Sidewalk Repair Program Final Recirculated Portions of the Environmental Impact Report

Sidewalk Repair Program Final Recirculated Portions of the Environmental Impact Report

This document is the Final Recirculated Portions of the Environmental Impact Report (Final REIR or FREIR) for the Sidewalk Repair Program Environmental Impact Report (2021 EIR or EIR) (State Clearinghouse [SCH] No. 2017071063) prepared for the City of Los Angeles Sidewalk Repair Program (SRP or Project). The 2021 EIR consists of the Draft EIR (DEIR or 2021 Draft EIR) and the Final EIR (FEIR or 2021 Final EIR) texts. The Project is a citywide program to modify how sidewalk repair projects are undertaken pursuant to City obligations under the Willits Settlement Agreement (Willits Settlement), which includes various City actions to provide improved access for persons with mobility-related disabilities in accordance with local, state, and federal accessibility requirements. The Project includes a proposed ordinance to establish and codify the new Sidewalk Repair Program, which, in turn, will guide future sidewalk repairs; curb ramp repairs; crosswalk paving; street tree retention, removal, and replacement; canopy pruning; root pruning; and applicable utility work for 30 years in the city under the Willits Settlement. The fundamental objective of the Project is to ensure continued and efficient compliance with the requirements of the Willits Settlement while amending the existing program for sidewalk and curb ramp improvements within the city, in accordance with applicable accessibility requirements, including those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. To achieve its fundamental objective, the proposed ordinance will provide the vehicle through which the Sidewalk Repair Program Street Tree Policy and Sidewalk Repair Program Mandatory Project Features Policy (collectively, Policies) will be adopted by the City. The Policies were described in detail in the 2021 EIR and are attached, along with the ordinance, as Appendix FREIR-A for reference. No changes to the ordinance or Policies are proposed or necessitated by Final REIR. As set forth in detail in Appendix FREIR-A and the 2021 Draft EIR (Section 2.0, Project Description), as amended by the 2021 Final EIR (Chapter 4 and Appendix FEIR-C-1), the ordinance sets specific parameters to enable the City Engineer or designee to issue ministerial approvals for most sidewalk repairs so long as the repairs satisfy specific enumerated conditions. For example, to qualify for ministerial approval, the repairs must fall within the specific parameters of the construction scenarios described in the 2021 EIR (Scenarios 1 and 2 in 2021 Draft EIR Section 2.5.3). Further, the sidewalk repairs or reconstruction work must incorporate the Policies, as described fully in the 2021 EIR (see 2021 Draft EIR Sections 2.4.4 and Appendix FREIR-A). Separately, the ordinance establishes a streamlined discretionary approval process for sidewalk repair projects necessitated by the Willits Settlement but falling outside the specific parameters allowed for ministerial approvals. However, even under the streamlined approval process, the sidewalk repairs must still incorporate the Policies, as described fully in the 2021 EIR (see 2021 Draft EIR Sections 2.4.4 and Appendix A). For these discretionary approvals, the 2021 EIR, as modified by the recirculated portions of the EIR, would serve as programmatic analysis of the impacts; further Project-level environmental review would be performed as necessary, depending on whether the Project is within the scope of the EIR, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15168. Finally, as set forth more fully in the 2021 EIR (2021 Draft EIR Section 2.5.4), the ordinance requires incorporation of the Sidewalk Repair Program Street Tree Policy, establishing, among other things, a 2:1 replacement-to-removal ratio for the first 10 years, a 3:1 ratio for years 11 to 21, and a 2:1 ratio for the last 9 years of the 30-year program. The ordinance also requires incorporation of the Sidewalk Repair Program Mandatory Features Policy, consisting generally of regulatory compliance measures and standard construction conditions and procedures.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Citywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Baldwin Hills Conservancy (BHC), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region 5 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 7 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region 4 (RWQCB), California Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Office of Historic Preservation, San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC), Santa Monica Bay Restoration, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights

Other (Sidewalk and curb ramp improvements within the city)

Ordinance

Aesthetics, Biological Resources, Cumulative Effects