Hahn and GCP Begin Demo of Vacant Courthouse

SAN PEDRO — Supervisor Janice Hahn and Genton Cockum Partners on Feb. 9, announced the demolition of the San Pedro Courthouse, which will pave the way for a new mixed-use community, comprising market-rate and affordable housing, joint-use open space, and expansive ground floor retail space. Demolition is expected to take up to 50 days with construction anticipated to begin in the third quarter of  2022. The San Pedro Courthouse operated from 1969 to 2013 and was among the many county courthouses across the state closed because of budget constraints and the opening of the Duekmejian regional courthouse in Long Beach.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors entered into an exclusive agreement with Genton Cockrum Partners for the redevelopment project in 2018. Following years of planning, Genton Cockrum Partners tapped MVE + Partners to design the eight-story building, which will include 300 apartment units spanning studio, one-, two- and three-bedrooms, as well as approximately 20,000 square feet of ground floor retail occupied primarily by a food hall with areas for communal seating, entertainment and community activities.

As part of its plan, Genton Cockrum Partners revealed that more than 20% of the units — 60 in total — will be offered at rents considered affordable to households earning no more than 80% of the Los Angeles area median income. In addition, the developers will use entirely union labor for construction of the project, working with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

The courthouse property on 6th and Centre streets is owned by the County of Los Angeles and Supervisor Janice Hahn has led the charge for its redevelopment, which is labor-financed and labor built. The courthouse has been vacant since 2013 when the state consolidated many local courts into regional ones.

“Today, we said our last goodbyes to the old courthouse,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Regardless of what your memories are with this building, it served our community well for as long as it could. Today we are officially closing the door on that chapter of this property and opening the door to the next. This project is an ideal one for downtown San Pedro. We are building apartments that people can afford, bringing more people to downtown and building a space everyone can enjoy. And yet this project doesn’t address the accessibility to justice that the closing of the courthouse created. As one noted jurist commented, ‘Denial of access to justice is denial of justice.’”

Genton Cockrum Partners has been dedicated to delivering a project that aligns with the authenticity of San Pedro. Working with the San Pedro Neighborhood Council, Chamber of Commerce and Business Improvement District, Genton Cockrum Partners revised initial design plans to incorporate street level commercial design and public open space elements intended to be more consistent with nearby historic buildings and contribute to the vitality of downtown San Pedro. The result is a building that celebrates old architecture while incorporating modern elements. 

“This demolition marks years of collaboration and dedication to bringing thoughtful housing and activated public spaces to downtown San Pedro,” said William (“Bill”) Cockrum, senior managing partner and president of the development firm. “We are grateful for the tremendous support we’ve received from Supervisor Hahn, Councilmember Buscaino and other local officials, as well as the community and construction trades. We look forward to officially beginning excavation and construction later this year.”

Ted Chandler, senior managing director of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust said, “We look forward to working with Genton Cockrum Partners and the County of Los Angeles, and appreciate their commitment to building mixed-income housing, and building it with 100% union labor.” Located at 505 S. Centre St., the property is among downtown San Pedro shops and restaurants and is within two blocks of the LA Waterfront.

— RLn Staff Report