Hollywood Park Development: End of an Era in Inglewood

"At the end of December an era came quietly to an end in Los Angeles. Inglewood’s Hollywood Park, once one of the premier racetracks in the United States—it hosted famous horses like Seabiscuit and Seattle Slew—held its last race, closing its doors after more than 70 years in operation," writes Sam Lubell.

What will replace Hollywood Park has one foot in the future and one foot in the past. Developer Wilson Meany has broken ground on a massive new development called Hollywood Park Tomorrow.

So far at least, the development seems to moving forward with an eye toward a more urban, sustainable arrangement than the subdivisions that dominated the development landscape through much of the 20th century in Los Angeles County. "The heart of the new community will be housing, with 525 mixed-use residential units, 675 single-family homes, 1,500 townhomes, and 1,500 condominiums organized around curving, tree-lined streets. Design guidelines will likely call for modern homes and outdoor elements like roof gardens and terraces, a welcome change for this type of development. 6,000 new trees will be planted for the undertaking, in addition to some saved from the old racetrack. The development will also include a retail center, offices, a hotel, and a small casino."

Local landscape firm Mia Lehrer + Associates, creators of the development's master plan, is said to be "pushing" the development team on issues of sustainability and walkability. Lehrer herself is quoted in the story: "We’re testing the limits…The importance they’re placing on the public realm is very valuable."