Clippers secure 13 city-owned acres for Inglewood stadium complex

The city approves $66M property sale, where $1.8B project will be built

Steve Baller, Inglewood Mayor James Butts, and a rendering of the project (Credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images, and JC Olivera/WireImage via Getty Images)
Steve Baller, Inglewood Mayor James Butts, and a rendering of the project (Credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images, and JC Olivera/WireImage via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Clippers have closed on 13 acres in Inglewood that the organization needs to build its $1.8 billion arena complex.

The Inglewood City Council unanimously approved the $66.3 million sale on publicly-owned land to the Clippers entity in charge of the development, Murphy’s Bowl LLC, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Proceeds from the sale will go to Inglewood, the Federal Aviation Administration, Los Angeles World Airports, and some local parties including the Inglewood Unified School District.

Along with the Clippers’ 18,000-seat stadium, the planned Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Complex includes a practice facility, team offices, and public space.

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The complex spans a total of 28 acres, 22 of which are city-owned. In July, Murphy’s Bowl agreed to acquire a privately-owned parcel needed for the project. The agreement between the city and the company allows for the “potential acquisition of certain private properties not within its control,” according to the Times.

Despite that, the Clippers called the agreement a final approval of the project and announced the creation of a season ticket waitlist. Construction could begin in mid-2021, and the arena could be ready for the 2024-2025 NBA season.

The fate of that land was the subject of two lawsuits filed in 2018 — one by the owners of the nearby Forum — James Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Company — and another by local housing advocates.

The first suit was settled after Clippers owner Steve Ballmer purchased the Forum from MSG Company for $400 million in late March. A judge sided with the developers in the latter suit last November. [LAT]Dennis Lynch