At the City Council meeting on the evening of Monday, August 26, the main issue of the night was Public Hearing (PH) 1, which called for, “Adoption of a Resolution Certifying the Environmental Impact Report for the General Plan 2045 and Zoning Code Update Project; Adoption of General Plan Amendment, referred to as General Plan 2045; and Introduction of an Ordinance Amending the Culver City Zoning Code and Zoning Map, together referred to as the Zoning Code Update.”
During a lengthy presentation, which saw staff explaining the plan including environmental concerns, they also explained Amendment 2a to remove the line “protect existing density” from the R-1purpose statement.
“The R1 Zoning District identifies areas characterized by single-family dwellings. The standards of the R1 District are intended to protect the existing density and maintain the character of single-family residential neighborhoods.”
The “public speaker” portion of the hearing saw residents of Fox Hills in particular speak passionately about equity, that there is too much new building anticipated for their part of the region. Some referred to the new plan as “red lining,” though that was quickly denied.
As the meeting carried on well past midnight, tempers became frayed among the council members, with Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin in particular, clearly agitated by the way the consensus was going.
The vote was broken up, causing even the council members to get confused and have to re-vote at one point.
The first motion saw the language changed to require a minimum of two meetings, rather than one, for any residential or commercial developments. That passed 4-0, with McMorrin abstaining.
All elements eventually passed 3-1, with a no from Council Member Freddy Puza (who had tried and failed to remove one), and McMorrin abstaining.
Motions to improve mixed use builds, to improve the general plan, and to amend the zoning code all passed 4-0, with McMorrin abstaining.