1 THESE MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL
UNTIL APPROVED BY THE
CULVER CITY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE October 9, 2024
CULVER CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 10:30 a.m.
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA
Call to Order & Roll Call
Council Member Eriksson called the special meeting of the Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council to order at 10:30 a.m. in the Patio Room at City Hall and via Webex.
Present: Göran Eriksson, Council Member
Albert Vera, Council Member
Staff Present: Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director
Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development
Project Manager
Luis Gonzalez, Economic Development Project
Manager
Edgar Varela, Special Events Manager
Christina Burrows, Deputy City Attorney
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Pledge of Allegiance
Council Member Eriksson led the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Public Comment for Items NOT On the Agenda
Council Member Eriksson invited public comment.
Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 9, 2024
2 Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, reported that no public comment had been received.
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Receipt of Correspondence
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIKSSON, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER
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 May 16, 2024
MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ERIKSSON, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER
VERA AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF MAY 16, 2024.
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Order of the Agenda
No changes were made.
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Action Items
Item A-1
Discussion Regarding Economic Development Public-Private Partnerships
Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director, provided a summary of the material of record; discussed work with individual businesses in 1998 and 2016; assistance in forming the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs); creating an
elevated presence in the community; non-profit entities; basic functions; assessment districts to support Capital Improvements; Development and Disposition Agreements (DDAs); Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 9, 2024
3 use of City land; community benefit; work with Regency Centers; Culver Public Market; participation in the Spooky Saturday event and creation of a student art contest for construction surrounds; existing public/private partnerships in Culver City; required annual contracts and reports;
expiration of tax increment sharing in 2021 with Westfield; the Ad Hoc Signage Committee; and engagement in partnerships to meet strategic goals.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding lessons learned; the importance of keeping property maintained during construction; keeping the fencing around projects looking nice; City Council approval of the concept and agreement to stick with previous Westfield agreements; partnerships for naming rights for softball and baseball fields; the stringent naming policy; whether donation is connected with naming; City Council consideration; field sponsorship; involvement of the Parks, Recreation and
Community Services (PRCS) Department; special event
sponsorships; investigation of other partnerships to advance strategic goals; development of relationships; ensuring that existing partnerships are running well before taking on new ones; partnerships overseen by Economic Development; other partnerships in the City; helping programs move forward without the City having to pay for them; and temporary
opportunities with FIFA and the World Cup.
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Item A-2
Discussion Regarding the Development of a Tourism Brand and Related Request for Proposal
Elaine Gerety Warner, Economic Development Director,
discussed development of a tourism brand and a related Request For Proposal (RFP); she presented examples of Visit websites from other cities to provide an idea of possibilities for Culver City; discussed components; the need to define the tourism brand; setting a timeline; issuing an RFP to attract consultants that can help; limited stakeholder interviews; creation and use of a tag line; development of a comprehensive street banner program to make it clear when crossing into Culver City; putting together the final scope of work; looking at an informal RFP; and the plan to keep the budget to
$50,000.
Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 9, 2024
4 Elizabeth Garcia, Economic Development Project Manager, discussed scope of work; determining what is vital to the industry; different areas of town; different visitors;
creating links; identification of brand components; calendar of events; interactive map; retail directory; restaurants; tours; entertainment; special events; creating digital
assets; consistency; and use of the Culver City logo.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding intersectionality; the downtown area; drawing attention to venues and outdoor space; bringing visitors to areas they might not otherwise see; the TOT (Transient
Occupancy Tax) in Los Angeles for Visit LA; the important economic development tool; whether the site is to draw
visitors or to direct them; the kiosks; the movie industry; famous locations; identification of unique locations that cannot be found anywhere else; the public art book; a Girl Scout who is working with Hope Parrish on a historic book focusing on entertainment; development of a book on historic restoration; preserving TOT; keeping hotels full; the
potential timeline; curating that needs to occur; the focus on creating a simple and elegant website; and support for moving forward.
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Item A-3
Receive and File an Update on Culver City Commercial Vacancy Rates
Luis Gonzalez, Economic Development Project Manager, provided an update on Culver City commercial vacancy rates noting that the highest rates were found in Fox Hills and the Hayden Tract area; he discussed decreases in price per square footage; low retail vacancies; steady increases to commercial vacancy rates; similar rates to other westside cities; sales tax returning to pre-pandemic levels; and he noted that
industries were steadily performing.
Discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding work from home trends; plans for Amazon to bring back employees full time in January; feedback from brokers; less desire for Class B space; vacancy in the Hayden Tract due to the different amenity structure; increased interest in areas with potential mixed use; creative industries; interest for Class A; a tenant that will be moving into the Entrada Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 9, 2024
5 project; the upcoming Broker’s Breakfast; comparisons with brick and mortar with other cities; smaller spaces being absorbed by creative office in the Arts District;
neighborhood-serving businesses; the focus on keeping dollars local; the difficult restaurant industry; high rents in specific areas; the zoning code update; smaller footprint retail; mixed use with housing; Love Local events with
Westfield; providing a regional destination; outreach;
checking up on businesses; activation of smaller corridors; Artwalk; turning commercial property into residential or mixed use; shift of ownership; revitalization of certain areas; special events; community engagement; the turn out for the Hispanic Heritage Month event; successful events and partnerships; the Summer Sunset Concert series; Culver Arts Foundation as the kick start to bringing the event back; money that allows for more concerts; the positive partnership; promotion and outreach; offsetting expenses; and upcoming events and activations.
Further discussion ensued between staff and Subcommittee Members regarding upcoming events; the City-subsidized Jazz Nites series; amplifying promotions; the Holiday Bazaar; costs; potential income; sponsorships; increased numbers of people wanting to do events in Culver City; the photo art fair coming to Culver City in February; creating a more comprehensive events page with an event portfolio; progress on creating a digital event permit process; finishing
external-facing projects; creating a destination driver; driving destination holiday traffic; creating photo
opportunities and activations; connecting Media Park to downtown; additional physical activation of the park; Grand Performances and other community partners; Art Walk; cultural vitality; new stores promoting their businesses during Art Walk; the valet program; delays to the opening of the New World Grill; permitting issues with the County Health
Department; new regulations; and inspections.
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Items from Members/Staff
Council Member Eriksson expressed pride at the growth in the Economic Development Department.
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Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council
October 9, 2024
6 Adjournment
There being no further business, at 11:34 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
___________________________________________________________ Göran Eriksson
COUNCIL MEMBER, Economic Development Subcommittee of the City Council Culver City, California