LOCATION: Compton, California
SIZE: 18.82 Acres
BDG SERVICES: Master Planning, Architecture, Development, Branding
COLLABORATORS: Agency Artifact, Somos Group, GSI Environmental
PROGRAM: Mixed-use, community-serving campus featuring an equestrian center, community center, rodeo & event arena, public plaza, affordable housing, landscaping & riding trails on a former landfill site
COMPTON MULTI-CULTURAL EQUESTRIAN CENTER
The Compton Multi-Cultural Equestrian Center is planned for an 18+ acre former landfill site in a residential and industrial area on a major thoroughfare. It will feature an equestrian center, community center, event rental space, public plaza, park spaces, riding trails, rodeo arena, site security, housing, and extensive landscape. Partnering with other non-profits and organizations, the Center will provide educational classes, job training, public gatherings such as farmers’ markets and car shows, safe riding facilities, and more. This Equestrian Center is truly an extension and preservation of the Richland Farms heritage, which is a community of ranches in the heart of Compton, providing social, environmental, and economic justice to the dynamic and diverse community.
The equestrian center serves both local residents and the greater LA region. IT features stables for boarding, practice arenas, riding trails, support facilities, and the offices for Connecting Compton. The main attraction is a world-class rodeo arena, that is planned for 3,500+ seats and can be used for both Western, English, and Charreria events. It will also be used for concerts and other cultural events for the community. Being fully enclosed, it is able to be used year-round and mitigate sound impacts in this urban site.
Rounding out the campus are two housing components: townhomes and apartments. Both product types are geared towards moderate income levels and intended to provide affordable access to both the agricultural lifestyle and homeownership, supporting the opportunity for generational wealth and family living in an increasingly challenging market.
Connecting Compton, a non-profit, was founded to provide the community of Compton with a safe space where individuals of all ages and all cultures can go with a sense of unity, belonging and pride. Its vision of a multi-purpose equestrian center was developed with the goal of improving the lives of children, adults, and veterans with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities through the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding and other equine-assisted activities. In this vision is also the desire to create opportunities for the youth in Compton to develop as skilled and responsible citizens, while integrating the of cultures of their beloved city in public open space, community facilities, and local entertainment. Bell Design Group partnered with Connecting Compton, assisting them to realize their vision with services from program development, master planning, architectural design, project management, development consulting, community engagement, strategic planning, and agency engagement.
Connecting Compton & BDG in the Press
