Culver City : Parkland Measure OKd

The Culver City Council on Monday adopted a law requiring developers of residential units to provide the city with three acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents their project would house.

The council voted 3 to 2, with Councilmen Jim Boulgarides and Steven Gourley dissenting, to approve the ordinance, designed to address an increasing shortage of park and recreation facilities in the city.

Developers would be allowed to either dedicate the required amount of land for public recreation usage or pay an in-lieu fee at fair market values.

The law also allows the council to grant up to 50% credit toward the requirement for proposed private open space and recreation facilities within the project.

Gourley said he objected to the law’s exemption for senior housing projects and projects containing low- to moderate-income units, because it could unintentionally benefit developers of luxury senior complexes.

Last week, the council approved a commercial industrial development tax also intended to raise money for parks and recreation facilities.

The tax would cost builders of commercial projects in the city $25 for the first 250,000 square feet and 1.5% of the development’s remaining value, based on its building permit valuation, according to Robert Norquist, the city’s budget and finance officer.