A lawsuit challenging the Los Angeles Clippers’ proposed arena in Inglewood, Calif., will be allowed to move forward.
According to a press release by the Uplift Inglewood Coalition, the group bringing the lawsuit, Superior Court Judge Mary H. Strobel ruled that the suit, which alleges that the deal between the City of Inglewood and the Clippers violated the law, could proceed.
The law in question is the California Surplus Land Act, which requires cities to give priority to affordable housing development when selling public land. Uplift Inglewood originally filed a claim in June 2018, because the city entered into formal negotiations to sell acres of land to the Clippers for development without first offering it to affordable housing developers.
Inglewood mayor James Butts told real estate news site Curbed that the site isn’t a fit for affordable housing development because of its location in the Los Angeles International Airport flight path.
The property, 22 acres of vacant land, sits across from the currently under construction NFL stadium for the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.
Curbed reports that the stadium is an attraction leading to rising rents and increased evictions across Inglewood.
“Today’s ruling is a step forward for our neighbors in Inglewood who are simply asking the City of Inglewood to follow California’s affordable housing laws,” Dr. D’artagnan Scorza of Uplift Inglewood said in a release. “In the midst of booming development — which has caused skyrocketing rents and the loss of affordable housing — it simply does not make any sense to prioritize an NBA arena over the needs of Inglewood residents. Public land should be used for the public good, and access to housing is central to building strong communities”
The case will head to trial in September.
