It’s not exactly the smoky back room, but it’s certainly not being done under bright public lights.

In the hopes of reaching a compromise that will appease the community and city leaders, the Culver City Redevelopment Agency is negotiating privately with developers of a mixed-use project rejected by the Planning Commission earlier this year.

The five-member City Council was slated to vote last week on a downsized version of the five-story Uptown Lofts at 9900 Culver Blvd., but both sides agreed to negotiate certain elements of the proposal behind closed doors.

“We have some ongoing discussions between the city and the developer,” said Councilmember Scott Malsin, who chairs the redevelopment agency and refused to be more specific. “I am hopeful that we’ll be able to resolve the outstanding issues to everybody’s satisfaction.”

The development got attention because Culver City, normally considered a business-friendly community, balked over approving the small development, even though the city earlier encouraged it.

The Planning Commission rejected the proposal in May, citing traffic and parking concerns, sparking the appeal.

The developers scaled back both the residential and retail components of their proposal, and now the project may be scaled back even more.

The project got started last year when the city sought a development project at the site, currently a parking lot, and sold the land to Culver City-based Runyon Partners LLC for $2.5 million.

If it is approved, the project would be the first under the city’s mixed use ordinance, passed in early 2006.