Thirty-five persons, drawn from various Culver City neighborhoods, were in attendance to hear Community Development Director Sol
Blumenfeld talk about the city planning process, including requirements a builder must meet prior to receiving a building permit.

Mr. Blumenfeld discussed the differences among the General
Plan, a Specific Plan, Discretionary Plan and Zoning Codes.

He related how a building plan submitted by a developer must first
conform to the General Plan and to the various federal and state codes and laws before proceeding to the next stages of approval by the city.

For Example

Mr. Blumenthal gave examples of two land-use laws (CEQA, the
California Environmental Quality Act, and the California Coastal Act
of 1976) and housing requirements as being state regulations that
influence the approval process.

After his 45-minute power point presentation Mr. B. answered questions from the audience. Many people wanted to know who made the judgment calls as to whether a developer's building plan conformed to
the General Plan or the specific site plan.

Others wondered how citizens could receive notification in the early stages of the approval process for specific building permits.

Faces in the Crowd

Attendees included Planning Commission member Andrew Weissman, City Councilman Gary Silbiger, Ballona Creek Renaissance President Jim Lamm, and Culver City historian Julie Lugo Cerra. Series organizers Karen Kurokawa, Greg Reitz, Jon Andersen-Miller and this reporter were delighted with the turn-out.

They hope that residents interested
in planning topics in Culver City will attend some of the remaining series sessions. The next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 26, and the subject is “Elements of Neighborhood Design.”

This will allow effective participation in the update of the General Plan (which dictates the growth and livability of the city for many years into the future) that will occur this summer.
­