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CC - CONSENT ITEM: Adoption of an Ordinance Approving City-Initiated Annual Zoning Code Amendment (P2025-0023-ZCA) Amending Various Sections of Title 17: Zoning Code of the Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) for Clarifications, Corrections, and Updates, and Exemption from CEQA.
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Meeting Date: May 27, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Gabriela Silva, Associate Planner
Emily Stadnicki, Current Planning Manager
Phone Number: (310) 253-5736 / (310) 253-5727
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: (Email) Public Notifications - City Council (04/24/2025), Meetings and Agendas - City Council (05/22/2025); (Posted) City website (04/24/2025), Social Media (04/25/2025); (Published) Culver City News (04/24/2025)
Department Approval: Mark E. Muenzer, Planning and Development Director (04/28/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt an ordinance approving City-initiated Zoning Code Amendment P2025-0023-ZCA, amending various sections of Title 17: Zoning Code of the CCMC to make the corrections, clarifications, and updates outlined in Exhibit A, and adopting an exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3), as stated in Exhibit A of the Ordinance (Attachment No. 1).
BACKGROUND
On March 26, 2025, the Planning Commission recommended the City Council approve Zoning Code Amendment (ZCA) P2025-0023-ZCA, and exemption from CEQA.
On May 12, 2025, the City Council introduced the proposed ordinance (Attachment No. 1) for Zoning Code Amendment P2025-0023-ZCA and exemption from CEQA.
DISCUSSION
As part of ongoing maintenance and implementation of the Zoning Code, staff identified various discrepancies in the Zoning Code that require correction, clarification, and/or update to apply the Zoning Code effectively and consistently. In addition, revisions are also necessary to comply with changes to State law (e.g., Assembly Bill (AB) 2632 and AB 2904).
Other changes are intended to facilitate housing production, such as reducing the number of community meetings required for residential development projects to one (from two), which also more closely matches requirements in neighboring jurisdictions (i.e., West Hollywood and Santa Monica), while still encouraging public input.
The ZCA incorporates changes to text and/or diagrams related to items such as rooftop decks, equipment setbacks, site walls/fences, electric vehicle charging, bicycle parking, temporary storage containers, community meetings, various definitions, and details of specific land uses such, as shown in Exhibit A of the proposed ordinance (Attachment No. 1).
The proposed ordinance is presented for adoption by the City Council.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the adoption of the proposed Zoning Code Amendment, is exempt per Section 15061(b)(3), because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment will facilitate and streamline the ongoing implementation of the Zoning Code but will not require any expenditures or generate any direct revenue, and, therefore, has no anticipated fiscal impact to the City.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025_05-27_ATT 1_CC Ordinance Adoption_ZCA for 2025 Cleanup (with Exhibit A: Proposed Zoning Code Text Changes in "strikethrough/underline" format)
MOTION
That the City Council:
Adopt an ordinance approving City-initiated Zoning Code Amendment P2025-0023-ZCA, amending various sections of Title 17: Zoning Code of the CCMC to make the corrections, clarifications, and updates outlined in Exhibit A, and adopting an exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3), as stated in Exhibit A of the Ordinance (Attachment No. 1).