Major economic development projects are finally coming to South Los Angeles. They have been popping up continuously — and contentiously — in West Los Angeles, Hollywood, Downtown and the West Valley and now the first one in 63 years has been approved for South L.A.

I’m not talking about those little strip mall establishments that come and go in minority communities, but rather something huge and exciting in the offing that will change the face of the Crenshaw Corridor, in particular, and the 10th Council District, in general.

After four years of work by Councilman Herb Wesson, the City Council approved last week the construction of District Square, the $93 million centerpiece of a new wave of economic development projects that will put the Crenshaw area on the same footing as the heretofore more favored parts of the city.

“This will be the first time we’ll be able to look at development in our own neighborhood,” said Michael Jones, president of the Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce. “It’s been a long time coming and we’re excited about it,” he added.

District Square, set to occupy six acres in the 10th District near the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Rodeo Road, is being developed by the Charles Company. It will feature a three-level 300,000 square feet retail center in which will be housed a Target, Marshall’s, Ralphs, Ross Dress for Less and other popular retail outlets, as well as several full service restaurants.

Nothing of this magnitude has been built in South L.A. since the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Shopping Plaza went up in 1947, and then enlarged by Mayor Tom Bradley in 1988. 

And that is just the beginning for the Crenshaw Corridor, as in the queue behind District Square’s creation, is a $12 million retail project called West Angeles Plaza, which will feature a Fresh & Easy market and a new Union Bank building. As the name implies, West Angeles Plaza is being developed by West Angeles Church’s Community Development Corp. and CIM and will be located on the corner of Crenshaw and Jefferson boulevards. Developer Ron Smothers is redesigning the site where that Burger King presently sits into a retail center that will abut the West Angeles Plaza.

Wesson, as chairman of the Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee, has used his position to aggressively pursue economic development opportunities for his district, bringing to it things it has never had, such as the Midtown Crossings development at Pico and San Vicente, Rosa Park Villas near the Santa Monica Freeway and about seven other projects still on the drawing board.

Under Wesson leadership, the city of Los Angeles is providing funding for the project through a federal HUD loan and with additional assistance from the Community Redevelopment Agency.

“Together, the Midtown Crossings and District Square projects represent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in capital investment that will create 4,000 construction jobs and 1,800 permanent jobs,” Wesson said.

“I’m very excited about what we’re doing,” Wesson said. “Our greatest asset in this endeavor has been the community. Whenever a development is planned, there are always some people fighting it. But not here,” Wesson continued,

“Everybody supports our plans because they know how badly we’ve been ignored by the city and developers. We’re proving that our communities are viable and can support retail operations,” Wesson said. “Nobody opposed this because our community is eager for smart development,” Wesson added.

The councilman said every politician who had or has any sway over the 10th District supported him in his development activities. “Mark Ridley-Thomas, Karen Bass, Curren Price, Diane Watson, Nate Holden — they all wrote letters of support and stood by me on this, and I’m very grateful for that,” Wesson said. “This is why I’ve stayed in the city council — so I could have the opportunity to change the community for the better.”