising rents.”

The agreement the city entered into with Murphy’s Bowl LLC, a Clippers-controlled company, would make it possible for the city to use eminent domain to acquire land for the sports venue. But Inglewood mayor James T. Butts says residents shouldn’t worry, because the land on which the arena would rise is vacant.

“To clarify, no one is being displaced with the sales of these parcels,” he told residents.

But some residents are unconvinced. “Just because there aren’t people or buildings in the immediate area doesn’t mean displacement won’t be happening in the city,” one resident tells the Times.

Residents aren’t the only ones upset about the proposed Clippers arena. The owners of the Forum, which would be adjacent to the future arena, took steps toward suing the city, filing a claim arguing that Inglewood officials misled the Forum owners into giving up their lease on a parking lot that would become part of the property where the new arena rises. “They’re attempting to flat-out trick people,” a partner with the law firm Latham & Watkins, which filed the claim, tells the Los Angeles Daily News.

Inglewood is already getting a flashy new sports venue: the $2.6 billion Rams and Chargers stadium. Because of LA’s unusually rainy winter, the stadium’s opening was slightly delayed, but it will open in time for the 2020 football season.

• Inglewood City Council reapproves negotiating agreement to bring Clippers arena to the city [LA Times]
• Forum owners move to block LA Clippers arena, claim Inglewood mayor deceived them [LA Daily News]
• Inglewood in talks to build new Clippers arena across from NFL stadium [Curbed LA]