Dear Editor,
We urge the Culver City Council to uphold our appeal of the 11469 Jefferson Hotel Project. Our appeal is not intended to stop the project or add any requirements to the project. We simply want a fair time limit for the project and not allow this site to sit for another four or five years.
Time limits on development permits serve the City’s interests by preventing indefinite land speculation and other factors (e.g., encouraging project completion, keeping up with current/regulatory codes, maintaining control over urban planning, avoiding lost opportunities from indefinite permits, etc.). The Project Site is within one-half mile of a major transit stop and zoned Mixed Use Corridor 2 (MU-2). These areas are intended for mixed-use properties, such as projects that include housing. Indefinite permits may represent an opportunity cost for the City to see this Site put to its best and highest use. So too, indefinite permits can adversely affect the findings associated with development projects.
Accordingly, we urge the City to uphold the appeal of the proposed 11469 Jefferson Hotel Project and hold the project to a fair time limit. A hotel project was initially approved in 2021 and has been granted four extensions, purportedly because of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic even though the project was approved in July 2021. Their latest extension allows the project to start construction as late as July 2026 and represents the maximum time granted by the development code. We believe the developer should only have one additional year to obtain the building permits. This is more than fair.
We must not allow this project and site to potentially languish for another four or five years. We urge Culver City residents to join us and send a letter to City Council here.
Regards, Charlie Carnow
Research Analyst, Unite Here Local 11
