An Opportunity for Affordable Housing May Be Lost
The city’s biggest affordable housing development would bring 93 affordable apartments to Culver City, but lack of funding from the city government may kill the project.
Jubilo Village is a 93-unit, 100% affordable housing development, ready to be built at 4464 Sepulveda Boulevard, on a major transit corridor, right next door to the Culver-Palms YMCA. The development is “shovel-ready,” with all necessary approvals, but it has a $16 million funding gap.
It’s simple: Culver City needs Jubilo Village! CLICK HERE to tell the City Council.
It will be the first affordable housing built in Culver City in more than 10 years.
Nearly a quarter of Culver City’s households are low income, and almost half spend more than 50% of their income on housing.
All of Jubilo Village’s units will be reserved for low income households. It will include 2 and 3 bedroom units for families.
Between 2016 and 2020, Culver City employers added more than 10,000 jobs, while the number of housing units decreased, leaving us with a shortage of housing for working people.
The state expects developers in Culver City to produce 1,712 units of low income housing. Developers have proposed a total of 4,194 units thus far -- but only 406 are designated for low income households – and Jubilo Village represents 93 of those.
Culver City has 38 units of interim supportive housing at Project Homekey on Sepulveda and 18 units of temporary shelter for families at Upward Bound House. The goal of both facilities is to assist people with obtaining permanent housing – but there is no available permanent housing for them in Culver City.
It is important for Jubilo Village to break ground as soon as possible. Competition for construction resources to rebuild Pacific Palisades and Altadena will be fierce and will cause construction costs to rise.
Nearly a quarter of Culver City’s households are low income, and nearly half spend more than 50% of their income on housing. Culver City had an estimated 3,885 low income households in 2020, that is, the household members’ income before taxes was less than 80% of the median in LA County ($90,000 for a family of 4). [1] That is nearly one quarter of all households (23.5%). The majority of these households were “cost-burdened,” with 72.5% paying more than 30% of their total income for housing. Nearly half spent more than 50% of their income for housing.
California state law defines 30% of household income as “affordable housing cost.” The average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom in Culver City in February 2025 is $3,300, according to Zillow. Using the 30% formula, household members would need to make at least $132,000 to afford this rent.
Why is the rent so high? One reason is because building is expensive, especially in California. Landlords need to charge enough rent to cover the cost of land, new construction, building operations, and a return on their investment. Another reason is the acute shortage caused by decades of failure to build housing by communities throughout the state. Between 2016 and 2020, Culver City added more than 10,000 jobs – while the number of housing units decreased. In the long term, the increased supply of housing being demanded by the state should act to moderate price increases. But in the meantime, market-rate housing is simply too expensive for many people. The only way to create affordable housing now is to find funders willing to subsidize it.
Jubilo Village: a 100% affordable housing development in Culver City
It is difficult for a private developer to find property for multi-family housing in Culver City, where most land is zoned for single family housing. The congregation of Culver-Palms United Methodist Church (CPUMC) realized they could do something about this; they could use part of their church property at 4464 Sepulveda Boulevard, which includes a large, underused parking lot, next door to the Culver-Palms Family YMCA. Since 2019, they have been working with the non-profit developer Community Corporation of Santa Monica on a 100% affordable housing development. CPUMC plans to lease a portion of its land to Community Corp. to build and operate Jubilo Village. This was a major decision, as it will require the congregation to demolish their existing church and build a new facility for worship, as well as their community hall, classrooms, and offices.
The development is designed to include 93 apartments with community and garden space in a six story building. While most affordable housing developments built recently are limited to studio and one-bedroom apartments, Jubilo Village will include 25 three-bedroom and 25 two-bedroom units, so families will be able to live there. (Two of these will be for housing managers.) The remaining 45 units will have one bedroom each. Half of the units would be reserved for people experiencing homelessness, such as the families served by Upward Bound House, a non-profit that provides housing and related services for homeless families in Culver City, Santa Monica, Compton, and South LA. They would provide supportive services at Jubilo Village.
Community Corp. has more than four decades of experience in building and managing affordable housing. The entire project is estimated to cost $78.6 million – although the recent fires and President Trump’s tariffs, if they take effect, will probably increase these costs.
Culver City needs Jubilo Village
We currently have 37 units of interim supportive housing in Project Homekey on Sepulveda Blvd and 18 units of transitional shelter for families at Upward Bound House – but there is no permanent affordable housing in Culver City for these people to move to once they have gotten some stability in their lives. The Homekey permanent supportive housing is 100% occupied.
Today, when families reach the end of their stay at Upward Bound House, children have to leave their schools and friends, and their parents need to move far away from their jobs to find permanent housing. Being able to help these families was the original impetus behind Jubilo Village.
In addition, nearly all of the other affordable housing in Culver City is restricted to seniors. There is one exception. Did you know Tilden Terrace, home to MillCross Coffee Bar & Kitchen, is a 100% affordable housing project? Tilden Terrace, which opened in 2013, was the first affordable housing built in the city since Culver City Senior Housing (5166 Sepulveda Blvd) was constructed in 1992.
Jubilo Village could be the next affordable housing project, if it is able to fill a $16 million funding gap after 6 years of planning and seeking funding.
The Jubilo Village project is completely designed and shovel-ready, with all required city approvals in hand. However, finding the money to build affordable housing is extremely complicated. It requires piecing together a patchwork of different funding sources, each with its own set of requirements.
Community Corp. has applied for multiple grants, some of them in partnership with the City of Culver City. The project has been at a disadvantage, because granting agencies generally prioritize projects in less wealthy communities. The vast majority of affordable housing construction today is financed using the Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) mechanism. These are granted by the state and federal government to private developers, who then sell them to private investors to obtain capital for housing construction. Application for these tax credits is very competitive. Community Corp. succeeded in winning $3.1 million in annual federal tax credits for 10 years and $16.7 million in total California state tax credits and authorization to use $39.3 million in tax-exempt California bonds.
Another key component is the federal Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 program. Most people think of Section 8 as a tenant-based program in which a low-income person receives a Housing Choice Voucher (usually after years on a waiting list!) that pays the landlord the difference between what the tenant can afford and the allowable rent. However, HUD also permits local Public Housing Agencies to allocate vouchers to a specific housing project. Project Based Vouchers (PBV) are key to the success of 100% affordable developments, because they guarantee a revenue stream that enables the development to pay off its mortgage.
The state awarded the tax exempt bonds and tax credits based on the assumption that Jubilo Village would receive 93 Project Based Vouchers from the City of Culver City Housing Authority. However, the Housing Authority learned that it is able to provide at most 50 vouchers. The missing 43 vouchers represent approximately $850,000 in annual income over 20 years, of a gap of $16 million in current dollars. Without this capital, Community Corp. cannot close on its construction financing.
What are the alternatives?
Community Corp. and Culver City officials appealed to the City and County of Los Angeles, but their vouchers are already committed. Members of City Council also reached out to U.S. Representative Kamlager-Dove, Senators Padilla and Schiff, and FEMA, as well as our state representatives.
In January 2025, Culver City and Community Corp. agreed to apply jointly for partial funding under Homekey+. This program is funded by Proposition 1, which “Authorizes $6.38 Billion in Bonds to Build Mental Health Treatment Facilities for Those with Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges; Provides Housing for the Homeless,” approved by California voters in 2024. This funding source would require changing the nature of the project, allocating 43 units for people with mental health issues who are experiencing homelessness. Project staff consider this a back-up plan. It would also require either special waivers or finding another funding source for half of the project. In other words, even if the city and Community Corp. were to be awarded a Homekey+ grant, the overall development might not be feasible.
The only viable option for Jubilo Village to move ahead and break ground is for the City of Culver City to fill the funding gap.
Why should Culver City do this?
Culver City has never prioritized production of affordable housing. Culver City was supposed to develop 77 units of low income affordable housing between 2013 and 2021. [2] Only 23 total rental units were produced, 20 (out of 32) at Tilden Terrace and 3 (out of 15) at Culver Villas on Irving Place. Habitat for Humanity included four houses (out of 10) for purchase by low income families on Globe Ave. Tilden Terrace was the first affordable housing project in Culver City in more than 10 years. Previously, the city built only 21 units of affordable housing between 2000 and 2011, all of them in the Grandview Palms Assisted Living Facility for seniors with disabilities (now called Ivy Park).
In total, Culver City had only 310 units of affordable housing before the opening of Project Homekey with its 34 permanent supportive and 37 transitional units.
The current Regional Housing Needs Assessment calls for Culver City to provide 1,712 units at extremely, very low, and low income levels by 2029. There is a lot of proposed development, especially in Fox Hills, but the city’s project list includes only 406 units at these levels – less than one quarter of the requirement – and that’s assuming Jubilo Village obtains the financing needed to break ground. It won’t get that funding unless the city acts.
Affordable housing is an intersectional issue. It gives more people the opportunity to live and raise their families in a safe, culturally rich community with access to all the resources Culver City offers. It enables our community to remain diverse in terms of both ethnicity and socioeconomic status, which in turn teaches our children about different cultures and helps develop their skills as members of an increasingly diverse society. It enables people to live closer to their jobs, reducing vehicle miles traveled and thus carbon emissions.
Culver City has a moral obligation to increase its supply of affordable housing
The California Redevelopment Agencies (RDAs) created in 1945 were supposed to help city governments address “urban blight,” increase affordable housing, and spur economic revitalization. Because cities throughout the state were not building affordable housing, the state legislature in 1976 required RDAs to set aside 20% of their incremental property tax revenues for that purpose. While Culver City was not alone in consistently prioritizing commercial development over housing, it was notable for how little affordable housing it produced. The city was singled out as one that spent Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund money on administration while creating little to no housing.
An investigation by the LA Times found that between FY 2001 and FY 2008, the Culver City RDA spent $9.2 million of housing funds on planning & administration, $4.3 million on land acquisition, $3.9 million on debt payments, $3.6 million on housing rehabilitation, and $5.7 million on rental subsidies - and built 0 units of affordable housing. (During this same period, Santa Monica built 508 affordable units.)
Furthermore, “In May 2010, when all California redevelopment agencies were required to make payments to help balance the state budget, the Culver City Redevelopment Agency used $11 million from the low- and moderate-income housing fund to fulfill its entire obligation.” Those funds would be worth more than $20 million in 2025 dollars. The California legislature dissolved the RDAs in 2012.
The RDAs were used as a mechanism for cities to issue debt without voter approval. Although the City of Culver City itself has no long term debt, as of the end of FY 2023, the Successor Agency to the RDA still had $42.5 million in Tax Allocation bonds outstanding. In FY 2024 and FY 2025, the debt service (principal plus interest) on these bonds is close to $12 million per year.
During the RDA years, Culver City used tax increment financing to spur commercial development worth hundreds of millions of dollars, leading to thousands of new jobs. But the city shirked its responsibility to comply with state law that required 20% of tax increment revenues to be spent on affordable housing. Unlike Santa Monica and West Hollywood, the city didn’t set aside funds in an Affordable Housing Trust or retain any property that could be used for affordable housing. From this perspective, gaining 93 units of low income housing for $16 million is a bargain. Culver City needs and deserves Jubilo Village.
Culver City Housing Element, October 2021 - 2029, General Plan 2045. Table 21, p. 25.
Culver City Housing Element, October 2021 - 2029, General Plan, 2045, Appendix A. The remaining units at Tilden Terrace are for moderate income households.