Culver City : Group Sues Over Mall Plan

A new group of Venice-area activists has filed suit against Culver City to block construction of the $160-million Marina Place shopping mall on grounds the development will restrict public access to the coast.

The Coastal Area Support Team, established by former members of the Venice Town Council, says Culver City officials failed to adequately consider the impact of the 1-million-square-foot mall on coastal resources.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that the mall, with two major department stores, 150 other shops, restaurants and a six-screen movie theater, will overload intersections in the heavily congested Marina del Rey and Venice areas.

Although the 18.3-acre site on Washington Boulevard, just east of Lincoln Boulevard, lies outside the state’s coastal zone, attorney Debra Bowen and Venice activist Dell Chumley allege that the project will adversely affect beach traffic.

Culver City officials maintain that they properly considered the project’s environmental impacts, including access to the coast, when they approved a sweeping development agreement for the project.

The lawsuit is the latest to be filed against Culver City and the mall developers, Prudential Insurance Co. and Melvin Simon Associates. The city of Los Angeles and the Venice Town Council also have challenged Culver City’s approval of the project in court.

The latest suit, however, has a powerful ally--the California Coastal Commission. In an unprecedented action, the commission voted in March to intervene in the lawsuit because of its impact on the coast, even though the project lies outside the coastal zone.

The nonprofit COAST group was formed recently to address environmental and growth issues in the Lincoln Boulevard region from Santa Monica to El Segundo.