One Parcel Development Exercise

What can potentially be built on the site given the setbacks, height restrictions and parking requirements based on +/-2,500 SF lot?  We contemplated 3 scenarios: 

Residential Detached, Residential Attached and Commercial.  

Residential Detached 

This would be a townhome type project. We placed one unit in the rear and one in the front, thus had to create a 10’ wide drive aisle to the rear unit; that took up a lot of buildable land footage. As a result, we were only able to get 3 parking spaces (2 covered garage, 1 canopy). Moreover, the setbacks for residential on a C4 lot are restrictive again limiting the buildable footage. The net result being a 2 BD unit and a 1 BD unit since the code requires 1 parking space per bedroom). 

Residential Attached 

This would be an apartment type project. In order to maximize rentable floor area, We would front load parking thus eliminating the drive aisle and building to the setbacks. This would allow 4 parking spaces total. So both units can be 2 BD each. 

Commercial 

There are no setbacks for commercial buildings. However, there are parking requirements for commercial buildings that limit the total rentable square footage one can build. For Culver, the least restrictive parking requirement is office at 1 parking space per 500 SF. Due to minimum parking stall sizes, namely W 8.5’ x D 16’, we could only get 4 parking spaces to fit. We can potentially get 1 more compact parking space, but ultimately that would be determined by the City. Assuming we can only get 4 parking spaces, the largest building we can build is 2,000 SF; 2,500 SF if we can squeeze in a compact parking space. The lot size, height restrictions, etc. should be able to accommodate a 2,500 SF building. 

Considerations:

· Stormwater Pollution Mitigation – assuming due to the proximity to the Ballona Wetlands, any improvement on the land will require one does not pollute the wetlands. This is typically done by installing a catch basin... similar in concept to a grease trap. 

·  Coastal Development Permit – Entitlement required Coastal Commission review.
·  There are other conditions listed that will require further due diligence, namely: D Condition and Q Condition. The others are typical conditions.
· Supplement Permit Pulled – There was a supplemental permit pulled changing the foundation from concrete piles to grouted steel helical standard piles. That just means a traditional spread footing foundation could not be used due to the soil conditions.