What is the San Pedro Courthouse property?
The San Pedro Courthouse operated on a 1.8-acre piece of County-owned land on Centre Street between 5th and 6th Streets in San Pedro from 1969 until 2014, when it permanently closed. The building sat vacant until it was demolished in 2022 as part of an agreement that Los Angeles County made with a developer to build an eight-story mixed-use building that would include ground-floor retail with housing above, along with underground parking.
In the years since, the County extended that agreement multiple times, but allowed the contract to expire in December 2025.
No decisions have been made on a new plan for the property.
Are there any constraints on what can be done with the property?
This land is owned by Los Angeles County, so it is subject to California’s Surplus Land Act, which requires the land to remain in public use by going to another public agency OR the County must prioritize affordable housing proposals for the site.
What proposals have been made?
One idea came from Port of Los Angeles High School. Their programs are in need of more space, so they have proposed using the site for a workforce development center for students, a gym and theater, an arts center, and an open-air amphitheater that would be open to the public outside of school hours.
Another idea came from San Pedro’s Historic Waterfront Business Improvement District. They proposed a two-phase approach where the site would temporarily be set up as a festival space and parking, before eventually offering it to a private hotel with parking and an event park.
While these are the only two official proposals my office has received, I am also open to other ideas for the property.
What happens now?
There is no timeline for making a decision. This property has a lot of potential, and I want to make sure that however we move forward will make sense for the community and benefit San Pedro for generations to come.
I hope anyone with thoughts or ideas for the property will fill out our survey so your voice can be heard.