General Plan Update - City of Inglewood

2.3 Economic Trends and Conditions
2.3 ECONOMIC TRENDS AND CONDITIONS
The purpose of this section is to provide an understanding of the existing demographic
and economic conditions and trends in the City of Inglewood and the larger growth
dynamics of the surrounding area. This section includes baseline data and trends related
to population, employment, taxable sales and residential and non-residential market
conditions. This section was prepared from a report by Stanley R. Hoffman Associates,
Inc., which is much more extensive. The full report is found in Appendix A.
The findings of this section will provide the framework for preparing economic goals and
policies and facilitate discussion of existing and future economic development efforts.
These goals and policies will be developed within the context of the General Plan to
ensure that the City is able to maintain a strong economic base and take advantage of
future employment opportunities. A strong economy not only provides the local workers
with adequate income to afford a high quality of life, but it also provides local
government with adequate public revenues to maintain a high quality of public services.
The goal is to identify target economic opportunities that are both realistic and
compatible with the City’s General Plan vision. In this context, the growth of the City’s
economic base will depend on the identification of key industries that can be attracted to
the City and support a diversified economy. Job types, salary and skill levels, income, land
availability and location, and housing affordability are also important attributes of the
economy.
• Existing Conditions
Regional Setting
Inglewood is centrally located within the Los Angeles Basin. The City of Inglewood is the
northernmost City in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. This region includes
the cities of Inglewood, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Gardena, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach,
Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Carson, Palos Verdes Estates, Lomita,
Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, and Rancho Palos Verdes. The South Bay also
includes portions of the City of Los Angeles along the Harbor Freeway and
unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County. Inglewood is bordered by the City of Los
Angeles to the north and east, Hawthorne to the south, and LAX to the west. The City is
adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and also about 15 miles from the
Los Angeles/Long Beach Port Complex.
Two freeways directly serve Inglewood. The Century (105) Freeway runs from Norwalk
to LAX and is accessible in the southern part of the City. The San Diego (405) Freeway
runs from southern Orange County through the San Fernando Valley and is accessible in
the western part of the City. In addition to direct freeway access, Inglewood is in close
proximity to the Harbor (110) Freeway, which runs from Pasadena through Downtown
Los Angeles to the Port of Los Angeles and the Santa Monica (10) Freeway, which runs
City of Inglewood General Plan Update Technical Background Report
2.3-1