Culver City

The City Council has denied a request from the California National Guard to extend its lease and expand its armory in Culver City. Council members said that they intend to use the property, at Culver Boulevard and Coombs Avenue, for recreational facilities or parking.

The property, just less than an acre, separates a city garden and paddle-tennis courts from Veterans Park. The city wants to reclaim the property so the entire stretch can be tied in with the park, a city official said.

National Guard training programs are conducted at the armory and equipment is stored there. A cannon undergoing repair once sat in the parking lot.

The National Guard, which pays $1 a year for the property, hoped to make a 7,000-square-foot addition to the armory and extend its lease beyond 1997. “We have a lot more people and more modern equipment,” said spokeswoman Carolyn Hamilton. “We need a lot more room to store all the equipment.”

The proposal was part of a plan for National Guard armory expansions all over the state, Hamilton said.