The first phase of a $1.2 million construction project along busy Overland Avenue was approved by the council earlier this year. The 2.5-mile bicycle, pedestrian and sidewalk traffic project would run south toward Fox Hills.
A neighborhood group called Save Overland opposed the project, rolling out a scroll of signatures at the meeting and demanding that the council pause the plan.
"We support bicycle safety, but not at the expense of accessibility," one speaker with Save Overland said. "These signatures demonstrate that this project does not have the broad support from the community."
"We respectfully ask you to reconsider your vote, or place this project on the ballot and let the residents of Culver City decide," the speaker continued.
Opponents said they were concerned about the effect on parking and pedestrians, noting that the project will take away parking on the west side of the street.
"Overland is a major thoroughfare, and they're going to be taking away all of the parking on the left-hand, west side of the street. That's going to be in front of the Vets Auditorium. That will be in front of the Plunge. Those parking spots are used all of the time," said Marci Baun, who opposes the project.
The city said impacted parking spots would be reallocated to a connecting street less than a one-minute walk away. The group says they aren't buying that and has been protesting the project at every council meeting since the start of the new year, around the same time the first phase of the project was approved.
"We're serious. We are not going away," said Bryan Sanders, who opposes the project.
In response, the city said:
"The City has conducted extensive community outreach and input on the Better Overland Project beginning back in 2024. We appreciate the ongoing engagement and continue to listen to our community's thoughts..."
Some residents voiced support for the project.
"I would feel safe enough to ride my bike on Overland, to go do my errands, to the grocery store, to the pharmacy, to my pilates class," said Jeanne Black.
Dave Metzler, another supporter, said the project could help reduce traffic by reducing the number of people using cars.
"If you have no option besides a car, you are kind of stuck, but adding these bike lanes and pedestrian crossings and transit lanes where people have alternatives. If we can just reduce the number of people using cars by a little bit, we can improve traffic all around," Metzler said.
The city said the project is being supported by money earmarked for improvements, not money paid by taxpayers.
In a separate item, City Council members voted 4-0 to ban new drive-thru restaurants from being built for at least another 10 months. The city adopted a temporary 45-day moratorium on new drive-thru permits last month, citing traffic congestion and air quality as reasons for the ban.
"In terms of other types of formats, there's walk-up windows and even, you know, curbside delivery, handicap parking," said Vice Mayor Bryan Fish. "If staff wants to come to us with other alternatives, but I would like to stick with the direction that we gave in the previous meeting."
In-N-Out Burger is seeking to become the first new drive-thru restaurant in Culver City since 1997. Community members raised health and safety concerns because of the potential for more people in the area and the site's proximity to a park and an elementary school.