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CC - CONSENT ITEM: Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Culver City Municipal Code Sections 15.06.300-330 and 15.10.750-790 Adopting New Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Fees.
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Meeting Date: February 9, 2026
Contact Person/Dept.: Jose Mendivil, Associate Planner/Planning and Development
Emily Stadnicki, Current Planning Manager/Planning and Development
Phone Number: (310) 253-5757 / (310) 253-5727
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (02/05/2026), (Email) Public Notifications - City Planning (12/11/2025), Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/07/2026), (Posted) City website (12/11/2025), (Published) Culver City News (12/11/2025)
Department Approval Name, Title Date: Mark E. Muenzer, Planning and Development Director/Interim Housing and Human Services Director (01/27/2026); Lisa Soghor, Chief Financial Officer (02/03/2026); Heather Baker, City Attorney (02/02/2026)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council adopt an ordinance approving amendments to Culver City Municipal Code Sections 15.06.300-330 and 15.10.750-790, thereby adopting New Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Fees (the “Ordinance”) (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
On January 12, 2026, the City Council unanimously introduced the Ordinance. The Ordinance is a comprehensive update to the City’s Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Fees and is intended to:
1. Update the City’s ordinances to align with current State legislation, including changing the fee calculation from a unit type fee to a square footage fee;
2. Modernize the City’s fee structure to increase revenue that supports expanded access to quality park and recreation spaces; and
3. Create a fee structure that addresses the park land standard deficit and offsets impacts of new residential developments on current parks levels of service.
In California, local governments can impose two types of development impact fees for funding parks and recreational facilities. Under the 1975 Quimby Act, found in the Subdivision Map Act (Government Code § 66477), local governments may require the dedication of land for parks or the payment of fees In-Lieu of land dedication as a condition of subdivision map approval. To fund the acquisition of new parkland outside the subdivision process, or construction of new park and recreational facilities, local governments may also impose AB 1600 Park Impact Fees by following the guidelines set forth by the Mitigation Fee Act (Government Code § 66000). These fees are based on maintaining the current level of park service for a community, cost of land, and anticipated population growth.
Park Land In-Lieu Fees (Quimby Fees)
The goal of the Quimby Act is to require developers to help mitigate the impacts of residential subdivisions on parks. (Revenues generated through the Quimby Act cannot be used for the operation and maintenance of park facilities.) The fees must be paid, and/or land conveyed, directly to the local public agencies that provide park and recreation services communitywide.
Park Land Acquisition Impact Fee (Park Land Impact)
Similar to Quimby Fees, an impact fee is imposed by a local government on a development project to pay for all or a portion of the costs of providing public facilities to new development. Impact fees are a charge on new development to help fund and pay for the construction or needed expansion of capital improvements. Since some residential development does not involve a subdivision of land, and the Quimby Act applies only to subdivisions (including condos/parcel maps), it is useful to establish a park land impact fee that applies to residential development projects not involving a subdivision.
The new fees are as follows:
The proposed ordinance is presented for adoption by the City Council.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINIATION
The adoption of the Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Fee Ordinance is exempt from further environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, Sections 15060(c)(3), 15061(b)(3), and 15378(b)(4) ("CEQA Guidelines") because the Ordinance: (1) will not allow for or encourage any more development than is already anticipated under the City's existing General Plan and as regulated by existing zoning, or otherwise allow for or promote physical changes in the environment; and therefore, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the Ordinance will have a significant effect on the environment; (2) is not a “project” under CEQA as it is a governmental fiscal activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment; and (3) is not intended to apply to specifically identified projects and as such it is speculative to evaluate any such future project now.
Moreover, the Ordinance is not intended to, nor does it, provide CEQA clearance for future development projects by the mere establishment of a Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Fee. All new development projects required to pay these fees imposed by this Ordinance will be subject to appropriate environmental review as part of the entitlement process. Each of the foregoing provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA exemption and, when viewed collectively, provides an overall basis for CEQA exemption.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
From 2016 to the present, the City has collected $2,454,461 in park land fees. Funds have been spent on a variety of projects including the Skateboard Park, Interpretive Nature Trail, and Senior Center Courtyard, with an additional $1.2 million committed for parks projects identified in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for Fiscal Year 2025-26.
The Study estimates projected revenue based on cost per capita for Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Fees and population increase by 2045. If population increases as predicted, the projected revenue from Park Land In-Lieu Fees is $8,933,332 and $120,680,383 from Park Land Impact Fees by 2045. Actual revenue is dependent on completed development projects but fees on a per unit basis will increase, compared to the current fee structure, as a result of the new fees.
Staff recommends fees be reviewed annually and adjusted as needed using local cost data or an index such as the Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index (CCI). On January 12, 2026, the City Council adopted new fees reflecting this increase as part of the adoption of each annual budget, until a new Study is performed or the maximum fee per the current Study is reached. Per State law, this Nexus Study and associated fees must be updated every 8 years.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2026-02-09_ATT1_Ordinance with Exhibit A: Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Code Language
recommended action
MOTION
That the City Council:
Adopt the Ordinance approving amendments to Culver City Municipal Code Sections 15.06.300-330 and 15.10.750-790, thereby adopting New Park Land In-Lieu and Park Land Impact Fees.