City Planning Commission

Información en EspaÁol acerca de esta junta puede ser obtenida Ilamando al (213) 978-1300 CITY PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2007, 8:30 A.M. ROOM 1010 - CITY HALL 200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Jane Ellison Usher, President S. Gail Goldberg, Director William Roschen, Vice President Eva Yuan-McDaniel, Deputy Director Diego Cardoso, Commissioner Regina M. Freer, Commissioner Robin R. Hughes, Commissioner Sabrina Kay, Commissioner Fr. Spencer T. Kezios, Commissioner Cindy Montañez, Commissioner Michael K. Woo, Commissioner Gabriele Williams, Commission Executive Assistant II POLICY FOR DESIGNATED PUBLIC HEARING ITEM: No: 4, 5, 6 & 8. Pursuant to the Commission=s general operating procedures, the Commission at times must necessarily limit the speaking times of those presenting testimony on either side of an issue that is designated as a public hearing item. In all instances, however, equal time is allowed for presentation of pros and cons of matters to be acted upon. All requests to address the Commission on public hearing items must be submitted prior to the Commission=s consideration of the item. EVERY PERSON WISHING TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION MUST COMPLETE A SPEAKER=S REQUEST FORM AND SUBMIT IT TO THE COMMISSION STAFF. In November 2006, the Commission adopted rules regarding written submissions to ensure that it has reasonable and appropriate opportunity to review your materials. The mailing and email addresses, deadlines, page limits, and required numbers of copies for your advance submissions may be found at www.planning.lacity.org. under ‘Forms and Instructions”. Day of hearing submissions (15 copies must be provided) are limited to 2 pages plus accompanying photographs, posters, and PowerPoint presentations of 5 minutes or less. Non-complying materials will NOT be distributed to the Commission. TIME SEGMENTS noted * herein are approximate. Some items may be delayed due to length of discussion of previous items. The Commission may RECONSIDER and alter its action taken on items listed herein at any time during this meeting or during the next regular meeting in accordance with the Commission Policies and Procedures and provided that the Commission retains jurisdiction over the case. AGENDAS are posted for public review in the Main Street lobby of City Hall East, 200 No. Main Street, Los Angeles, California, and are accessible through the Internet W orld Wide Web at www.planning.lacity.org. Click the AMeetings and Hearings@ quick link. CPC agenda are available under any of the seven service areas. If you challenge these agenda items in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing agenized here, or in written correspondence on these matters delivered to this agency at or prior to the public hearing. If you seek judicial review of any decision of the City pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.5, the petition for writ of mandate pursuant to that section must be filed no later than the 90th day following the date on which the City's decision became final pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6. There may be other time limits which also affect your ability to seek judicial review. GLOSSARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL TERMS: CEQA - Calif. Environmental Quality Act ND - Negative Declaration EIR - Environmental Impact Report MND - Mitigated Negative Declaration CE - Categorical Exemption 1. DIRECTOR=S REPORT A. Council actions and schedule. B. Legal actions and rulings update. C. Other items of interest. 2. COMMISSION BUSINESS A. Advance Calendar. B. Commission Requests. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD The Commission shall provide an opportunity in open meetings for the public to address it, for a cumulative total of up to thirty (30) minutes, on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission. (This requirement is in addition to any other hearing required or imposed by law.) PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK MUST SUBMIT A SPEAKER=S REQUEST FORM. ALL REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION ON NON-PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE PUBLIC THAT ARE WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE COMMISSION MUST BE SUBMITTED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. Individual testimony within the public comment period shall be limited as follows: (a) For non-agendized matters, up to five (5) minutes per person and up to ten (10) minutes per subject. (b) For agendized matters, up to three (3) minutes per person and up to ten (10) minutes per subject. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THESE ITEMS WILL BE DEFERRED UNTIL SUCH TIME AS EACH ITEM IS CALLED FOR CONSIDERATION. The Chair of the Commission may allocate the number of speakers per subject, the time allotted each subject, and the time allotted each speaker. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 2 NOVEMBER 8, 2007 4. CPC-2007-455-CA Council District: Citywide CEQA: ENV-2007-456-CE Expiration Date: N/A Plan: ALL Appeal Status: N/A PUBLIC HEARING - CONTINUED FROM AUGUST 23, 2007. Project Location: Citywide Requested Action: A proposed Ordinance (Appendix A) amending Sections 12.03, 12.19, 12.20 and 12.24 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to permit Alternative Technology Facilities (the next generation of recycling, converting Municipal Solid Waste residual to recovered resources, chemicals, products, and energy, including electricity) in the M2, M3 and PF Zones, by establishing definitions of terms, and requiring a conditional use procedure. On August 23, 2007, the City Planning Commission (CPC) considered a staff report and proposed ordinance amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code (L.A.M.C.) to regulate Alternative Technologies facilities (now to be called Solid Waste Alternative Technologies Processing facilities). At that hearing, the City Planning Commission continued the matter to November 8, 2007 to allow staff to incorporate two amendments into the proposed ordinance. These changes included expanding the distance from sensitive uses from 1,000 to 1,500 feet and increasing the newsletter notification radius from 500 to 1,000 feet. In addition, the City Planning Commission requested clarification of the CEQA Categorical Exemption (CE) clearance. Proposed Project: No project is proposed. Applicant: City of Los Angeles STAFF RECOMMENDS CONTINUANCE TO FEBRUARY 14, 2008. Thomas Rothmann, (213) 978-1370; Nora Dresser, (213) 978-1338. 5. VTT-64165-1A Council District: 10 CEQA: ENV-2006-10542-CE Expiration Date: 11-14-07 Plan: Wilshire Appeal Status: Appealable to Council PUBLIC HEARING REQUIRED Project Location: 3460 W. 7TH Street Requested Actions: An appeal, from the entire decision of the Advisory Agency in disapproving Vesting Tentative Tract Map No. 64165. Proposed Project: Conversion of 168 apartment units and ground floor commercial to 68 residential condominium units and ten commercial condominium units with 213 parking spaces. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 3 NOVEMBER 8, 2007  Applicant: Federal Street LA, LLC Appellant: Same STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL OF THE APPEAL. James Quinn, (213) 978-1351 6. ZA-2006-8263-ZAI-1A Council District: ALL CEQA: N/A Expiration Date: 11-21-07 Plan: Citywide Appeal Status: Not further appealable PUBLIC HEARING REQUIRED Project Location: Citywide Requested Actions: An appeal, from those parts of the Chief Zoning Administrator’s determination, pursuant to Section 12.21-A,2 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, that include “adaptive reuse projects” in that: 1) regardless if the live/work units are included in adaptive reuse projects or new construction projects, shall be treated no differently than dwelling units for purposes of applying the Quimby Act provisions set forth in the Code, including Sections 12.33, 17.05-P, 17.07-N, 17.12, and 17.58; and 2) live/work units, regardless if they are included in adaptive reuse projects, that the in-lieu fees or other Quimby Act requirements shall not be pro-rated or otherwise reduced based on the Code’s limitation that the residential portion of a live/work unit shall occupy no more than 33 percent of total floor area. (Note: the City’s Department of Recreation and Parks has requested an opportunity to make an adjunctive presentation to this public hearing as the Commission may deem appropriate.) Proposed Project: No project is proposed. Applicant: Chief Zoning Administrator, Office of Zoning Administration, City Planning Department Appellant: Thomas Gilmore; Representative: Ketan Tantod STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL OF THE APPEAL. Alan Bell, (213) 978-1322. 7. CPC-2004-4139-ZV-CUB-CUX-ZAD Council District: 1 CEQA: ENV-2004-4140-MND Expiration Date: 10-12-07 Plan: Central City North Appeal Status: Appealable to Council CONTINUED FROM OCTOBER 11, 2007. Public Hearing completed on July 20, 2007. Project Location: 900-924 N. Broadway, 215-219 College Street, 901 Spring Street CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 4 NOVEMBER 8, 2007  Requested Actions: Pursuant to [Q] Condition No. 1 of Ordinance 164,855, a Approval of Plans for a development with a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in excess of 2:1; and, Pursuant to Section 12.27 of the Municipal Code, a Zone Variance from Section 12.21. A. 4 (a) to allow 197 parking spaces for the residential portion of the project; and Pursuant to Section 12.24 W 1 of the Municipal Code, a master Conditional Use to permit the sale of a full line of alcoholic beverages for eight (8) anticipated uses including three restaurants providing on-site consumption; two lounges also providing on-site consumption, one of which will feature live entertainment and dancing; a catering establishment serving alcohol for special events on the Cultural Plaza; a wine bar providing on-site tasting and off-site sale of beer and wine, and a retail establishment providing a full line of alcoholic beverages for off-site sale; and Pursuant to Section 12.24 W 18.a of the Municipal Code, a Conditional Use to permit an entertainment use to be located in the C2 zone, specifically dancing in two of the commercial venues in the project (one of the lounges and the Cultural Plaza during some special events); and Pursuant to Section: 12.24.X.20 of the Municipal Code, a Determination for the following: to permit two or more uses to share their off-street parking spaces; and Pursuant to Section 12.24 Y of the Municipal Code, a Determination to permit a ten percent decrease of the number of commercial parking spaces required for a project located not more than 1,500 feet from the portal of a fixed rail transit station, bus station or similar transit facility. Proposed Project: Demolition of an existing vacant restaurant building, removal of surface parking and construction of a 360,071 square foot mixed use project to be constructed in two buildings (approximately 127 feet 11 inches high) with 262 residential dwelling units including a 10% set aside for moderate income families and 10% for working families, 43,231 square feet of commercial use, and a 17,642 square foot Cultural Plaza. The project will provide 197 residential parking spaces, 175 commercial and public parking spaces for a total of 372 parking spaces in a public and private, subterranean and above ground parking structure. The project will also include an intermodal parking area adjacent to the Gold Line Station to include 35 surface parking spaces for commuter vans, approximately 5 spaces for taxies and approximately 20 spaces for bicycles. Applicant: Lawrence S. Bond, Chinatown Gold Line Station, LP Representative: Elizabeth Borstein STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE ZONE VARIANCE AND CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS; AND APPROVAL OF THE ZONING DETERMINATIONS. Jim Tokunaga, (213) 978-1309. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 5 NOVEMBER 8, 2007 8. CPC-2007-2705-HPOZ-MSC Council Districts: 4 and 5 CEQA: ENV-2007-2706-CE Expiration Date: N/A Plans: Wilshire and Hollywood Appeal Status: N/A PUBLIC HEARING REQUIRED Project Location: An area Generally bounded by Melrose Avenue on the north, both sides of Highland Avenue on the west, both sides of Rossmore Avenue on the east, and Wilshire Boulevard on the south, but excluding all other commercially zoned parcels and multi-family (R4) zoned lots along Rossmore Avenue. Requested Action: Pursuant to Section 12.20.3 F of the LAMC, the City Planning Commission shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the proposed establishment of the Hancock Park Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) and pursuant to Section 12.20.3 E of the LAMC shall approve, approve with changes, or disapprove the Hancock Park Preservation Plan; and Reconsideration of the City Planning Commission’s August 23, 2007 approval with changes to the Hancock Park Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) Preservation Plan and, to amend language regarding the calculation of the 30% review threshold. Proposed Project: No project is proposed. Applicant: City of Los Angeles STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE HANCOCK PARK HPOZ PRESERATION PLAN AND APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED AMENDED LANGUAGE REGARDING THE CALCULATION OF THE 30% REVIEW THRESHOLD (EXHIBIT E-2). Megan Hunter, (213) 978-1194. 9. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION DISCUSSION OF PLANNING POLICY AND GOALS The Commission may ADJOURN FOR LUNCH at approximately 12:00 Noon. Any cases not acted upon during the morning session will be considered after lunch. Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the next regular meeting of the City Planning Commission will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 15, 2007 at the Van Nuys City Hall, 14410 Sylvan Street Council Chamber, 2ND Floor Van Nuys, CA 91401 CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 5 NOVEMBER 8, 2007  An Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate. The meeting facility and its parking are wheelchair accessible. Translation services, sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or other services must be requested 72 hours prior to the meeting by calling the Planning Commission Secretariat at (213) 978-1300. or by email at CPC@lacity.org. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 7 NOVEMBER 8, 2007