The L.A. Clippers NBA basketball team has unveiled plans for its own arena and entertainment complex in Inglewood, California — and it says it isn’t using public funds to build it. Besides a place for the team to play, the development will include the team’s business offices, a training facility, and community and retail spaces.
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The Los Angeles County project has been in the works for a few years. The team wants to complete the Inglewood Basketball & Entertainment Center by the fall of 2024, when its current lease at the Staples Center expires. The complex will be financed by the Clippers, without public funds, though the team didn't release the details of its financing.
The facility will be on city-owned land under the flight path of Los Angeles International Airport on West Century Boulevard between South Prairie and South Yukon avenues. The site is mostly vacant.
The complex will generate an estimated $268M in economic activity for Inglewood annually, and more than $190M in new tax revenue from 2020 to 2045, according to the Clippers.
Wilson Meany, a specialist in mixed-use residential, retail, office and master-planned properties, will be the developer of the project. The LA-based architectural firm AECOM, which is also providing design services for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is designing the Clippers' new complex.
The Inglewood Basketball & Entertainment Center will feature a multi-purpose plaza with a concert stage, community basketball courts and space for people to gather and watch Clippers playoff games or other events on a large LED screen. The development will also aim for net zero greenhouse gas emissions through a combination of carbon offset credits and sustainable design features.
The Clippers will be joining the NFL's Rams and Chargers in Inglewood, a city that was on the verge of bankruptcy only a few years ago. Those two sports teams will relocate to Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, which is under construction, next year. The new Inglewood stadium will host the Super Bowl in 2021.
