Culver City : Seniors Complex OKd

The City Council voted 3 to 2 to allow construction of a 50-unit senior citizens complex, despite complaints from some residents that the project is too big.

The Redevelopment Agency, which owns the .77-acre site at the former Liberty Tires site on the 5100 block Sepulveda Boulevard, will join the Jewish Federation Council in an application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for financing.

Several residents near the proposed project objected to the height of the three-story building and the number of units in the project, which will be called Liberty Plaza.

“We’re not against housing for senior citizens, but we are opposed to the size of this project,” said Louis Steinhauer, a Sepulveda Boulevard resident who also expressed concern about the project’s impact on parking. “If they can’t make this economically feasible at two stories, I think the council should look at other uses of the site.”

Homeowners on Stevens Circle, a cul-de-sac behind the site, said the building would block their sunlight and would intrude on their privacy. City officials said only minimal shading would occur.

The Jewish Federation Council, which operates senior citizen housing projects in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, would serve as the nonprofit operator of Liberty Plaza.