On Oct. 7, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $1 million grant award proposed by Supervisor Gloria Molina for the Budokan of Los Angeles (BoLA) project.
The funding will be utilized for capital purposes for Little Tokyo Service Center’s multi-purpose recreation facility in Little Tokyo.
The Budokan project is located at 237-249 Los Angeles St., between Second and Third streets, near the Little Tokyo Branch Library and Doubletree Hotel. It will consist of a gymnasium, community space and a rooftop park, and will feature an array of sports (basketball,volleyball and martial arts), after-school programs, special events, tournaments, and programming for all ages.
“I am extremely excited and pleased to make this award for the Budokan project,” said Molina, who represents Supervisorial District 1. “This money will be used to construct a major sports and activities center here in Downtown Los Angeles and will fulfill many needs by bringing a much-needed recreational facility with green-space to the area as was intended by Proposition A. Overall, it will serve a very broad and diverse audience and have many long-term benefits for local residents.”
Proposition A was enacted by the people of L.A. County on Nov. 3, 1992 and Nov. 5, 1996 for safe neighborhood parks, gang prevention, tree planting, senior and youth recreation, and beach and wildlife protection, among other uses, and provides funding to public agencies and non-profits within the county for acquiring and/or development of facilities and open space for public recreation.
“I would like to thank the County of Los Angeles for their partnership with LTSC on the Budokan project and for their recognition on the importance of expanding recreational opportunities in the Downtown area for a broad range of potential users, especially for many within the area who don’t have access to affordable recreational opportunities,” said Dean Matsubayashi, Little Tokyo Service Center executive director. “The Budokan project will fulfill many of these unmet needs, plus provide a boost to the local economy and serve as a cultural icon for Little Tokyo.”
BoLA is working on a $23 million capital campaign and has made significant progress on these efforts. It has secured over 50 percent of its campaign goal and is in the final phase of completing the entitlement process. LTSC anticipates the capital campaign to run for approximately 1 to 1½ years, with an estimated groundbreaking in 2016 and an estimated construction time frame of 18 months.
LTSC Community Development Corporation is a non-profit community-based organization that has been providing services for over 30 years to the greater Los Angeles community. Programs include but are not limited to: assistance for victims of domestic violence, support groups, child abuse and neglect outreach, emergency food and shelter assistance, affordable housing, and community redevelopment.
For more information, visit www.ltsc.org.