A rendering of the Budokan that will be built in Little Tokyo (Photo: Budokan of LA)
Thank you to film writer Koji Sakai from the Japanese American National Museum for alerting me to this. The approval from yesterday by the LA City Council will allow the Budokan sport complex to be built in Little Tokyo. This is extremely important for the continued revitalization of Little Tokyo and Downtown LA as this sports complex will help activate a section of Los Angeles Street that is currently ignored and underserved. The Budokan will not only provide a center for youth and the community to gather, but as a result, will also enhance and strengthen the urban connectivity of Little Tokyo to the rest of Downtown LA.
Please check out the full press release below.
Major Sports Complex in Little Tokyo Receives Approval
City of Los Angeles grants final approval to local non-profit agency; Project to provide a major boost to local economy
(Los Angeles, CA) On May 17, 2011, the Budokan of Los Angeles, which is a project of Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), was finally given approval to move forward. The City Council voted to grant LTSC a long-term ground lease to build a major sports and activity center in Little Tokyo.
The Budokan of Los Angeles project, will receive a 25-year lease, with an option to renew for another 25 years on city-owned land located at 237-249 Los Angeles Street, between 2nd and 3rd Street. The Budokan of Los Angeles project will consist of a 38,000 square foot facility that will include a four-court gymnasium, community space and a roof top garden with a jogging track and will feature an array of sports (basketball, volleyball and martial arts), special events, tournaments, and programming for all ages. The facility is scheduled to be built in the next 4-5 years and will undergo a multi-million dollar capital campaign.
“Creating a gymnasium and community space in Little Tokyo is a longtime dream that I have shared with the Little Tokyo Service Center and the entire Little Tokyo community. Today, we have taken a definitive step forward and moved closer to realizing the potential of the Budokan Recreation Center. From creating 130 new jobs to generating millions in tax revenues to support tourism, Budokan will be a great project for our city,” said Council President Pro Tem Jan Perry who worked closely with LTSC to ensure the completion of the ground lease.
The name Budokan roughly translates as “martial arts hall” in Japanese and is derived from the Nippon Budokan, which is a large arena in Tokyo, Japan. The arena was originally constructed during the 1964 Olympics, but today serves as a multi-purpose facility that caters to sports and entertainment. In 2009, LTSC changed the name from the Little Tokyo Recreation Center to the Budokan of Los Angeles, which is more reflective of its broader vision. Currently, in the United States, there are numerous budokans which serve as multi-purpose centers for martial arts, team sports such as basketball and volleyball, community activities and other special events.
In the coming months, LTSC will be launching a major capital campaign to raise $22 million which will include costs for the facility, a parking structure and pre-development costs. Within the Budokan facility, there will be a gym floor that will fit four basketball courts (high school regulation), locker rooms, community space and a roof top garden with a jogging track. In addition, LTSC will be planning to build a 150 space parking structure underneath the facility. It is anticipated that the capital campaign will last 2-3 years, and LTSC will target a wide array of public sources (Federal, State, County & City), and foundations, corporations and individuals for major naming opportunities.
“The Budokan project has traveled a long road and after approximately 18 years, it now has a permanent home,” stated Bill Watanabe, Executive Director of Little Tokyo Service Center. “We will be very excited to one day open the doors to this major sports and activity center, because it will serve as a major destination site for large scale sporting events, especially for martial arts tournaments, which has no dedicated venue.”
LTSC, along with other community groups, businesses and residents have recognized from very early on, that the area, not only needed space for recreation, but also a mechanism to preserve the cultural heritage of the area and increase economic development. The Budokan of Los Angeles was seen as one of the main vehicles that could both attract the next generation of Japanese Americans to Little Tokyo and also help the local businesses. After WorldWar II, the Japanese American sports leagues (basketball, volleyball and martial arts) were created and have continued to provide Japanese Americans with a social and physical outlet, and have continued to grow and expand over the years. Today, it is estimated that there are over 10,000 participants, just in the basketball leagues alone, which range in age from 5 years old to 60. The leagues and martial arts groups have found it very difficult to find court space and locations large enough to host major tournaments throughout Los Angeles County. As an example, the International Judo tournament has been held at UC Irvine in years past, and it is estimated that the economic impact for local businesses during that weekend was approximately $1 million.
Little Tokyo is a 125-year old historic ethnic neighborhood just two blocks east of City Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Within Little Tokyo is a historic district composed of commercial and cultural resources, which is a National Historic Landmark. Through the years, the Little Tokyo community has struggled to remain a vibrant cultural hub which both retains the presence of Japanese American culture and history and continues to appeal to the changing demographics of the area. Due to a recent development boom in the Downtown Los Angeles area and the change of ownership of many local businesses, the physical make-up of Little Tokyo has changed significantly over the years. With the on-going loss of both the traditional residents and the institutions that helped to create the character of Little Tokyo, there is a greater sense of urgency to share the culture of Japanese Americans with a broader audience and also create ways to encourage the younger generations to take a vested interest in Little Tokyo.
LTSC Community Development Corporation is a non-profit community-based organization, which 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.
