Planners Were Thinking About It
Last night, the City Council made the first official move in the direction of reducing the number of residential units per acre from the present 65.
Planning Commissioner Andy Weisman said this afternoon that revising the maximum has been on the minds of his fellow commissioners for the past four months.
Judging by the projects, especially the smaller ones, that were coming before us, he said, something had to be done.
Why Change Is Coming
The maximum allowable was out of step, too dense, for the neighborhoods where they were being planned.
What ever number is chosen probably well above the old limit of 29 and probably well below the current number it will be arbitrary, Mr. Weisman said.
He did not suggest his own figure. I dont think there is any magic formula for determining one, he said. Nothing is magical about 35, 40 or 43.
Why 65?
What he would like to know is how 65 housing units per acre came to be enacted for Culver City. Mr. Weisman has been unable to track down a former member of the Planning Commission who took part in the decision a few years ago.
The 65 limit is more populous than that of most surrounding communities, he noted.
The new final number(s) to be chosen later this year will have to be firm, though, Mr. Weisman believes.
Two Numbers?
The planning commissioner advocates separate maximums that would distinguish large projects such as Washington-National, Washington-Centinela or South Sepulveda from smaller ones, Culver-Duquesne, Culver-Madison or Washington-Glencoe.
What ever number is selected, you can be pretty sure the development community will go by the code and build to the maximum, the commissioner said.
Addition by Subtraction
It is the rare developer who would look at a piece of property where, say, 20 units were allowed and then decide to put only five there because he or she wanted more green space and less massing.
