City Planning Commission

CITY PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008, 8:30 A.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS – THIRD FLOOR, ROOM 340 - CITY HALL 200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA NOTE: CHANGE OF LOCATION Jane Ellison Usher, President S. Gail Goldberg, Director William Roschen, Vice President John M. Dugan, Deputy Director Diego Cardoso, Commissioner Vincent P. Bertoni, Deputy Director Regina M. Freer, Commissioner Eva Yuan-McDaniel, Deputy Director Robin R. Hughes, Commissioner Fr. Spencer T. Kezios, Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Commissioner Cindy Montañez, Commissioner Michael K. Woo, Commissioner Lourdes Sanchez, Commission Executive Assistant I POLICY FOR DESIGNATED PUBLIC HEARING ITEM: No. and 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 world 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. Update on City Planning Commission Status Reports and Active Assignments. 1. Ongoing Status Reports. 2. City Council/PLUM Calendar and Actions. B. Legal actions and rulings update C. Other items of interest 2. COMMISSION BUSINESS A. Advance Calendar B. Commission Requests 1. Presentation and discussion on impacts from projects near freeways by representatives from the USC Medical School and the SCAQMD 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 August 14, 2008 Consent items are deemed to be routine and non-controversial. They will be acted upon by the Commission at one time without discussion. However, if a Commissioner requests discussion on one of these, it will be considered after the balance of the consent items have been voted upon. BEGIN CONSENT ITEM 4. CPC-2007-1882-CU-ZV Council District: 14 CEQA: ENV-2007-1883-MND Expiration Date: 08-18-08 Plan: Northeast Los Angeles Appeal Status: Appealable to City Council. Public hearing completed June 16, 2008. Location: 625 E. Coleman Avenue Requested Action: Pursuant to Section 12.24 U 24 (c) of the LAMC, a Conditional Use for the establishment of a private college in the RS-1, R1-1, RD1.5-1, and OS-1XL zones; and Pursuant to Section 12.27 of the LAMC, a Zone Variance to permit a portion of the parking stalls for the college to be located in the OS (Open Space) zoned part of the site and to permit vehicular ingress and egress from less restrictive Residential Zones to the more restrictive Open Space Zone. Proposed Project: Establishment of a private college on the former site of a private high school and enhancement of landscaping, renovation or existing buildings, and addition of new parking stalls. The project will involve the demolition of an existing vacant single-family home, but no other major construction is proposed. The proposed college will serve as a satellite campus with a maximum enrollment of 150 students and will be operated by one full time and two part-time administrative staff and six part-time teachers/professors, during the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The project is located on an approximately 7.2 acre irregular shaped site classified in the RS-1, R1-1, RD1.5-1, and OS-1XL zones. Applicant: Bethesda Christian University Representative: Ted Kim STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. Kevin Jones, (213) 978-1172 END CONSENT ITEM CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 3 August 14, 2008  AFTER 10 A.M. 5. CPC-2008-1182-ZC Council District: 1 and 14 CEQA: ENV-2008-1183-MND Expiration Date: N/A Plan: Northeast Los Angeles Appeal Status: N/A Public hearing completed June 24, 2008. Location: The proposed project area is generally bounded by: (Subarea I) Elephant Hill-Happy Valley-Hermon-Heritage Square-Lincoln Heights-Mt. Olympus (Flattop Hill)-Montecito Heights-Monterey Hills-Oak Hill-Paradise Hill- Rose Hills generally bounded by the Pasadena (110) Freeway to the northwest, Via Marisol, Bushnell Way, Kendall Avenue, Ebey Avenue, Avenue 59, Lomitas Drive, Avenue 60, and Monterey Road to the north, the City of South Pasadena to the northeast, Van Horne Avenue, Wadena Avenue, Portola Avenue, Novgorod Street, the alley between Rosemead Avenue and El Sereno Avenue north of Novgorod Street, Carnegie Street, Locke Avenue, North Huntington Drive, Collis Avenue, Harriman Avenue, Edison Street, Hellman Avenue, the rear property lines of the lots fronting the north side of Paula Street, Monterey Road, North Huntington Drive, Mercury Avenue, Galena Street, Amethyst Street, North Huntington Drive, and Mission Road to the east, Baldwin Street, Lincoln Park Avenue, and Mission Road to the south, and Thomas Street, Manitou Avenue, Lincoln Park Avenue, North Broadway, Thomas Street, Eastlake Avenue, George Street, Johnston Street, Avenue 28, Griffin Avenue, Avenue 33, and Pasadena Avenue to the west, excluding those commercially zoned properties fronting Monterey Road, North Huntington Drive, Mission Road, Broadway, and Pasadena Avenue. (Subarea II) El Sereno North generally bounded by the City of South Pasadena to the north, Lowell Avenue, Newtonia Drive, the rear property lines of the lots mid-block between Stillwell Avenue and Lowell (south of Newtonia Drive), Almont Street, and Stillwell Avenue to the east, Huntington Drive to the south, and Guardia Avenue, Remstoy Drive, and Garden Homes Avenue to the west. (Subarea III) Ascot Hills-El Sereno-Hillside Village-Omaha Heights generally bounded by South Huntington Drive, Fithian Avenue, Twining Street, Eastern Avenue, Lynnfield Street, Phelps Avenue, Gambier Street, the rear property lines of the lots fronting the west side of Pueblo Avenue, Templeton Street, Pueblo Avenue, Barstow Street, Twining Street, Castalia Avenue, Axtell Street, Portola Avenue, and Navarro Street to the north, Chadwick Drive, Edna Street, Budau Avenue, Cronus Street, Vaquero Avenue, Chester Street, Haven Street, and the alley between Ithaca Avenue and Alhambra Avenue to the east, Druid Street, Eastern Avenue, Klamath Street, Richelieu Avenue, Druid Street, Cyril Avenue, Catalpa Street, Boca Avenue, Yellowstone Street, and Multnomah Street to the south, and Soto Street to the west, excluding those commercially zoned properties fronting South Huntington Drive and Eastern Avenue. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION 4 August 14, 2008  (Subarea IV) University Hills generally bounded by Cavanaugh Road, Borland Road, Block Place, and Valley Boulevard to the north, Mariondale Avenue, Dobbs Street, Warwick Avenue, Bohlig Road, Lansdowne Avenue, Cavanaugh Road, and the rear property lines of the lots fronting the east side of Barnett Road to the east, the Los Angeles city boundary to the south, and Marianna Avenue to the west, excluding those commercially zoned properties fronting Valley Boulevard. Requested Action: Pursuant to Section 12.32 of the Municipal Code, Zone and Height District changes from OS- 1XL to [Q]OS-1XLD, PF-1 to [Q]PF-1D, A1-1 to [Q]A1-1XLD, RE40-1 to [Q]RE40-1D, RE20-1 to [Q]RE20-1D, RE9-1 to [Q]RE9-1D, RS-1 to [Q]RS-1D, R1-1 to [Q]R1-1D, RD6-1 to [Q]RD6-1D, RD5-1 to [Q]RD5-1D, R2-1 to [Q]R2-1D, RD3-1 to [Q]RD3-1D, RD4-1-HPOZ to [Q]RD4-1- HPOZ-D, RD1.5-1 to [Q]RD1.5-1D, RD2-1 to [Q]RD2-1D and [Q]C1-1 to [Q]C1-1D. Proposed Project: City-initiated zone change to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area for various subareas, as identified above, located in the hillside areas easterly of the 110 freeway. No individual development project is being proposed; however, the proposed zone changes involve the addition of D limitations and Q conditions to the existing zones and does not require a General Plan Amendment because it will maintain the existing General Plan/Community Plan land use designations of Open Space, Public Facilities, Minimum Residential, Very Low Residential, Low Residential, Low Medium I & II, Medium Residential and General Neighborhood Commercial. Applicant: City of Los Angeles STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF ZONE CHANGE FROM OS-1XL to [Q]OS-1XLD, PF-1 to [Q]PF-1D, A1-1 to [Q]A1-1XLD, RE40-1 to [Q]RE40-1D, RE20-1 to [Q]RE20-1D, RE9-1 to [Q]RE9-1D, RS-1 to [Q]RS-1D, R1-1 to [Q]R1-1D, RD6-1 to [Q]RD6-1D, RD5-1 to [Q]RD5-1D, R2-1 to [Q]R2-1D, RD3-1 to [Q]RD3-1D, RD4-1-HPOZ to [Q]RD4-1-HPOZ-D, RD1.5-1 to [Q]RD1.5-1D, RD2-1 to [Q]RD2-1D and [Q]C1-1 to [Q]C1-1D. Gabriela Juarez, (213) 978-1222 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. The next regular meeting of the City Planning Commission will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2008, at the Van Nuys City Hall, 14410 Sylvan Street Council Chamber, 2ND Floor Van Nuys, CA 91401 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 5 August 14, 2008