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CC - CONSENT ITEM: Adoption of a Resolution (1) Adopting the Complete Streets Design Standards and (2) Finding the Complete Streets Design Standards are Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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Meeting Date: June 23, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Thomas Check/Public Works Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5627
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [ ] No [X]
Public Notification: Email: Meetings and Agendas - City Council (06/19/2025)
Department Approval: Yanni Dimitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (06/06/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution (1) adopting the Complete Streets Design Standards (Standards) and (2) finding the Standards are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
BACKGROUND
In January 2020, the City Council adopted a Complete Streets Policy (Policy) to foster healthier, more sustainable, and equitable mobility for all Culver City residents and visitors. The Policy permits the Public Works Director/City Engineer to develop street design standards tailored specifically to Culver City. In September 2023, at the direction of the Public Works Director/City Engineer, the Public Works Mobility & Traffic Engineering Division retained a consultant to assist in developing detailed, context-sensitive public right-of-way design standards, officially termed the Complete Streets Design Standards.
DISCUSSION
Complete Streets is a holistic transportation strategy designed to ensure streets are safe, accessible, and comfortable for everyone, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists. This involves intentional infrastructure enhancements-such as improved sidewalks, expanded bicycle networks, transit amenities, and strategic landscaping-to foster a multimodal environment that meets the diverse mobility needs of our community. Importantly, Complete Streets design recognizes that each street has a unique context, requiring tailored solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
City staff finalized the Complete Streets Design Standards (Standards) in June 2025. They can be accessed on the City’s website in PDF format at www.culvercity.org/completestreets <http://www.culvercity.org/completestreets>. The Standards augment and effectuate the City’s Complete Streets Policy as well as other adopted City plans and policies, such as the Bicycle & Pedestrian Action Plan and the General Plan. An important distinction about this document is that the Standards are not a “plan”-rather, the document unifies the City’s various mobility plans and policies into a consolidated set of design and implementation standards that were informed by best practices and legal requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Upon City Council approval, staff will launch an interactive web portal designed as the digital equivalent to the hard copy Standards document, providing accessible, user-friendly information on the Standards and their applicability.
Authority & Applicability
The Standards will establish requirements for all projects that propose or are required to implement improvements within the public right-of-way, including capital improvement projects and private developments. This requirement is also set forth in the proposed Resolution. The City will implement Complete Streets projects incrementally as opportunities arise. Private developments must incorporate applicable Complete Streets elements along their frontage when right-of-way improvements are triggered by the development. All projects affecting the public right-of-way must receive approval for Complete Streets compliance from the Mobility & Traffic Engineering Division prior to entitlement, permit issuance, and/or construction, as applicable. Projects seeking an exemption from the Standards must follow the exemption process outlined in the Standards.
Updates
The Standards are intended to remain current and responsive to evolving best practices, technical advancements, and community needs. To ensure ongoing relevance and accuracy, the proposed Resolution and the Standards delegate authority to the Public Works Director/City Engineer to make updates to the Standards as necessary; provided, that substantive updates-such as significant revisions to design guidelines, introduction of new Complete Streets elements, or changes that affect regulatory compliance-will be clearly documented and communicated to the public and reported to the City Council and the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Staff envisions that substantive updates will be recorded as distinct editions, accompanied by summaries highlighting the nature and rationale of the changes. This structured approach ensures transparency and clarity regarding the evolution of the Standards.
Community Engagement & Feedback
The creation of the Standards was significantly guided by comprehensive and inclusive community engagement, underscoring Culver City's commitment to designing streets reflective of its residents' diverse perspectives and needs. City staff undertook an extensive, multi-faceted outreach process:
• Community Open Houses: Conducted on February 28, 2024, March 12, 2025, and March 19, 2025, these sessions enabled meaningful interactions between staff and residents, featuring interactive exercises like "Build Your Own Complete Street."
• Walking Tours: On March 29 and April 5, 2025, guided walking tours offered residents a tangible understanding of Complete Streets elements in real-world settings and facilitated discussions on potential improvements.
• Pop-up and Tabling Events: Staff engaged residents directly at popular events such as the 2024 CicLAvia-Venice Blvd and Fiesta La Ballona, providing early previews of the draft Standards and gathering valuable feedback.
• Regular Committee Updates: City staff regularly attended Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Mobility Subcommittee Meetings throughout the development of the Standards and provided updates on the project’s progress.
City staff used the feedback gathered during outreach of two other Complete Streets projects-Better Overland and Safer Fox Hills-to further shape the Complete Streets Design Standards. City staff hosted 11 community engagement events in support of these projects in 2024.
The Standards were released for two public comment periods. The first comment period ran from September 30, 2024, through November 29, 2024, and the second public comment period ran from March 10, 2025, through April 11, 2025. Significant enhancements were made based on this feedback, including new graphics, clear illustrations, and added new sections addressing intersection design (including protected intersections) and design treatments for Active Transportation Corridors, Transit Priority Corridors, and Car-Free Zones in alignment with the Special Designations contained in the Mobility Element of the General Plan.
Environmental Review
Pursuant to the CEQA Guidelines, the Complete Streets Design Standards do not create any potentially significant adverse impacts on the environment. The Complete Streets Design Standards is statutorily exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code 21080.25, which exempts projects involving pedestrian and bicycle facilities that improve safety, access, or mobility within the public right-of-way, projects that improve customer information and wayfinding for transit riders, bicyclists, or pedestrians within the public right-of-way, transit prioritization projects and projects for the designation and conversion of general purpose lanes to high-occupancy vehicle lanes or bus-only lanes, or highway shoulders to part-time transit lanes. The Complete Streets Design Standards are also categorically exempt under sections 15301 (existing facilities), 15304 (minor alterations to land) and 15308 (actions by regulatory agencies for protection of the environment) of the CEQA Guidelines. The proposed Resolution adopts such environmental findings.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action item.
ATTACHMENTS
2025-06-23_ATT_Resolution Adopting the Complete Streets Design Standards
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
Adopt a resolution (1) approving the proposed Complete Streets Design Standards and (2) finding the Complete Streets Design Standards exempt from CEQA.