Dear Neighbors, friends and local business owners,
Please be aware that the Culver City Council has given little time or notice to our residents that they will be meeting in a joint session with the General Planning Commission (GPAC) on Wednesday, June 23 to discuss the potential of wiping out R1 Single family residential zoning in our city!
While I’d like to believe our councilmembers had the best of intentions when considering a change in the zoning for Culver City. Once again, I believe they are using the sledgehammer approach to the problem. If the reasoning behind these changes is to provide additional housing and more importantly, affordable low income housing for the homeless, I fully support this. However, the approach should be more thoughtful and considered zoning, not doing away with a plan altogether.
Council needs to be meeting with each and every community and GPAC to consider appropriate areas for higher density housing without destroying the small family residential neighborhood feel of Culver City. It would also be helpful if the Council would strictly require the developers of multi-use or multi-family dwellings meet more stringent guidelines for this type of housing in their development plans.
Demand they provide at least 15% of housing for affordable and low-income residents using the Federal standard definition of these incomes, not some cleverly designed local median salary average that will bump this housing right back out of the affordable market for those who are most in need.
Culver City is one of the best located predominantly residential city’s sandwiched in between the Los Angeles City and County sprawl. We need to keep in mind the city is only about 4 miles by 5 miles long and currently has approximately 40,000 residents. We are a diverse community with a warm neighborly atmosphere which is something we should treasure and try to keep!
The proponents of this zoning change are using a popular fear mongering tactic that claims we are still using ‘exclusionary zoning’ to prohibit certain groups from living in our communities. This is simply not true. These despicable actions have been abolished long ago and though our city still has some way to go, it has evolved into a melting pot of many cultures, religions and with great diversity and inclusion.
For example, the 11111 Jefferson/Sepulveda Blvd project proudly states it will be providing 230 residential units; however only 19 of those units will be ‘classified’ as affordable housing. What they don’t say, is that their definition of ‘affordable’ actually makes the units beyond the reach of those who are most deserving.
Projects like this one make it look as if our City Council is Pro-Developers not Pro-Housing!
If you can attend and speak on June 23rd, I highly recommend it. You can register by copying this link and gong to the Culver City Meetings website:
https://culver-city.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
It is listed under Upcoming Meetings and the meeting is entitled Planning Commission.
Please write to your council members and express your concern if you cannot make this meeting.
Thank you for your time and hope to hear your voice on June 23.
A very concerned neighbor,
Kimberly Ferguson
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