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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Update on and Discussion of the Fox Hills Specific Plan; and (2) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: April 28, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Lauren Wrenn, Planning & Development
Troy Evangelho, Planning & Development
Phone Number: (310) 253-5766 / (310) 253-5744
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (04/23/2025); (Posted) City website (04/03/2025); Social Media (04/03/2025)
Department Approval Name, Title Date: Mark Muenzer, Planning & Development Director (04/11/2025) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council (1) receive an update on and discuss the development of the Fox Hills Specific Plan; and (2) provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND
The Culver City General Plan 2045 and Zoning Code update went into effect on October 9, 2024. Under the new plan and zoning code, existing commercial areas of the Fox Hills neighborhood were designated Mixed Use Medium (MU-M) and Mixed Use High (MU-H), allowing commercial uses with residential density up to 65 (MU-M) and 100 (MU-H) dwelling units per acre (du/ac).
The existing commercial areas include large parcels with mostly underutilized office space and surface parking, providing an opportunity to introduce additional housing and community amenities to the area. Fox Hills is also home to apartment and condominium buildings up to 70 du/ac, largely developed in the 1970s.
The Fox Hills neighborhood is identified as a special study area in the General Plan 2045. To help shape the new density in the neighborhood and provide amenities for existing and future residents, the City has initiated the Fox Hills Specific Plan project. The specific plan will study the neighborhood in greater detail and is intended to provide regulations for development of public and private realm, roadway standards, and guidance for parks and other public amenities.
The project team has begun engaging with the local community to receive feedback on their experiences and perceptions of the neighborhood. A series of stakeholder meetings have been held and remain in progress to hear from residents, architects and developers, local community organizations, schools, and businesses in the area.
The City also hosted a Kickoff Open House on March 18, 2025 for the Fox Hills Specific Plan and the Hayden Tract Specific Plan, which is in progress concurrently. The open house was held in person at the Veterans Memorial Building, as well as virtually. Approximately 60 people attended in person or online.
To publicize the open house, City staff sent over 3,000 postcards to residents, businesses, and property owners in and around the project areas, as well as multiple emails to the City mailing lists and social media postings. These materials directed recipients to the project website, www.culvercity.org/foxhills <http://www.culvercity.org/foxhills>, which included information on the event and an ongoing survey about priorities and potential improvements for the neighborhood.
In addition to the in-person open house, there is an innovative virtual open house option available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The virtual open house includes project information and materials in a 3D room which can be navigated as if the viewer were there in person. Viewers have the option to provide feedback via an additional survey with long-form, open-ended questions, as well as a comment box to contact staff directly.
Open House and Survey Response Summary
Approximately 60 attendees of the open house and 173 respondents to Community Survey #1 strongly supported increasing the amount of parks and open space in the neighborhood. There was also strong interest in improving road safety for pedestrians and improving the overall pedestrian experience with sidewalk repairs, landscape buffers, and better transit access. Attendees and respondents were also interested increasing the number of restaurants and neighborhood-serving retail outlets, as well as a grocery store.
Survey respondents were asked if they would like to see any changes to the proposed densities of 65 - 100 du/acre in the General Plan. The responses were mixed, with more residents suggesting lowered densities along Uplander Way, Buckingham Parkway and Hannum Avenue, but some supporting the proposed high-density in certain areas (along the edge of Fox Hills Drive, Sepulveda and Bristol Parkway), particularly for affordable housing.
Among open house attendees, concerns were raised about overdevelopment and the impact of density increases. Concerns were related to overcrowding, excessive building height and mass obstructing views and ventilation, traffic and parking implications, and change to the community character. Some comments also mentioned that affordable housing will devalue the neighborhood.
Stakeholder Feedback Summary - Developers and Property Owners
During a stakeholder call with local developers and property owners, the following considerations were raised:
- Clarity on Specific Plan Goals and Regulations:
Stakeholders sought a clear understanding of the specific plan’s objectives, its role in shaping future development, and whether the General Plan’s proposed densities could change. Feedback emphasized the need to streamline regulatory requirements across City planning documents to provide developers with clear and consistent guidelines.
- Parking Flexibility and Expanded Mobility Options:
Developers supported removing minimum parking requirements, allowing projects to respond to market demand. Stakeholders highlighted the need to reduce surface parking, explore shared parking solutions, and enhance connectivity to the Westfield Mall without reliance on driving.
- Opportunities for Mixed-Use and Hospitality Development:
Attendees discussed the potential for transitioning the mall property toward a more mixed-use area in response to evolving retail trends. The group also identified opportunities for hotel/hospitality uses on high-visibility sites near major arterials, particularly given the proximity to LAX and upcoming events like the LA 2028 Olympics and FIFA World Cup. Short-term rentals were also noted as a desirable use within the neighborhood.
- Streamlining Community Benefits Requirements:
Developers emphasized the importance of clear guidance on development fees (e.g., mobility, parks, arts) and the potential to localize funding to directly benefit Fox Hills.
DISCUSSION
The Fox Hills Specific Plan is envisioned to be a broad and inclusive document with development standards and policies for the following three areas.
• Land Use and Development Standards
• Roadways and Mobility
• Parks and Public Amenities
Land Use and Development Standards
The areas in the Fox Hills neighborhood that are most likely to redevelop are designated Mixed Use Medium and Mixed Use High, which allow commercial uses and residential uses at a maximum density of 65 du/ac (MU-M) and 100 du/ac (MU-H).
The Mixed Use High designation covers approximately 112 acres, or 42%, of the total 266 acres of parcel area within the specific plan boundary, while Mixed Use Medium covers 31 acres, or 12% of the total. The neighborhood also includes existing residential areas designated High Density Multifamily up to 70 du/ac (26 acres, or 10% of the total area), Medium Density Multifamily up to 50 du/ac (40 acres, or 15% of the total area), along with Fox Hills Park and a portion of LA County Flood Control channels designated as Open Space (14 acres, or 5% of the total area), and the Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, designated as Cemetery (44 acres, or 16% of the total area).
Table 1: Land Use in Fox Hills
As of the April 2025 Housing Development Pipeline report, available on the Planning and Development Department webpage, there are 5 mixed use or residential development projects totaling 2,912 new housing units proposed or approved in the Fox Hills neighborhood, including 210 affordable units. The projects include the entitled 5700 Hannum project, a mixed use project with 309 residential units and a ground floor café space and 5757 Uplander Way, a full-block mixed use project with 1,077 total units which has applied for entitlement. 1000 Corporate Pointe, a mixed use project with 351 units, and 6201 Bristol Parkway, also mixed use with 846 units, have each applied for Preliminary Plan Review (PPR). A fifth project, 5730 Uplander Way, is in development stages preparing for PPR. These projects total 24 acres or 9% of the total 266 acres of parcel area within the specific plan boundary.
The mixed use areas of Fox Hills have a 56-foot building height limit. However, when using state density bonuses, as most larger residential developments do, developers typically build beyond the maximum height limit as a concession in exchange for providing affordable housing units. To regulate the bulk and design of the new buildings, new development standards are being considered. Building step backs, which require a building’s façade to be set back further on upper floors, above 56 feet are being considered to limit building mass. Also being considered are guidelines such as varied rooflines, varied facades to break up long blocks, courtyards connecting to the street, and landscaped setbacks.
Roadways and Mobility
This section of the plan will regulate how roadways are designed, including sidewalks, streets, and pathways. Most of Fox Hills has existing, adequate sidewalks, however blocks are long without any cut throughs to shorten walking distances.
Part of the specific plan study will look at possible new roads or pedestrian pathways to increase connectivity to Fox Hills Park and other new amenities. Design standards for these pathways will be studied to maintain the natural character that existing residents appreciate, such as the mature trees providing shade. Another goal of the plan is to create a main street where the community can gather and host community events, such as a farmers’ market.
This section will also incorporate recent recommendations made by the Safer Fox Hills and Complete Streets Guidelines projects. These projects intend to increase road safety through a variety of changes, such as new crosswalks and bike lanes.
Parks and Public Amenities
The plan will provide guidance for new and improved park space, mobility, and other public amenities. With an increase in local residents, it is expected that park use will also increase. Because most new development in the pipeline is to the north of the park, it is especially desirable to open more direct connections to the park from the north side where there currently are none. The plan will also look to increase green space and other vegetation wherever possible.
PLANNING COMMISSION DISCUSSION
The Planning Commission received an update and discussed the project at their April 9, 2025 meeting. The Planning Commission discussion was focused around the main components of the plan, including connectivity and mobility, improvements to parks and increasing open space, and residential density and building design. One member of the public made a comment stating their appreciation of the outreach efforts and opportunities to participate so far.
For mobility, there was broad support for improving the bike and pedestrian experience, with consideration for accessibility due to steep grades in the neighborhood. Suggestions included breaking up large blocks with walking paths to have more direct connections for pedestrians throughout the neighborhood. Also discussed were improvements to transit service, including moving the existing transit center to a more central, accessible location, as well as the possibility of a circulator shuttle connecting the park and residential areas to the existing transit center.
For parks and open space, discussed was the need for parking, with suggestions to explore shared parking with underutilized commercial spaces around the park, or stacked parking with park amenities such as sport courts on the roof of a parking structure. There was also broad support for a community center for the neighborhood, centrally located, to be used for meetings and events. A major theme of community input so far has been appreciation of the mature trees in the neighborhood, and the Planning Commission supported preserving the existing vegetation, and increasing greenery with native plants.
For density and mixed use development, the Planning Commission was supportive of the existing densities in the General Plan 2045, especially if new development supports walkability and new retail and restaurant opportunities. There was support for thoughtful design standards with upper floors stepped back and varied facades, and to avoid uniformity of structures found in nearby areas such as Playa Vista. The Commission also supported the creation of a new “Main Street” area, away from the mall, around Bristol Parkway or near the park. Finally, there was emphasis placed on ensuring that Slauson Avenue is also closely considered in the planning process.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
The discussion of the Fox Hills Specific Plan is covered by the general exemption rule (as provided in California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15061, subsection (b)(3)) that the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) only applies to projects which have potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The discussion of the specific plan will have no significant effect on the environment. The final proposed specific plan will have the appropriate environmental assessment completed prior to presentation for approval.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
This discussion of the Fox Hills Specific Plan has no fiscal impact.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
Discuss and provide comments and direction to the City Manager on the Fox Hills Specific Plan as deemed appropriate.