Controversial residential project planned near SpaceX has new owner

Houston-based developer Dinerstein acquired the Hawthorne property

Jack Northrop Ave & Crenshaw Blvd (Credit: Google Maps, PxHere)
Jack Northrop Ave & Crenshaw Blvd (Credit: Google Maps, PxHere)

UPDATED, 1:32 p.m., February 28: Houston is a go for launch.

The site of a controversial residential project to be located near SpaceX has a new owner, and it is Houston-based Dinerstein Companies.

The company, which develops multi-family homes and student housing, acquired the mixed-use project in Hawthorne for $18.2 million. The sale followed the Hawthorne City Council’s decision in October to approve the construction. The seller, Newport Beach-based Blackwood Real Estate, pitched the project in July 2017. It proposed 305 apartments and a restaurant at the corner of Jack Northrop Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard.

Blackwood Real Estate did not immediately return requests for comment.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is headquartered next door, opposed the plan, according to the Daily Breeze. Amazon also has operations nearby. The city’s mayor, Alex Vargas, also opposed the project, telling the Daily Breeze that the land could be used for industrial space instead.

The size of the project was eventually scaled down, and the Council voted to allow 230 apartments, a restaurant and walking paths at the six-story building.

The revised proposal included fewer parking spots and smaller apartments than required by zoning and municipal code. It is half a mile from the Green Line.

Dinerstein declined to comment.

Correction: An earlier version listed the incorrect headquarters for Blackwood Real Estate.