Culver City Toughens Rules for Mini-Malls, Fast-Food Outlets

The Culver City council last week toughened its law regulating mini-malls and fast-food establishments by doubling parking-space requirements and requiring developers of fast-food outlets to obtain conditional-use permits.

The amendment to the city’s mini-mall ordinance was prompted by concern about the proliferation of mini-centers and fast-food restaurants in the city and by parking-lot congestion at the facilities, the city staff said.

The law requires developers of new mini-malls and fast-food outlets to provide at least 13 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of building space. Drive-through restaurants would have to have at least 140 feet of queuing space.

Fast-food outlets and mini-malls will be limited to commercial zones and fast-food restaurants and mini-malls with fast-food outlets will have to obtain conditional-use permits.

The measure, passed unanimously by the council, was approved 4 to 1 by the Planning Commission last month, with Commissioner Tom Betts dissenting. Betts said that existing businesses should have been subject to the new regulations.