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CAC - (1) Presentation on the General Plan Update Including Areas Pertaining to Cultural Affairs; and, (2) Discussion and Provide Comments as Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: August 18, 2020
Contact Person/Dept: Christine Byers / Administrative Services - Cultural Affairs
Phone Number: (310) 253-6003
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Cultural Affairs (08/13/20)
Department Approval: Serena Wright-Black, Assistant City Manager (08/13/20)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Cultural Affairs Commission (1) receive a presentation on the General Plan Update, including those elements pertaining to Cultural Affairs; and, (2) discuss and provide comments as appropriate.
BACKGROUND & DISCUSSION
A General Plan serves as a city’s primary guide for land use and development decisions and is a key tool for shaping and improving the quality of life for residents and businesses. Culver City’s existing General Plan contains nine topics, or “elements,” updated between 1968 and 2014. The existing General Plan does not have a Cultural Element, but has several related policies in the Land Use and Open Space Elements.
The General Plan Update (GPU) is an approximately $2 million multi-year effort. This will be the first time all elements are updated at the same time, aligning the entire Culver City General Plan with today’s and tomorrow’s community conditions and needs. It will also be an opportunity to incorporate two areas under the purview of Cultural Affairs into the General Plan: Arts, Culture & Creative Economy and Historic Preservation. The updated General Plan will include a standalone Cultural Element.
In preparation of the GPU, the City created an Advance Planning Division within the Community Development Department. Ashley Hefner Hoang is the Advance Planning Manager and she and her staff have been working and coordinating with many City departments and divisions, including Cultural Affairs, since the commencement of the GPU process. A Request for Proposal (RFP) for a GPU consultant team was issued in 2018 and Raimi + Associates were unanimously selected by the City Council in January 2019 after a lengthy review and vetting process. Raimi + Associates are the GPU lead consultants and their team comprises a number of sub-consultants who are subject experts in the specific areas that fall under a General Plan Update. The two sub-consultants working on the GPU sections (elements) pertaining to Cultural Affairs are The Cultural Planning Group (Arts, Culture & Creative Economy) and Environmental Science Associates (Historic Preservation).
The GPU process began in September 2019 with stakeholder interviews which included staff, appointed and elected officials, business and non-profit representatives, and residents. Fourteen arts, culture, creative economy and preservation related interviews were included in the process (for more on the stakeholder interview process, please see Attachment No. 1). Information obtained from the stakeholder interviews were incorporated into the individual Existing Conditions Reports (ECR), the first major milestone in the GPU process, which are currently being completed for each of the topic areas. An overview of the Existing Condition Report prepared by CPG for Arts, Culture & Creative Economy was presented at the General Plan Advisory Committee meeting on July 9, 2020. (The Existing Condition Reports are based on pre-pandemic 2019 baseline data and the reports cannot be updated with new data to reflect potential impacts as that information will not be available for some time. The consultant team will, however, be updating each ECR report with a two-page acknowledgement of the pandemic and its impacts. Also, Cultural Affairs staff have identified some minor items for correction in the CPG report that will be coordinated with the consultant team and reposted to the website when the changes have been made.)
CPG have reviewed the 2017 Creative Economy Report upon commencement of their work on the GPU in 2019 and they are familiar with the process that went into developing that report. They have also been in communication with Vice Chair Dickter and staff on the draft Creative Economy Stakeholder Meeting Summary Report prepared by Dr. Yolanda Gorman. The updated General Plan will have the longest reach into the future and should cross-reference key findings from any related reports prepared on behalf of Cultural Affairs.
Staff’s presentation will provide an overview of the GPU process, outcomes and deliverables, and resources and vehicles for input and engagement. Staff is also seeking the CAC’s input on three important issues as included below:
• How can Culver City improve access to arts and cultural opportunities for all populations and places in the community?
• How can the City align its arts policy with its equity policies?
• How can the City assist artists and the creative sector to adapt to and recover from the COVID crisis?
In addition to reviewing the documents attached hereto prior to the meeting on August 18th, staff recommends the CAC members familiarize themselves with the information included in the GPU website: <https://www.pictureculvercity.com/>, including the Arts and Culture micro survey and video at <https://www.pictureculvercity.com/latest-news/ecr-arts-culture>.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact with the discussion of this item.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 20-08-18_ATT No. 1_Stakeholder Interviews Summary of Feedback
2. 20-08-18_ATT No. 2_Existing Conditions Report for Arts, Culture & Creative Economy
MOTION(S)
That the Cultural Affairs Commission:
1. Receive the information as presented; and,
2. Provide comments as appropriate.