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PC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Receive an Update on the Hayden Tract Specific Plan; and (2) Discussion and Comments
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Meeting Date: November 12, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Oscar Reyes Zapien, Planning & Development Department
Troy Evangelho, Planning & Development Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5774 / (310) 253-5744
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [x] General Fund: Yes [] No [x]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [x] Attachments: [x]
Public Notification: Meetings and Agendas - Planning Commission (11/7/2025)
Department Approval: Mark Muenzer, Planning and Development Director (11/3/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission discuss and provide recommendations on the development of the Hayden Tract Specific Plan.
BACKGROUND
The Culver City General Plan 2045 and Zoning Code update went into effect on October 9, 2024. Under the new plan and zoning code, the Hayden Tract neighborhood is designated Mixed Use Industrial, allowing commercial and light industrial uses, as well as a base residential density up to 65 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). This new designation reflects the area’s transition away from heavy industrial and warehouse uses toward less intensive tech and creative office uses, and providing an opportunity to introduce housing to the area for the first time.
The General Plan also identifies the Hayden Tract as a special study area. To help shape this new neighborhood and provide amenities for future neighborhood residents, the City has initiated the Hayden Tract Specific Plan project. The specific plan studies the neighborhood in greater detail and is intended to provide regulations for development of the public and private realm, roadway standards, and guidance for parks and other public amenities.
The City hosted the first open house on March 18, 2025 for the Hayden Tract Specific Plan and the Fox Hills Specific Plan. The first Open House was held in person at the Veterans Memorial Building, as well as virtually. Approximately 60 people attended in person or online. The City hosted a second open house event on September 25, 2025 for the Hayden Tract Specific Plan. The open house was held in person at the Syd Kronenthal Park Community Room, as well as virtually. Approximately 25 people attended in person or online.
To publicize the open house, City staff sent over 1,000 postcards to residents, businesses, and property owners in and around the project areas, as well as multiple emails to the City mailing lists and social media postings. These materials directed recipients to the project website, www.culvercity.org/haydentract <http://www.culvercity.org/haydentract>, which included information on the event.
In addition to the in-person open house, there is an innovative virtual open house option available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The virtual open house includes project information and materials in a 3D room which can be navigated as if the viewer were there in person. Viewers have the option to provide feedback via an additional survey with long-form, open-ended questions, as well as a comment box to contact staff directly.
City staff also attended various City events to help engage the community with the specific plan. Staff attended the Vibes After Five, the Juneteenth Celebration, the Pride Rally, Fiesta La Ballona, and the Art Walk and Roll.
Outreach Feedback Summary
The following section summarizes feedback gained from the open house attendees and at the pop-up events.
Participants generally supported a walkable, bike-friendly district with enhanced public areas focused on gathering spaces and community programming. Participants mentioned the area’s current industrial character and creative identity as important when thinking about future development. Concerns about parking and traffic were frequently mentioned as participants highlighted dangerous and frustrating experiences as drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in the area. Participants also noted that safety for students from nearby schools should be given special consideration to enhance pedestrian safety in the area.
Responses were mixed regarding residential density and building height. Many respondents indicated support for increased height and density, especially closer to Metro stations, along Ballona Creek, and major streets. Respondents also noted that increased densities could provide the opportunity to create more affordable housing. Support was also greater for projects that provide affordable housing and community benefits like open space and bike path improvements.
Some respondents did not support increased height and density, particularly on the western edge of the Tract citing the need for a transition to lower-scale residential neighborhoods. Many respondents supported the idea of scaling height down near the existing residential neighborhoods to provide a gradual, sensitive height increase. Some felt Culver City is already too impacted by development. Typically, traffic was mentioned as the primary concern about introducing new housing units. Some respondents were concerned with the impact that increased density would have on City infrastructure.
Comments about mobility included traffic, parking, the pedestrian experience, and connections to Ballona Creek:
- Traffic: Respondents mentioned concerns relating to current traffic conditions and impacts that new development could have on traffic in the area, and on Higuera Street in particular. Many participants requested closing Higuera Street to through traffic, while others had a strong desire for a through connection on Higuera Street between Hayden Place and Jefferson Boulevard.
- Parking: Respondents expressed concerns about sufficient parking to accommodate new development. Some supported minimum parking standards, while others suggested maintaining and managing the current parking capacity better. Some participants suggested building parking garages with shuttles to offices to keep the area car-free. Many participants also indicated a lack of support for on-street parking.
- Pedestrian Experience: Participants indicated that sidewalks in the plan area are, in many cases lacking, not ADA-compliant, or nonexistent. They said the area is not pedestrian-friendly and indicated an interest in improving conditions for people walking in the neighborhood.
- Connections to Ballona Creek: Respondents indicated an interest in connections to and over the creek, including the possibility of a Hayden Avenue bridge connecting to Jefferson Boulevard.
DISCUSSION
The Hayden Tract Specific Plan is envisioned to include development standards and policies for the following three areas.
• Land Use and Development Standards
• Public Right-of-Ways
• Future City Actions
Land Use and Development Standards
The entirety of the Hayden Tract project area is currently designated Mixed Use Industrial, which allows commercial use, limited light industrial use, and residential use at a maximum density of 65 du/ac and a maximum height of 56 feet. When utilizing state density bonuses, as most larger residential developments do, developers can go beyond the maximum density and height in exchange for providing affordable housing units. Depending on the proportion of affordable units provided, developers can request additional concessions and waivers for other development regulations, such as setbacks or open space requirements.
The building designs generated for the second open house show two alternatives for building heights in the area. Height alternative A shows a gradual increase in building height, increasing to 75 and 85 feet as projects move away from the adjacent residential district and toward Ballona Creek. Height Alternative B demonstrates building heights increasing to 85 and 110 feet. Corresponding residential densities would also increase from 65 to 100 and 120 dwelling units per acre.
New state law SB 79 requires that on July 1, 2026 cities allow minimum heights and densities for multi-family development located within a half mile of qualifying transit stops. According to preliminary analysis by staff, except for a small number of parcels located in the southern plan area, most of the Hayden Tract is located within the half-mile radius of two qualifying transit stops (Culver City and Jefferson/La Cienega).
SB 79 would require a minimum height of 55 feet and minimum density of 80 du/ac for much of the Hayden Tract. As previously stated, the height and densities of alternatives A and B would mostly exceed what would be required under SB 79, with the exception being the properties located abutting the Rancho Higuera neighborhood, which are proposed at 65 du/ac, but would be required to allow 80 du/ac under SB 79.
SB 79 also allows for a TOD (transit oriented development) alternative plan. This allows cities to shift some of the density between properties within the half mile radius of a qualifying transit stop. Given the recent bill approval, staff has not yet been directed to study TOD alternative plan options for the Hayden Tract Specific Plan.
Additionally, based on interest from the Planning Commission at the initial study session, to require affordable housing with taller developments, an inclusionary housing feasibility study was conducted for the specific plan area. The study found that increased densities and building heights could likely support a 5% and 10% low-income set-aside requirement. Staff will also share this study information during an upcoming City Council Hayden Tract discussion item (1st Quarter 2026).
Public Right-of-Ways
This section of the specific plan will regulate how roadways are designed, including sidewalks, streets, and pathways. Many portions of the Hayden Tract today lack sidewalks, and those that exist are narrow and often accommodate parking meters or utility poles. Improving biking and pedestrian access and connections to the La Cienega/Jefferson and Culver City Metro stations is a key goal of the specific plan to reduce vehicle traffic in the surrounding area. Ballona Creek and its multi-use path are a key component of this goal, as the path borders the eastern and southern edges of the project area.
There is currently only one direct connection between the Ballona Creek path and the Hayden Tract at the Higuera Street Bridge. Increasing the number of connections to the path, and the Metro stations, will make active transportation a more viable commuting option. The specific plan would require projects to include paseos between developments to provide these pedestrian and cyclists connections to the Rancho Higuera Neighborhood and Ballona Creek.
The public-right-of-way requirements would include development requirements such as complete street improvements, connections between developments, and the regulation of public spaces. Complete street improvements would create wider pedestrian zones, provide clear signage, place street trees and landscaping along corridors, create pedestrian “through” zones, include stormwater capture, and add small “parklet” open spaces. These complete street improvements would require parallel parking on both sides of the street and dedications tied to development.
Future City Actions
The specific plan will provide guidance for new and improved park spaces, mobility, and other public amenities. The project team is seeking further guidance from the planning commission on the following items.
The plan will seek to provide connections to existing green space, while also looking for opportunities to add green space within the project area. These possibilities would likely include publicly accessible private open space as part of a private development. Paseos, or linear open spaces linking pedestrians and cyclists to activity centers, are an example of publicly accessible private open spaces. The project team is looking to implement a paseo along Ballona Creek to provide better connections throughout the area and provide better access to existing open spaces. A paseo or promenade along the Ballona Creek would provide linear open space as projects develop along the creek.
The project team has also explored the possibility of creating a paseo or linear park along the railroad spur located in the center of the tract, between Steller Drive and Warner Drive. The railroad spur is currently mostly comprised of private parking spaces. On January 31, 2012 the City entered into an owner participation agreement with abutting property owners to sell the city’s property and redevelop the railroad spur as a linear landscaped parking lot creating approximately 121 parking spaces for private use. The railroad spur could serve as an effective linear park that provides new open space, though the existing agreement would need to be amended.
Other public amenities, such as improved mobility and pedestrian improvements, are also being explored. The project team has explored the creation of a public street along Eastham Drive. The northern portion of Eastham Drive is currently privately owned with a public access easement. Eastham Drive could be acquired by the City to make complete street improvements.
CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION
The City Council received an update and discussed the project at their April 28, 2025 meeting. The discussion was focused around the main components of the plan, including increased heights and density beyond alternatives presented, publicly usable open spaces in developments along Ballona Creek, mobility safety, parking, equitable outreach, and the balance of business and residential development.
The City Council voiced support for exploring increased densities and heights in the plan area. The Council was supportive of the tiered height approach, with lower heights near the exiting Rancho Higuera neighborhood and increased heights along the Ballona Creek. The Council also discussed the possibility of development along the creek engaging with the creek and providing open space.
The council also shared that a parking management plan may be beneficial for the area as it is redeveloped, especially to address parking issues and street safety concerns. There was consensus for making the roadway networks safer for all users.
The Council discussed increasing opportunities for open space and parks in the plan area. They were interested in more opportunities for privately owned public open space, and creating a network between developments. There was support for exploring the railroad spur as a creative opportunity to create a linear park in the area.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
The discussion of the Hayden Tract Specific Plan is covered by the general exemption rule (as provided in California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15061, subsection (b)(3)) that the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) only applies to projects which have potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The discussion of the specific plan will have no significant effect on the environment. The final proposed specific plan will have the appropriate environmental assessment completed prior to presentation for approval.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
This discussion of the Hayden Tract Specific Plan has no fiscal impact.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025-11-12_ATT1_Hayden Tract Height Alternatives
MOTION
That the Planning Commission:
1. Discuss and provide comments and recommendations on the Hayden Tract Specific Plan as deemed appropriate.