Many residents in Hyde Park say a project that was supposed to celebrate their culture and history has instead done years of damage to their neighborhood.
Destination Crenshaw — an effort led by Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson — was originally supposed to open three years ago. According to the project’s website, it was designed to be an open-air museum and 1.3-mile-long corridor along Crenshaw Boulevard to honor the history of the Black community in LA.
The plans also included an outdoor park, which was initially expected to open in 2023. But three years later, the park is still blocked off, and the Destination Crenshaw corridor remains an ongoing construction site.
Some neighbors say the project has been blocking access to their street parking and parking lots all this time, affecting local business and churches and becoming a yearslong blight on their community.
A community meeting took place Thursday outside Bethesda Temple Church, where the pastor says attendance is way down over the last three years as all of their street parking has been blocked off for the building of the project.
During Thursday’s meeting, people in the neighborhood shared their frustrations with what they say is the lack of progress with Destination Crenshaw.
“It’s been devastating,” Pastor Shorter at Bethesda Temple Church said. “You need to come meet with us. We’re pushing for accountability.”
NBC Los Angeles reached out to Harris-Dawson’s office for a response to the concerns and an updated timeline of when the project is expected to be finished but has not heard back.