1 THESE MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL
UNTIL APPROVED BY THE
CULVER CITY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE October 3, 2023
CULVER CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1:30 p.m.
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Mayor Vera called the special meeting of the Economic
Development Subcommittee of the City Council to order at 1:30 p.m. in the Patio Room and via Webex.
Present: Albert Vera, Mayor
Göran Eriksson, Council Member
Staff Present: Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development
Project Manager
Christina Burrows, Deputy City Attorney
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Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Vera led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Public Comment for Items NOT On the Agenda
Mayor Vera invited public comment.
Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 3, 2023
2 Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, reported that no public comment had been received.
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Receipt of Correspondence
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, reported that two emails had been received and distributed to Subcommittee Members.
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIKSSON, SECONDED BY MAYOR VERA AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SUBCOMMITTEE RECEIVE AND FILE CORRESPONDENCE.
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Consent Calendar
Item C-1
Approval of Minutes for the Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting of April 19, 2023
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIKSSON, SECONDED BY MAYOR VERA AND
UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF APRIL 19, 2023.
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Order of the Agenda
No changes were made.
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Action Items
Item A-1
Discussion Regarding Digital Kiosk Program and Issuance of Request for Proposal
Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director, provided a slide show with regard to community outreach on the digital Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 3, 2023
3 kiosks to date; she discussed next steps; and she received confirmation from the Deputy City Attorney that she had communicated everything that was needed.
Mayor Vera invited public comment.
The following members of the public addressed the
Subcommittee:
Jack Galanty, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Vice Chair, emphasized the importance of keeping things local and wanted to see advertisements for local businesses prioritized over corporate brands, community information prioritized over advertisements, and local
artwork featured.
Mark Shagama proposed a tiered advertising rate so that businesses outside of the City featured on the kiosks would subsidize local businesses.
Michelle Weiner, BPAC Member, speaking on behalf of herself, discussed opportunity for BPAC Members to weigh in on the item; concern with broken kiosks; length of the agreement; guarantees and assurances that the City would not be left with the kiosks; the large number of kiosks proposed; limited pedestrian space; wheelchairs and strollers; and use of shrinking public space.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding support for amending the sign code and recommending issuance of an RFP (Request for Proposals); items to include in the RFP; including feedback from the public; the need to solicit feedback from the DBA (Downtown Business Association) and the Arts District; ensuring that people feel a part of the process; and buy-in.
Andrew Weissman, IKE, discussed potential locations.
Discussion ensued between meeting attendees, staff and
Subcommittee Members regarding coordination with the City of Loa Angeles; the RFP issued by Los Angeles; tying the region together; information sharing; clarification that the
commercial advertising funds the kiosks; and agreement that the Subcommittee made a recommendation to the City Council on October 23, 2023 to forego the Comprehensive Sign Code Update, have staff look at doing a one-off amendment specific to digital kiosks, include public comment, seek feedback and Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 3, 2023
4 coordination with the DBA, the Arts District and Culver Village, and receive City Council direction.
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Item A-2
Consideration of a Request from Unibail-Romanco-Westfield ("Westfield") to Amend the Design for Development to Broaden the Definition to Include Off-Premises Advertising
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, provided a summary of the material of record.
Mayor Vera invited public participation.
The following members of the public addressed the
Subcommittee:
Kim Brewer, Westfield, provided background on the signage agreement; discussed the current status; growth and change; tax incentives; money invested; the DFD; the OPA; annual base payments guaranteed; gross revenue share; the break point; advertising growth; different mediums; the request to amend the ordinance to enhance advertising allowed on the existing signs; specificity with regard to retail products; the belief that revenue sharing would be possible if content can be broadened; changing technology; assistance from the City through the years; the need for greater flexibility;
clarification that if the City Council agrees, Westfield would still need to write new state legislation and prepare a new Bill; timing of the process; strict guardrails put in the original agreement; clarification that new signs are not being sought, nor is digital, rather the request is to change the content of the signage; the current inability to
participate in national campaigns; the requirement to tag signage with the store that the product is located in;
challenges related to limitations of the ordinance; City partnership; signage attached to the building; the current sign content definition; timeline for the proposed process; and proximity of the signs to the state controlled 405
freeway.
Discussion ensued between meeting attendees, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding offsite signage; advertising goods and services that are not sold at the mall; electronic Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 3, 2023
5 signs at the Howard Hughes Center; and individual
consideration of projects.
Jack Galanty received clarification that each property has a set of rules and regulations depending on the jurisdiction they are located in with different governing agreements.
Jesse Nuñez, Culver City Chamber of Commerce, received
clarification that Westfield anticipated that changing the content would enable exceeding the $2.2 million amount.
Kim Brewer, Westfield, pointed out that the $2.2 million amount was static in the agreement and should have grown.
Additional discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding differences in ads; the intent to promote businesses inside the mall and drive traffic to the mall; permitted signage; support for generating more revenue for the City; money being spent on homeless programs; malls closing in the United States; support for maintaining the 50/50 revenue share and the current threshold; and work to be done by Westfield.
Cary Anderson discussed a video online of the May 11, 2009 City Council meeting where limitations to signage were
discussed juxtaposed with disallowed signage that was
displayed until 2015; concern that the City is now considering legalizing what was previously done illegally; negotiations in 2009; the issue that keeps being brought up; and he felt it was deplorable that the costs to support homelessness is used as a reason for support of the signage.
Kim Brewer, Westfield, discussed approvals in place that allowed advertising items on the boards that are in the Media Lounge.
Michelle Weiner discussed the size of the advertising rather than the content; the prohibition of billboards in Culver City but the exception for Westfield; visibility from the freeway; incursion into public space; and she indicated her consistent objection to the signage
Unanimous Subcommittee support was achieved to pursue an amendment to the Sign Code to consider off-site signage on a separate track from the Comprehensive Sign Code Update and return to the City Council for direction on November 13, 2023.
Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 3, 2023
6 o0o
Item A-3
Receive a Presentation on the 2023 Culver City Summer Sunset Music Series and Discussion Regarding the 2024 Concert Series
Edgar Varela, Special Events Manager, provided a presentation on the 2023 Summer Sunset Music Series; discussed support from the Culver Arts Foundation; the number of concerts; attendance; performer demographics; inclusivity; attendee demographics; the partnership with Los Angeles Magazine; live art commissioned during the event; sponsors; costs to the City; response to the Festival; the 2024 event; whether to bring in an outside producer; involvement of the Cultural Affairs Subcommittee; and staff creation of an event.
Mayor Vera invited public comment.
The following member of the public addressed the
Subcommittee:
Jack Galanty acknowledged that people enjoyed the event; felt it was too short; expressed concern that there was no
dedicated location for those in wheelchairs; and he proposed that next year an area be set aside for those who need
accommodations.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding appreciation for the suggestions; the first year of holding the event at the new location; ADA (Americans with Disabilities) compliance; available areas for those who wanted to bring their own chairs and picnics; the variety of seating offered; examining the capacity of the plaza;
presence of the Fire Department; dancing; attendance by the skating group; activating surrounding areas; events produced in other places; timing of the series; length of the event; noise ordinances; starting earlier in July to allow a break before Fiesta La Ballona; ensuring there is no conflict with the DBA’s Third Wednesday Events; sun intrusion; heat; number of concerts in the series; coordination with Cultural Affairs on integrating Public Art into the area; reduced stage size; the permit process; fabrication of a specialized stage; and outreach and advertising.
Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 3, 2023
7 Edgar Varela, Special Events Manager, presented posters created for the event and art created during the event.
Additional discussion ensued between meeting attendees, staff, and Subcommittee Members regarding moving the date of the event and the option to have staff produce the event or go out for RFP.
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Public Comment – Items NOT On The Agenda (Continued)
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, indicated that no additional requests for public comment had been received.
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Items from Members/Staff
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, discussed work being done on monument signs.
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Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 3, 2023
8 Adjournment
There being no further business, at 2:33 p.m., the Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council adjourned its meeting.
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___________________________________________________________ Jeremy Bocchino
SECRETARY of the Culver City Economic Development
Subcommittee of the City Council Culver City, California
APPROVED
___________________________________________________________ Albert Vera
MAYOR, Economic Development Subcommittee of the City
Council Culver City, California