Auto Dealer Seeks to Buy Culver City Land
Mike Miller Toyota of Culver City has asked the city to sell it 3.8 acres in the downtown area for two new automobile showrooms.
The Culver City Council and Redevelopment Agency are scheduled to act on the proposal Dec. 22. A source who asked not to be identified said the sale price would be between $5 million and $10 million.
Miller plans to build a 225,000- to 250,000-square-foot dealership including a service facility and an underground parking garage for up to 100 new cars.
The council and agency want to sell the parcel, in the 9000 block of Washington Boulevard, to expand the city’s auto row.
“We have a strong desire to upgrade our retail auto business and eventually reduce the number of used-car dealers in our city,” said Mayor Paul A. Netzel.
Netzel said Miller indicated that he might leave the city if he could not expand his one-acre dealership at 8777 Washington Blvd. Netzel said auto dealerships have been a good source of sales tax revenue for many years.
Miller, who opened Mike Miller Toyota in 1975, said his facility is short on showroom space and is unable to accommodate service customers. He also said his lot can only hold about 80 cars. The new dealership would have space for about 600 cars, he said.
Miller said he is negotiating with other auto companies to set up franchises in the two showrooms. If the council and agency approve the sale, Miller’s development plan will have to be approved by the Planning Commission. Miller said he would open the new facility by the end of next year.
The agency targeted the area near Washington and Ince boulevards for new commercial and industrial development in 1980, according to Jerry Ichien, a redevelopment project specialist for the agency. The area, in the northeast section of the city, included some old buildings that the agency wanted rehabilitated, Ichien said.
Two other developers had showed interest in the site. They had proposed light industrial developments, Ichien said.
The agency will not acquire all of the 3.8-acre parcel for three or four months, he said. Most of the land is occupied by light industrial businesses such as auto body shops, he said.
