David Schwartzman

Schwartzman doesn’t tiptoe into deals.

When his Harridge Development Group bought Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Baldwin Hills in 2021 for $111 million, the backlash was immediate — and vicious. Opponents of the sale called him a “racist gentrifier,” and went after his financial backer in the deal, Leonard Blavatnik, owner of Warner Music Group. They called Blavatnik “a crony of Putin.” Harridge Development Group separately purchased a Macy’s department store next door for $30 million. Combined, Harridge devised a $1 billion plan to build up to 330,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, more than 140,000 square feet of offices, up to 400 hotel rooms and 961 homes on the site.

The Century City-based firm was sued two times over its Crossroads of the World development in Hollywood, the last time with a local tenant group that alleged the developer illegally coerced renters out of their apartments.

Since starting out as a residential homebuilder in 1990, Schwartzman has developed over 3,000 homes, according to the company website. He founded Harridge in 2010. It owns over 5,000 for-sale single-family lots across Los Angeles, Ventura, Alameda, Santa Barbara and Orange counties, and is developing approximately 1,300 build-to-rent townhouses. Schwartzman filed for personal Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009.