+ WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF A GENERAL PLAN?

A general plan is a city’s blueprint, or constitution, to guide change. It documents the city’s long-range vision and establishes clear goals, objectives, and actions to help the community navigate the next 20 to 30 years of its evolution. Community engagement is a top priority of the City Council and is an important part of the General Plan Update.

See the GPU project infographic and below factsheets.

• Picture Culver City: Planning for a Future Where Everyone Thrives (ENGLISH)
• Imagina Culver City: Planeando un Futuro Donde Todos Prosperen (SPANISH)

+ What is included in a General Plan?

State law requires the General Plan include a minimum of eight state-mandated elements:

• Land Use
• Circulation
• Housing
• Safety
• Environmental Justice
• Conservation
• Open Space
• Noise

Beyond these elements, the Culver City General Plan Update will also touch on topics that are unique to the city today: Economic Development; Public Realm and Urban Design; Mobility; Cultural and Arts; Health, Wellness, and Equity; Sustainability and Climate Change; Infrastructure and Public Facilities; and Smart Cities.

+ WHY DOES THE GENERAL PLAN NEED TO BE UPDATED?

The City must update its General Plan periodically to respond to the changing needs and conditions of the city and region and to reflect new local, regional, state, and national laws. The General Plan Update is required by California state law.

Culver City’s existing General Plan contains nine topics, or “elements,” updated between 1968 and 2014. This will be the first time all elements are updated at the same time, aligning the entire Culver City General Plan with today’s and tomorrow’s community conditions and needs. An updated plan can produce many benefits for Culver City including, but not limited to:

• Preserving and enhancing quality of life;
• Guiding economic growth for long-term fiscal sustainability;
• Providing direction for housing decisions;
• Establishing clear and objective standards for (re)development;
• Clarifying the decision-making processes of the City; and
• Promoting positive changes for our environment, health, and sustainability.

+ IS THE GENERAL PLAN SUBJECT TO CEQA?

Yes. Like other decisions in a community, the General Plan is subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A full program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be completed with this General Plan Update.

+ WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR)?

Public agencies must comply with CEQA, a statute that requires state and local agencies to identify potential environmental impacts, and to avoid or mitigate those impacts, if feasible. A City certifies an EIR as part of a General Plan Update process in order to ensure compliance with CEQA.

An EIR identifies and analyzes the environmental impacts that can result from the implementation of the General Plan. It serves to inform governmental agencies and the public of the potential environmental impacts to existing or proposed changes to the built environment. The EIR also proposes mitigation measures to avoid or offset any negative environmental impacts.

+ What is the timeline for updating the General Plan?

This process is expected to last approximately four years and will conclude in fall of 2023.

+ Who is part of the General Plan Update?

All of Culver City is invited to collaborate in the process! The plan is relevant to all who live, work, play, and invest here. In addition to residents, local businesses and workers, community groups and nonprofits, developers, institutions, regional agencies, and partners, many more will be invited to take part in the process. Everyone has a valued place and voice! Visit the "Participate" page to learn more about future and past events.

+ How can I get involved?

• Get on the project email list. Sign up through the project website or at a community event to receive the latest project and community event updates throughout the project.
• Check out the project website. Stay tuned to this project website where project deliverables, summaries and photos from past events, and updates on upcoming events and project deliverables will be posted. Interactive surveys and activities will also be administered through the project website.
• Keep an eye out for GPU flyers. Periodically the City will email and post flyers at key locations throughout the city to advertise upcoming community events and project updates.
• Visit and engage with the City’s social media channels. Updates will be regularly be posted through the City’s Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, and Instagram social media platforms.
• Attend public meetings and workshops. Meet with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues and share your ideas at the many events planned throughout the next two years.
• Complete online surveys. Interactive online surveys will also be administered to provide convenient access to the planning process.
• Talk to your neighbors, friends, and colleagues. Spreading the word about the GPU efforts and engaging in conversations helps to bring forth new ideas, refine existing proposals, and bring more people into the GPU process.

+ HOW WILL MY FEEDBACK BE USED?

Input, ideas, and other information gathered through engagement activities will be recorded and compiled to ensure the GPAC, City staff, the public, and decision-makers have a full understanding of community and stakeholder opinions when drafting, reviewing, and adopting the General Plan and each of its elements.

+ WHAT IS THE GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (GPAC)?

In spring/summer 2018, City Council established the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) to advise on the GPU. The GPAC has 21 members appointed by City Council. Its primary roles are to:

• Provide insight to the project team on how to address key issues and understand sensitive community needs.
• Review and provide comments on GPU work products.
• Inform the community of the process and help to build community support for and engagement with the GPU process.

GPAC members may also choose to play an active role in community events by facilitating and encouraging public participation. The GPAC is an advisory body and will not make decisions or take actions on the GPU.

Visit the "Advisory Bodies" page to learn more about the GPAC activities and access meeting materials.

+ HOW CAN I GET ON THE GPAC?

The membership of the GPAC has been established through appointment by City Council. City Council may choose to fill a vacancy on the GPAC if and when a current member withdraws. All meetings of the committee are open to the public and all are welcome to participate and give public comment. For more information on the GPAC, see the "Advisory Bodies" page.

+ HOW CAN I GET ON A TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC)?

Along with the GPAC, a series of topic-specific technical advisory committees (TACs) are exploring innovative ideas and topics for the GPU. These informal TACs cover topics, such as housing; transportation and mobility; quality of life issues, such as sustainability, health, and parks; culture and arts; economic development; and policing and public safety. TAC members are volunteer positions and all who expressed interest were included on one of the TACs in Fall 2020. For more information on the TACs, see the "Advisory Bodies" page.

+ WHAT IS THE HOUSING ELEMENT?

The Housing Element of the City’s General Plan is the primary planning guide to meet the current and future housing needs of everyone in Culver City. It outlines goals, policies, and programs to meet these needs while balancing other community objectives and resources. Housing Elements are intended to support various housing types for all income groups, help develop lower and moderate-income housing, remove constraints to housing, conserve and improve existing housing, and promote fair housing opportunities.

The City’s current Housing Element (5th Cycle) 2013-2020 Housing Element was adopted by the City Council and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The adopted Housing Element covers the planning period from October 2013 through October 2021. The City is currently implementing the actions and programs for the current planning cycle. To comply with State law, the City’s Housing Element must be updated to ensure Culver City’s policies and programs can accommodate estimated housing growth need identified in the Southern California Association of Government’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation for the 2021-2029 planning period.

+ WHY IS THE CITY UPDATING THE HOUSING ELEMENT?

Every eight years, the State of California requires local agencies (e.g., cities and counties) to update their Housing Elements following the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The City is currently preparing its 2021-2029 Housing Element for the General Plan Update (GPU) project to meet HCD’s mandated adoption deadline.

+ WHAT IS THE REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT (RHNA)?

In order to create a Housing Element that meets community needs, communities must know how much housing it needs to plan for, based on household income levels. The RHNA, mandated by California housing law, quantifies the need for housing across all income levels in every community. Every community must plan for the RHNA allocation in its Housing Element to ensure there are enough sites and adequate zoning to accommodate the RHNA.

The sixth Housing Element update cycle (2021-2029) represents a new paradigm in housing production planning across California and includes more substantial penalties for non-compliance. It also allocates more housing units to communities, especially in urban areas, to address California's housing crisis.

During the last Housing Element cycle, the overall lack of housing production resulted in local agencies falling short of meeting their RHNA goals across the state. For example, while Culver City exceeded its allocation for above moderate-income levels in the fifth cycle, the City only met about 13% of units allocated for the required moderate-, low-, and very low-income categories. Factors that added to the housing crisis in past cycles include insufficient administrative and financial resources to support affordable housing production and a lack of penalties to compel local agencies to meet their allocations.

To make up for cities’ shortcomings in past cycles, the sixth Housing Element cycle increases allocations and added stricter penalties for cities’ non-compliance. Specific to Culver City, the increased allocation in the sixth cycle totals 3,341 units compared to the fifth cycle allocation of 185 units. The total of 3,341 units are distributed by income as follows: 554 units (17%) extremely low, 554 (17%) very low, 604 (18%) low, 560 (17%) moderate, and 1,069 (32%) above moderate incomes. The RHNA did not include the extremely low category but it is estimated to be ½ of the very-low-income need, per Government Code §65583.a.1

New penalties include HCD’s mandate that if a housing element is adopted after the 120-day grace period ending February 12, 2022, it must be updated in four years instead of eight. Assembly Bill 725 (AB 725) also added a new penalty, mandating that any housing element adopted on or after January 1, 2022, must allocate 25% of its RHNA share for moderate- and above moderate-income housing to sites zoned to support at least four on-site multi-family housing units.

Housing is also considered in other General Plan elements, such as land use, mobility, and environmental justice. For example, a new requirement enacted since the last Housing Element update is Senate Bill 1000 (SB 1000). SB 1000 requires policies to ensure healthy and safe housing. This includes addressing the presence of lead-based building materials. The presence of lead-based building materials in portions of Clarkdale and Culver/West is a factor in why these neighborhoods are designated as SB 1000 priority neighborhoods. Culver City’s General Plan Environmental Justice Element will address lead-based building materials and will be consistent with the General Plan’s Housing Element. SB 1000 and related topics will be covered at community workshop in Fall 2021.

+ DOES RHNA REQUIRE HOUSING TO BE BUILT?

Housing Elements must show cities have the regulatory and land use policies to accommodate RHNA and sites where units can be built. The City, however, cannot require units to be produced on those sites. The type of housing actually built ultimately depends on the housing market and local economy.

Please refer to the Planning Commission Housing Element Kickoff Presentation and the Housing Element page for questions on:

• Housing Element community input
• Relationship between housing and land use elements
• Housing Element basics, requirements, and contents
• RHNA basics
• Review of 2013-2021 Housing Element RHNA accomplishments
• Existing housing programs
• Housing Element Guiding Principles
• Housing Element process and timeline

+ WHAT IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

Housing affordability refers to the relationship between housing costs and household income. Generally, affordable housing is priced lower than market rate, often due to government subsidies and other programs that lower housing prices and rents. It is usually limited to individuals and families that fit into a specific income category (ranging anywhere from less than 30% of area median income to 120% of area median income).

The cost of restricted affordable units is based on the current Area Median Income (AMI) in Los Angeles County, which in 2019 was $70,950. Income categories are defined as follows:

• Extremely Low Income: Less than 30% of AMI
• Very Low Income: Between 30% and 50% of AMI
• Low Income: Between 50% and 80% of AMI
• Moderate Income: Between 80% and 120% of AMI

+ WHAT IS A 100% AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY? ARE THERE EXAMPLES?

Overlays are regulatory tools that add layers on top of zoning districts. An overlay can be citywide or for certain areas, and certain areas could have different rules. An 100% affordable housing overlay zone (AHOZ) would incentivize, but not require, developers to building 100% affordable housing within AHOZ areas. Incentives could include tools like increased density, increased height limits, lower parking requirements, by-right approvals, streamlined permitting, and fee waivers.

Examples of AHOZs implemented between 1993 and 2020 include AHOZs in the cities of Cambridge, MA; Berkeley, CA; Buellton, CA; Menlo Park, CA; Los Gatos, CA; and Goleta, CA.

On June 23, 2021, as a result of Council’s discussion on exclusionary zoning, City Council directed the GPU team (City staff and consultants) to study options to encourage more affordable housing production in Culver City, including a 100% affordable housing overlay zone, transit-oriented community programs, affordable housing partnership funding, and an urgency measure for entitlement streamlining. The GPU team will study these options and present the findings to City Council at a future meeting.

+ WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COST OF HOUSING IN CULVER CITY TODAY?

You can find information on Culver City home prices and rents in the Housing Costs and Affordability Gap Analysis in the Draft Housing Element and general information on affordable housing on the State’s Housing and Community Development webpage.

+ WHAT IS A PREFERRED LAND USE ALTERNATIVE?

A preferred land use map, also referred to as a preferred land use alternative, is a citywide map that illustrates the future intended use of a land, a “land use designation.” Land use designation identifies what type of use is allowed, e.g., single-family residential, multi-family residential, commercial, and mixed use, and the amount of development allowed on each parcel. A detailed explanation of the preferred land use map and land use designations are included in Section 2 of the City Council/Planning Commission June 23 staff report memo.

+ WHAT DIRECTION DID COUNCIL GIVE ON THE PREFERRED LAND USE ALTERNATIVE?

City Council directed the GPU team to study the draft land uses in Figure 2 plus Figure 5 (which combined make up the Preferred Land Use Alternative) as shown in the City Council/Planning Commission June 23 staff report memo. This directed the GPU team to study a new land use called “Incremental Infill 1” for areas of low density residential. See Table 32 in the Draft Housing Element for proposed designation descriptions and the the Constraints section for definitions of existing residential zones.

The GPU team will study the potential impacts of Incremental Infill 1 as a part of the environmental impact review process. City Council’s direction affects the Housing Element because the Housing Element must be consistent with the preferred alternative. City Council also directed staff to study design criteria / guidelines for low density single-family residential areas where Incremental Infill 1 would be studied.

Incremental Infill 1 would allow for single-family attached or detached, duplex, triplex, or fourplexes-- inclusive of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs (JADU)-- to be built in these areas, except lots smaller than 4,950 square feet in R1 zones would not change. Two of the units would be considered as the ADU and JADU; four units plus an ADU and JADU is not being proposed. The fourth unit would be required as affordable housing.

+ WHAT CHANGES TO THE R1 AND R2 ZONES ARE THE GPU TEAM STUDYING?

Please refer to the Draft Housing Element Governmental Constraints section, Tables 31 and 32 for a detailed description of what is currently allowed and what is being studied.

+ WOULD THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE REQUIRE CHANGING THE EXISTING R1 DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS?

The GPU team anticipates the preferred alternative would not require changing the R1 development standards, including the 0.45 floor area ratio approved in 2019. In other words, four units could be accommodated in the same building envelope and massing as a single-unit building. This will be studied further as a part of the next steps in the review process to understand feasibility more comprehensively, including parking standards. See Draft Housing Element Appendix B, Incremental Infill section for visuals.

Council also directed the study of several affordable housing tools to promote more affordable housing production, including an affordable housing overlay, transit-oriented communities, affordable housing funding, and entitlement streamlining. Once these studies are conducted and shared with City Council, the City Council could direct staff to move forward with creating new programs or policies to incentivize housing production.

+ DID THE DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL ON JUNE 28 CHANGE LAND USE OR ZONING NOW?

No, Council directed the GPU team to study the potential land use changes in the preferred alternative as part of the policy development and environmental review process that will be ongoing over the next year or so. As part of the EIR, consistent with State requirements, an alternative will also be studied called ‘No Change’ which will study the impacts of keeping the land use map as is for the next 25 years.

+ HOW WOULD RHNA BE IMPACTED IF THERE'S NO CHANGE AND WHAT WOULD THE CONSEQUENCES BE FOR THE CITY?

Under the current General Plan, using the same criteria and sites selected under the Preferred Land Use Map, there would be a 1,339-unit shortfall of RHNA capacity if no changes to the existing land use plan were made. See the Draft Housing Element, Inventory of Sites Summary and Table B-5 for further detail.

The Housing Element is required to acknowledge this shortfall and commit to making sites available within three years after October 15, 2021, by updating the General Plan and implementing zoning for the new designations. HCD certification is based on that commitment to rezone/upzone within 3 years. The City is NOT considered out of compliance with State law due to the shortfall. However, if the City fails to rezone/upzone within three years, HCD can decertify the Housing Element at that time.

A related change mandated by State law is a requirement to provide by-right approval for projects with 20% affordable on certain sites per AB 1397, including:

• Vacant sites used for lower income RHNA for the 4th and 5th Housing Element cycles
• Nonvacant sites used for lower income RHNA for the 5th Housing Element cycle
• Any sites to be used for lower income RHNA requiring rezoning/upzoning past October 15, 2021 (the State mandated Housing Element Adopted deadline)

Therefore, virtually all of the City’s lower income sites would be subject to by-right approval for 20% affordable units per State law.

+ WHEN WOULD ANY RELATED CHANGES BE MADE TO THE ZONING CODE?

Land use designations that differ from the existing land use map, if adopted in Fall 2022, would require the zoning map to be updated to be consistent. If the GPU is adopted Fall 2022, efforts to begin the zoning code update process would likely start in 2023 and would go through a separate review and approval process.

+ HOW DOES THE DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL ON JUNE 28 AFFECT THE HOUSING ELEMENT?

The Housing Element includes a “sites inventory analysis,” which identifies sites throughout the city with adequate land and appropriate zoning and development standards to accommodate the City’s RHNA allocation. The sites inventory analysis assumes development levels consistent with the land use designations in the City’s preferred land use map. City Council directed staff on June 28 to study certain land uses for the preferred land use map (shown in Table 1 and Figures 2 and 5 of the June 28 staff report memo. If these land uses are ultimately approved by City Council, they will help determine where the additional housing units required by RHNA will be designated to go.

For more information on the Housing Element, please see the “Housing Element Questions” section and the Draft Housing Element for review and public comment.

+ DO PLAN UPDATES AND ZONING CHANGES REQUIRE A PUBLIC VOTE?

No. As the City’s judicial body, the City Council is authorized to adopt plan updates and zoning changes. The City Charter Section 1500 describes the processes through which decisions can be made through a public vote.

+ CAN RHNA BE MET WITHOUT THE FOURTH AFFORDABLE UNIT BEING ALLOWED IN EXISTING SINGLE-FAMILY AREAS AS INCLUDED IN THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE?

If the alternative did not include a fourth unit, RHNA most likely could be met by reallocating the added units outside of single-family areas, but further upzoning of other areas to maintain a buffer would also likely be required.

The Draft Housing Element’s sites inventory analysis estimated the potential for new housing in single-family areas associated with allowing a fourth affordable unit. This included a mix of accessory dwelling unit growth and incremental infill in low-density single-family areas. Both ADU and incremental infill growth contribute to the affordable housing units identified in the sites inventory.

The inventory analysis only considers accommodating RHNA with the land use designations in the Preferred Land Use Alternative. Table 30 of the Draft Housing Element shows that a 49% buffer of sites above what is required under RHNA is achieved with the Preferred Land Use Alternative. A buffer is recommended because the City must maintain enough capacity to meet RHNA at all times. For example, if a development project with moderate or above moderate units is built on a site that had been identified for low or very income units, then the city would have to show where else those units could be accommodated. A 15-30% buffer is recommended by HCD and City Council’s adopted Guiding Principles calls for a 30% buffer.

+ HAVE NEW DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS OR ZONING CODE UPDATES GONE INTO EFFECT?

Until the General Plan Update is adopted and the Environmental Impact Report is certified, the existing development standards, including residential densities, remain in place.

+ HOW WAS THE ANALYSIS CONDUCTED FOR THE LAND USE ALTERNATIVES?

The memo attached to the June 23 and 28, 2021, City Council/Planning Commission joint meeting included a section on land use analysis. It illustrates different metrics developed using Urban Footprint (UF). UF is a mapping and data analysis software being used to analyze the alternatives to understand the impacts of new development and policy options. Each alternative was input into UF, and the software's analytical models generate a range of social and environmental metrics. The metrics are organized by module:

• The transportation module estimates vehicle miles travel and mode share.
• The greenhouse gas module estimates emissions associated with energy use, water use, and transportation.
• The water use module estimates indoor/outdoor water demand associated with residential and commercial uses.
• The energy module estimates electricity and natural gas use for residential and commercial uses based on building type and climate zone.
• The household costs module estimates the expenses associated with energy, water, and transportation uses.

The data in UF comes from many different organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), California Energy Commission (CEC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and more. All sources are listed under the "Input Parameters" section for each of these topics:

• Emissions Analysis
• Energy Use Analysis
• Household Costs Analysis
• Land Consumption Analysis
• Risk and Resilience Analysis
• Transportation Analysis
• Transit Accessibility Analysis
• Walk Accessibility Analysis
• Water Use Analysis
• Conservation Impacts Analysis