Culver Planners Delay Approval of Report on Marina Project

Members of the Culver City Planning Commission have delayed certification of an environmental impact report on the massive Marina Place office project because, they said, the report is vague and incomplete.

The city staff and the authors of the report on the 1.3-million-square-foot office development must respond to 50 letters from residents before the report will be certified, commission members said.

Prudential Insurance Co. plans to build two 17-story, two 15-story and one 12-story office buildings at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Walnut Avenue, but has drawn fire from neighborhood groups. The City Council tentatively approved the proposal last year, but said the project should be scaled down.

Commission members decided Wednesday night to postpone consideration of the report until their Feb. 27 meeting. Final approval for the report must come from the City Council, which must also approve a zone change and final plan review before construction can begin.

Planning Commissioner Thomas Betts said the first draft of the environmental impact report lacked several details important to the residents in the area.

“Wind jetting, air pollution, noise and traffic density are just a few of the problems not addressed by this draft” of the report, Betts said. Betts’ concerns were echoed by residents who voiced their opinions during the first 20 minutes of the meeting.

Many are from Venice, the Los Angeles community that surrounds the building site.

Responding to one resident’s complaint that the environmental report suggested that the shadows cast by the large buildings would help residents grow exotic plants, Betts laughed and said, “Believe me, everyone (on the commission) noticed that.” He added that any plants growing without sun would be exotic indeed.

Gary Lee, a Venice resident, noted the failure of the report to address traffic patterns and feared congestion around schools in the area.

Janene Rosenthal of the Zanja Neighborhood Residents Assn. said that there are nine schools within two miles of the proposed site including Venice High School, St. Mark’s and Walgrove elementary schools and Mark Twain Junior High School.

“Traffic is already very bad on the residential streets in the area, and the worst street, Walgrove Avenue, is not even mentioned in the EIR,” Rosenthal said.

Rosenthal also noted the lack of proposed parking for patrons of shops and a restaurant. “The proposal allows 5,000 parking spaces for the 5,000 workers in the buildings. So where will the customers park? On our streets,” she said.

An attorney for Prudential was in the audience at the meeting, but did not address the Planning Commission until the meeting had ended, Betts said.

Rosenthal said she was pleased with the postponement, believing that the commission will understand the residents’ complaints more fully after reading and responding to their letters.