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32 RESOLUTION NO. 2025-R___
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING CITYWIDE
RESIDENTIAL AND MIXED USE OBJECTIVE DESIGN
STANDARDS, AND AN EXEMPTION FROM CEQA PURSUANT
TO SECTION 15061(b)(3) and 15168(c)(2)
(Residential and Mixed Use Objective Design Standards)
WHEREAS, the State of California has adopted numerous bills, including, but not limited to, Senate Bill 167 ("SB 167"), Senate Bill 35 ("SB 35"), Senate Bill 330 ("SB 330") and Assembly Bill 2162 ("AB 2162"), which limit or restrict discretionary review of certain qualifying residential projects; and
WHEREAS, State Housing Law continues to evolve, and multi -family affordable housing projects meeting certain criteria are required to be ministerially approved; and WHEREAS, cities are permitted to apply only "objective design standards," which are intended to provide clear, quantifiable, objective standards for those qualifying projects; and
WHEREAS, the City's adopted 2021 -2029 Housing Element contains housing programs aimed at facilitating additional housing, including developing objective design standards to comply with SB 330 (Policy 6.J, and Measure 4.H); and WHEREAS, in December 2022, the City of Culver City engaged Rincon Consultants Inc. to review the City’s existing design guidelines and Zoning Code to create a separate Citywide Residential and Mixed Use Objective Design Standards (Objective Design Standards) document that would be referenced in the Zoning Code; and
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32 WHEREAS, on October 9, 2024, the City’s General Plan Update and Zoning Code Update became effective, including Implementation Action LU -6, and Policy Goals LU -
13.2 and LU -15.6, within the Land Use and Community Design Element, which also call for adopting and updating objective design standards; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Objective Design Standards will supersede and replace the Gateway Neighborhood and Gateway Adjacent Neighborhood Design Guidelines, which were adopted on March 24, 2010 and July 13, 2011, respectively, as these contain subjective standards; and
WHEREAS, an associated Zoning Code Amendment (P2024-0310-ZCA) is necessary to incorporate the proposed Objective Design Standards by reference, eliminate overlapping standards and subjective standards applicable to residential and mixed use development, and include standards for consistency with the proposed Objecti ve Design Standards; and
WHEREAS, the Objective Design Standards are contained within a standalone document that shall be amended in the future , as needed from time to time , through the adoption of a Planning Commission resolution; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Guidelines, the adoption of the Objective Design Standards, which will supplement Zoning Code standards as it relates to design, and do not affect permitted uses or density/intensity, are 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. In addition, the proposed Objective Design Standards do not require additio nal review under CEQA pursuant to Section 15168(c)(2) as they are consistent with the Final Program
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32 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the General Plan and Zoning Code Update certified on August 26, 2024 (SCH# 2022030144) and would not result in new impacts. The adoption of the Objective Design Standards implements the adopted General Plan (Implementation Action LU-6, and Policies LU -13.2, LU -15.6); as the creation of Objective Design Standards was considered in the General Plan and Zoning Code EIR, pursuant to the provisions of CEQA no further environmental analysis is required; and
WHEREAS, on February 12, 2025, after a duly noticed public hearing on a City- initiated Zoning Code Amendment (P2024 -0310-ZCA) amending the Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC), Title 17 – Zoning Code, Sections 17.210.020 – Residential Zoning Districts Development Standards, 17.220.030 – Supplemental Standards for Mixed Use Development, and 17.300.010 – Applicability, to incorporate the Objective Design Standards by reference and ensure consistency between the Zoning Code and proposed standards , including full consideration of the staff report and attachments, environmental information, and all testimony presented, the Planning Commission by a vote of 3 to 0, adopted Resolution No. 2025-P003, recommending to the City Council approval of the Objective Design Standards , associated Zoning Code Amendment P2024-0310-ZCA, and exemption from CEQA; and WHEREAS, on March 17, 2025, after conducting a duly noticed public hearing on the aforementioned Zoning Code Amendment and Objective Design Standards , full y considering the staff reports and attachments , environmental information, Planning Commission recommendation, and all testimony presented; the City Council by a vote of ___ to ___, approved the Objective Design Standards as set forth in Attachment 5 and adopted an exemption from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) and 15168(c)(2).
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32 NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Culver City, California, DOES HEREBY RESOLVE as follows:
SECTION 1. The City Council finds the adoption of the Citywide Residential and Mixed Use Objective Design Standards exempt from CEQA pursuant to sections 15061(b)(3) and 15168(c)(2).
SECTION 2. Pursuant to the foregoing recitations and provisions of the CCMC, the City Council hereby approves the Citywide Residential and Mixed Use Objective Design Standards, as set forth in Attachment 5 of the staff report, to become effective May 14, 2025.
The City Council authorizes the Planning Commission to make future updates to the Objective Design Standards by Planning Commission Resolution.
APPROVED and ADOPTED this 17th day of March, 2025.
________________________________
DAN O’BRIEN, Mayor
City of Culver City, California
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________ ________________________________ JEREMY BOCCHINO, City Clerk HEATHER BAKER, City Attorney