CIM Group and West Angeles Church Hold Groundbreaking for Mixed-Use Residential and Retail Development at Former Church Site on Crenshaw Boulevard

CIM Group was joined by Pastor Charles Blake II, pastor of West Angeles Church of God in Christ, and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Heather Hutt on Thursday, June 29, 2023, for a community celebration of the start of construction of a mixed-use development consisting of 168 apartments, of which 17 will be affordable, and 40,000 square feet of ground floor retail at 3045 Crenshaw Blvd.

The new residences and community-serving ground floor retail is being developed on the approximately 1.3-acre property, which was formerly the site of West Angeles Church’s north campus. After 43 years at its north campus location, West Angeles Church has consolidated its facilities and now serves the community and its congregants from its south campus location at 3600 Crenshaw Blvd, on the corner of Crenshaw and Exposition.

“Today we welcome the creation of new housing that will also provide retail and services for our community on the site of our former north campus facilities. We believe that repurposing this property for housing complements our goal to be a catalyst for positive change in the community,” said Pastor Blake II. “Having been a part of this community for over 40 years, West Angeles has always held a vision to uplift the community and our underserved and often overlooked populace. And since we will still be an active part of our vibrant neighborhood, we look forward to partnering with CIM in the future on projects that will benefit all members of the Crenshaw community.”

In 2004, a meeting between CIM Group Co-Founder Shaul Kuba and Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., former pastor of West Angeles Church, sparked an ongoing dialogue about the kinds of new developments in the neighborhood that would align with the needs of the community.

“CIM Group joined with West Angeles Church almost two decades ago to bring new development to South Los Angeles that benefits the community by attracting quality jobs, services, and housing, work we continue to do today,” said Shaul Kuba, Co-Founder and Principal, CIM Group. “My first meeting with Bishop Blake led to an ongoing dialogue about our shared vision to improve the community through the development of commercial properties on and around Crenshaw Boulevard. Rather than an overwhelmingly large mega-project, our approach is to work within the context of the community on in-fill developments, such as the new apartment community that we are currently constructing.”

The six-story apartment community being developed at 3045 Crenshaw Blvd. will provide 168 residences designed to offer a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom floorplans with numerous amenities, including a landscaped central courtyard, swimming pool, fitness center, club room, and two outdoor sky decks on the fifth level. Residents will be able to make a home in a centrally located area in Los Angeles, just north of Jefferson Boulevard, and be served by a variety of businesses and restaurants. The apartment’s location also offers easy access to the Metro E Line light rail station on Crenshaw Boulevard, which connects east to Downtown Los Angeles and west to Santa Monica as well as to many major thoroughfares, including the Interstate 10 Freeway, Exposition Boulevard, and West Adams Boulevard.

West Angeles’ sale of the 3045 Crenshaw Blvd. property to CIM Group in March 2023 was part of the church’s long-planned property dispositions announced in 2019 to bring new community serving developments to the neighborhood. West Angeles has used the sale proceeds to fund its various church programs and initiatives, including the construction of a Family Life Center. The Family Life Center is a community-serving, multi-use building that includes a chapel, banquet/fellowship hall, classrooms, media center, counseling center, and a floor for youth activities, tutoring, and administrative offices. The Family Life Center will open by the end of the year.

CIM Group has delivered a variety of developments in partnership with West Angeles Church that have created good jobs and attracted businesses to South Los Angeles. In addition to 3045 Crenshaw, CIM Group’s most recent projects on land acquired from West Angeles Church include the just completed development of an approximately 86,000-square-foot modern office building and an adjacent parking structure with ground floor retail at 2922 Crenshaw Boulevard. Nearby, CIM Group is currently wrapping up construction at 3000 Crenshaw on an approximately 55,000-square-foot contemporary office building.

For more than 25 years, CIM Group has applied its community-focused investing approach by utilizing its broad expertise in owning, developing, repositioning, and operating real estate assets to enhance communities throughout the Americas.

About CIM Group

CIM is a community-focused real estate and infrastructure owner, operator, lender and developer. Since 1994, CIM has sought to create value in projects and positively impact the lives of people in communities across the Americas by delivering more than $60 billion of essential real estate and infrastructure projects. CIM’s diverse team of experts applies its broad knowledge and disciplined approach through hands-on management of real assets from due diligence to operations through disposition. CIM strives to make a meaningful difference in the world by executing key environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and enhancing each community in which it invests. For more information, visit www.cimgroup.com.

About West Angeles Church

West Angeles is led by recently appointed Pastor Charles Blake II. Under the leadership of his predecessor Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., the church was grown from an initial 50 members to over 24,000. Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., former Presiding Bishop of the worldwide Church of God In Christ organization – served as Head Pastor of West Angeles Church of God In Christ from 1975 through 2022.

West Angeles Church of God In Christ is recognized as one of the most influential churches in America today, and serves as the model of visionary leadership into the future. Its main place of worship, the West Angeles Cathedral, is located in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, California, a historic African American ethnic enclave. Contact: Stephanie Turner, sturner@westa.org, (323) 733-8300 x2310.

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