As California enters into a state of near-permanent drought, cities like ours need to be be mindful of how our policy choices impact our resources… in particular our most precious resource: water. That’s especially true when we’re deciding exactly where and how future Culver Citizens will be housed.
Culver City’s General Plan staff has analyzed our city’s per-capita water use under the current (majority-R1/“single family”) residential zoning, and compared it to projected water usage under different zoning alternatives. What did they find? The zoning options that legalize multi-family housing throughout Culver City, including in our current R1 zones, use much less water per-capita than the zoning options that leave R1 zones untouched.
Apartments and multiplexes use less irrigation, disincentivize sprawl into arid regions, and are just generally more water-efficient than the detached homes that make up the majority of Culver City’s residential zones.
In sum: the best way for Culver City to address permanent drought is to welcome more neighbors… in all of our communities.
— Maggie Meinschein
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