The long-vacant Hawthorne Plaza mall has been a problem in the South Bay for years, according to city authorities, residents and business owners near the sprawling property.

Instead of attracting shoppers, the mall in the city’s downtown is a magnet for trespassers, accumulated trash and occasional fires.

And now the city is forcing developers to do something about it.

This summer, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered owners of the 900,000-square-foot property to secure the site and step up safety measures while devising a plan to either turn it into something the community can use or demolish it.

The owner must break ground by late August 2026.

“With our luck, they'll build high-end condos, but they need to put units in there that people can afford,” said Ronald Robinson

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