Hollywood and Cahuenga

Hollywood and Cahuenga

The City of Los Angeles (City) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Hollywood and Cahuenga Project (Project). In accordance with Section 15082 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the City has prepared this Notice of Preparation to provide the public, nearby residents and property owners, responsible agencies, and other interested parties with information regarding the Project and its potential environmental effects. The EIR will be prepared by outside consultants under the supervision of the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning. The City requests your written comments as to the scope and contents of the EIR, including mitigation measures or Project alternatives to reduce potential environmental effects from the Project. Comments must be submitted in writing according to directions below. If you represent a public agency, the City seeks written comments as to the scope and content of the environmental information in the EIR that are germane to your agency’s statutory responsibilities in connection with the Project. Your agency may need to use the EIR prepared by the City when considering your permit or other approval for the Project. A Public Scoping Meeting will be held to receive input as to what environmental topics the EIR should study. No decisions about the Project are made at the Public Scoping Meeting. Additional Project details, Public Scoping Meeting information, and instructions for public comment submittal are listed below. PROJECT LOCATION AND EXISTING ON-SITE USES: The Project Site consists of property located at 1708–1726 Cahuenga Boulevard and 6381–6385 Hollywood Boulevard within the Hollywood Community Plan Area of the City of Los Angeles. (See attached Project Location Map.) The Project Site is currently developed with three buildings ranging from one to seven stories and surface parking areas. Existing buildings on the Project Site include the seven-story (109-foot-tall), 67,581-square-foot Security Pacific Bank Building (SPB) Building at 6381 Hollywood Boulevard, which is designated as a City Historic-Cultural Monument; a single-story (19-foot-tall), 9,300-square-foot restaurant located at 1716 Cahuenga Boulevard; and a three-story (31-foot-tall), 12,113-square-foot vacant building located at 1724 Cahuenga Boulevard. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Project includes the development of 217,269 square feet of floor area consisting of approximately 210,769 square feet of office uses and 6,500 square feet of ground floor commercial (restaurant) space. The proposed uses would be located within a single, 14-story building with a maximum height of 213 feet. The Project would also provide approximately 9,872 square feet of open space and amenities. In accordance with the LAMC, the Project would provide a total of 858 vehicular parking spaces within eight subterranean levels, one ground floor parking level, and one above grade parking level. Two existing commercial buildings (an existing restaurant and a vacant building) totaling 21,413 square feet would be demolished to accommodate the Project. The SPB Building (which is on the Project Site, but not part of the Project) would remain on the Project Site and would continue to be used as office space. Upon completion, the Project would result in a net increase of 195,856 square feet of floor area within the Project Site with a total floor area, including the existing SPB Building to remain, of 284,850 square feet which results in a floor area ration (FAR) of 6:1 across the Project Site. Project construction is anticipated to be completed in Q4 2026. The following tables identify the existing Project Site uses and proposed uses for the Project for environmental impact analysis purposes: Existing Project Site Uses Existing Uses Floor Area (sf) Existing Uses to be Removed Restaurant 9,300 sf Vacant Building 12,113 sf Existing Uses to Remain Office 67,581 sf Summary of Proposed Floor Area Proposed Uses Floor Area (sf) Land Use Office 210,769 sf Commercial (restaurant) 6,500 sf Total 217,269 sf REQUESTED ACTIONS: 1. Pursuant to LAMC Section 12.32 Q, a Vesting Zone and Height District Change from C4-2D-SN and [Q]C4-2D-SN to (Q)C4-2-SN; 2. Pursuant to LAMC Section 12.24 T and 12.24 W.19, a Vesting Conditional Use Permit to permit FAR averaging in a Unified Development; 3. Pursuant to LAMC Section 12.24 W.1, Master Conditional Use Permit to allow for the sale of a full line of alcoholic beverages in conjunction with two potential restaurants; 4. Pursuant to LAMC Section 11.5.7 C, Project Permit Compliance Review for the Hollywood Signage Supplemental Use District; 5. Pursuant to LAMC Section 11.5.7 F, an Exception from Hollywood Signage Supplemental Use District to permit an open panel rooftop sign on the new building; 6. Pursuant to LAMC Section 11.5.14, Redevelopment Plan Compliance Review for the Hollywood Redevelopment Plan; 7. Pursuant to LAMC Section 16.05 C.1, Site Plan Review for more than 50,000 square feet of commercial uses; 8. Pursuant to 17.15, a Vesting Tentative Tract Map for the merger and resubdivision of the Project Site into two ground lots and for commercial condominium purposes, and pursuant to LAMC Section 17.13, approval of a haul route; 9. Other discretionary and ministerial permits and approvals that may be deemed necessary, including, but not limited to, temporary street closure permits, grading permits, excavation permits, foundation permits, building permits, and sign permits. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE PROJECT: Based on the Initial Study, the Project could have potentially significant environmental impacts in the following topic areas, which will be addressed in the EIR: Air Quality, Cultural Resources, Energy, Geology and Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Use and Planning, Noise, Public Services (Fire Protection and Police Protection), Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, and Utilities and Service Systems (Water, Wastewater, and Energy). PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING: A Public Scoping Meeting will be held in an online format using GoToWebinar, to share information regarding the Project and the environmental review process. City staff, environmental consultants, and Project representatives will be available during this meeting which will begin with a pre-recorded presentation. After the Public Scoping Meeting has ended, a copy of the prerecorded presentation will be posted to the Department’s website at https://planning.lacity.org/development-services/eir. The City encourages all interested individuals and organizations to attend this meeting. Questions may be submitted via the ‘Questions’ chat box in the control panel, but there will be no verbal comments or public testimony taken at the Public Scoping Meeting. A separate more detailed instructions page is included in this communication. No decisions about the Project will be made at the Public Scoping Meeting. A separate public hearing for Municipal Code entitlement requests, will be scheduled after the completion of the EIR. The date, time, and virtual location of the Public Scoping Meeting are as follows: Date: June 24, 2021 Time: 5:30 P.M.–7:30 P.M. Virtual Location: Visit www.joinwebinar.com and enter webinar ID 944-004-579 and your email address. FILE REVIEW AND COMMENTS: The Department of City Planning recognizes the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 and, having been identified as an essential City service, continues to work, and respond to all inquiries pertaining to our ongoing efforts to process entitlement applications. As a result of the Mayor’s “Safer at Home” Order issued on March 19, 2020, means to access project-related materials in-person may be limited. To that end, the Department of City Planning will ensure that interested parties seeking information about the Project will have access. A copy of this notice and the Initial Study prepared for the Project may be viewed with the environmental file or online at [https://planning.lacity.org/development-services/eir]. The environmental file is available for public review at the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, 221 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 1350, Los Angeles, CA 90012, during office hours Monday–Friday, 9:00 A.M.– 4:00 P.M. Please contact the Staff Planner listed below to schedule an appointment. The City will consider all written comments regarding the potential environmental effects of the Project and issues to be addressed in the EIR. If you wish to submit comments, please reference the Environmental Case Number provided above, and submit them in writing by July 12, 2021, no later than 4:00 P.M. Please direct your comments to: Mail: Jivar Afshar City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning 221 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 1350 Los Angeles, CA 90012 E-mail: jivar.afshar@lacity.org ACCOMMODATIONS: As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability. Other services, such as translation between English and other languages, may also be provided upon written request submitted a minimum of seven (7) working days in advance to: per.planning@lacity.org. Be sure to identify the language you need English to be translated into and indicate if the request is for oral or written translation services. If translation of a written document is requested, please include the document to be translated as an attachment to your email. VINCENT P. BERTONI, AICP Director of Planning Jivar Afshar Major Projects Department of City Planning (213) 847-3630

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Citywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), 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 Water Resources (DWR), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region 4 (RWQCB), California Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC), Office of Historic Preservation, Santa Monica Bay Restoration, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Transportation, District 7 (DOT)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Transportation, District 7 (DOT)

Office (Sq. Ft. 210769, Acres 4.8, Employees 806), Commercial (Sq. Ft. 6500, Acres 0.15, Employees 26)

Site Plan, Rezone, Use Permit, Redevelopment

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Coastal Zone, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Septic System, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire