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PC - PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a City-Initiated Zoning Code Amendment to Implement the 2021-2029 Housing Element and an exemption from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
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Meeting Date: November 12, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Lauren Wrenn / Advance Planning
Troy Evangelho / Advance Planning
Phone Number: (310) 253-5766 / (310) 253-5744
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: Culver City News (10/23/2025), Meetings and Agendas - Planning Commission (11/07/2025)
Department Approval: Mark Muenzer, Planning & Development Director (10/29/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Planning Commission adopt a resolution recommending that the City Council approve Zoning Code Amendment P2025-0229-ZCA to implement programs of the 2021-2029 Housing Element and conform to State law, and an exemption from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(B)(3).
PROCEDURES
1. Chair calls on staff for a report and the Planning Commission poses questions to staff.
2. Chair opens the public hearing, providing the public the opportunity to speak.
3. Chair seeks a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been presented.
4. Planning Commission discusses the matter and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND
The 2021-2029 Housing Element was adopted by City Council on August 8, 2022 and certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on October 10, 2022. In order to comply with State Housing Element law, the rezoning detailed in the Housing Element were required to be completed by October 15, 2024. The General Plan 2045 and associated Zoning Code Update were adopted by City Council on September 9, 2024 and went into effect 30 days later on October 9, 2024.
On March 14, 2025, City staff received an inquiry from HCD regarding the progress of the rezoning. City staff provided the ordinance that was adopted in September 2024. City staff then met with HCD in June 2025 to discuss the ordinance and provided responses demonstrating compliance with the required changes.
The following two development regulations, set by Assembly Bill 1397, were identified as having not been included as part of the comprehensive Zoning Code Update (ZCU). City Staff have implemented theses requirements to comply with State law and initiated the proposed amendment to codify the regulations.
ANALYSIS
Ministerial Approval for Housing Projects with 20 Percent Affordable Housing
AB 1397 states that projects on Housing Element Adequate Sites Inventory (properties identified to accommodate future housing development in Culver City) that require rezoning to accommodate lower-income units are eligible for ministerial approval if the project includes a minimum 20 percent of total units affordable to lower-income (meaning low-income, very low-income, and extremely low-income) households. Measure 4B of the 2021-2029 Housing Element states to extend AB 1397’s provisions for ministerial approval to all projects with a minimum 20 percent of total units affordable to lower-income households, regardless of the property’s inclusion on the Adequate Sites Inventory, in order to avoid inconsistent application of the provision.
Minimum 50% Residential Requirement for Sites Inventory Properties
Additionally, AB 1397 requires that mixed use projects on Adequate Sites Inventory properties that are anticipated to provide lower-income units include a minimum 50 percent of total floor area as residential use. There are 47 properties on the Sites Inventory that are anticipated to provide lower-income units in the Mixed Use Corridor 2 (MU-2), Mixed Use Industrial (MU-I), Mixed Use Medium (MU-MD), and Mixed Use High (MU-HD) zones. A majority of mixed-use projects on the current Development Pipeline Report meet this requirement regardless of their inclusion on the Adequate Sites Inventory, and the current market trend also supports majority-residential mixed use development.
City staff have already implemented these two requirements to comply with State law, and the proposed Zoning Code Amendment serves to incorporate the development regulations into the Zoning Code.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Public notification via a publication in the Culver City News, was published on October 23, 2025, and posted on the City website and distributed electronically via GovDelivery on the same date for the meeting of November 12, 2025.
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), the common sense exemption, because it can be seen with certainty there is no possibility the Amendment will have a significant effect on the environment. The Amendment proposes revisions to implement the 2021-2029 Housing Element and align with State law. The changes do not result in changes to existing land use, density, or an intensification of development beyond what the Zoning Code currently allows.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The proposed Zoning Code Amendment has no anticipated fiscal impact to the City.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Planning Commission Resolution No. 2025-P014 including Exhibit A: Proposed Zoning Code Text Changes in “strikethrough/underline” format.
MOTIONS
That the Planning Commission:
1) Adopt a resolution recommending that the City Council approve Zoning Code Amendment P2025-0229-ZCA to implement the 2021-2029 Housing Element and comply with State Housing Element law.