Warning to Culver City: It's coming

The latest example of Socal's incessant mixed-use craze comes out of Culver City, where the redevelopment agency has given Champion Development Group the exclusive on a 13-acre residential-retail-office development on Sepulveda Boulevard, between Sawtelle and Slauson. It's still very early in the process - construction wouldn't begin for two years - and city officials keep saying nothing is set in stone, but given the success mixed-use projects have been having before zoning commissions and city councils, some version of this plan would seem likely. It's a tough cross-current: Growth is supposed to be good, and in-fill growth is supposed to encourage shorter commutes, but doesn't near-gridlock at 2:30 in the afternoon in many parts of the Westside tell you something about where this is going?