N/A

2024070585

City of Los Angeles

NOE - Notice of Exemption

7/16/2024

7/16/2024

Dylan Larence

City of Los Angeles / Department of City Planning

City Planning associate

Lead/Public Agency

200 N Spring st
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 978-1182

dylan.lawrence@lacity.org

34°6'5"N 118°12'49.5"W

537 West Avenue 44 / 525 East Frontenac Avenue; 533 West Avenue 44, Los Angeles, CA 90065

90065

Categorical Exemption

15303/3

Section 15303, New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures. Class 3 consists of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure. The numbers of structures describes in this section are the maximum allowable on any legal parcel. Exceptions Narrative for Class 3 Categorical Exemption There are six (6) Exceptions which must be considered in order to find a project exempt under Section 15303, Class 3: (a) Location; (b) Cumulative Impacts; (c) Significant Effect; (d) Scenic Highways; (e) Hazardous Waste Sites; and (f) Historical Resources. The site is zoned R1-1 and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Low Residential. While the subject site is located within Hillside Area, Special Grading Area (BOE Basic Grid Map Act A-13372), Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and is located 1.95 kilometers from the Raymond Fault, specific Regulatory Compliance Measures (RCMs)° in the City of Los Angeles regulate the grading and construction of projects in these particular types of "sensitive" locations and will reduce any potential impacts to less than significant. Regulatory Compliance Measures (RCMs) include requirements to conform with the California Building Code and the City's Landform Grading Manual. These RCMs have been historically proven to work to the satisfaction of the City Engineer to reduce any impacts from the specific environment the project is located. The project shall comply with the conditions contained within the Department of Building and Safety's Geology and Soils Report Approval Letter dated June 16, 2021 (Log #117535) for the proposed project. Thus, the location of the project will not result in a significant impact based on its location. With regard to potential cumulative impacts during the construction phase of the project, there is no active . construction activity in the vicinity of Avenue 44 and Frontenac Avenue where the subject property is located. The subject project submitted a Construction Traffic Management Plan for review by the City's Department of Transportation (LADOT), pursuant to the LADOT's Hillside Development Construction Traffic Management Guidelines released on June 16, 2020.These guidelines state the purpose of a Construction Traffic Management Plan is to address transportation concerns specific to hillside communities, including narrow streets, limited emergency access, and location in a Very High Fire Severity Zone. The proposed project will be subject to the conditions detailed in the Project's Construction Traffic Management Plan, included in the case file , which was reviewed and stamped-approved by LADOT on November 23, 2021. The conditions imposed address any potential cumulative effects of various projects of the same type in the same area. Interim thresholds were developed by DCP staff based on CalEEMod model runs relying on reasonable assumptions, consulting with AQMD staff, and surveying published air quality studies for which criteria air pollutants did not exceed the established SCAQMD construction and operational thresholds. Therefore, the subject projects will have no cumulative impact on the City's circulation system. As mentioned, the projects propose the construction of two (2) new, two (2)-story, single-family dwellings ranging from 1,198 to 2,331 square feet with attached carports on a vacant site that totals 0.16 acres, in an area zoned and designated for such development. All adjacent lots are vacant, and the subject site is of a similar size and slope to nearby properties. The project proposes a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) that ranges from 0.48:1 to 0.50:1 on two sites that are permitted to have a maximum FAR of 0.50:1. The project proposes a building height ranging from 29 to 38 feet, which is not unusual for the vicinity of the subject site, and is similar in scope to other existing low residential in the area. As identified in the Tree Reports prepared by Arsen Margossian, Certified Arborist #WE7233A, on January 16, 2023, there are 11 Protected Trees and Shrubs located on-site, including one (1) Black Walnut, one (1) Mexican Elderberry, and two (2) Toyons at 533 West Avenue 44 and one (1) Mexican Elderberry and six (6) Toyons at 537 West Avenue 44. There is one (1) Significant Tree (a Tree of Heaven), as defined by the Mount Washington-Glassell! Park Specific Plan, located at 537 West Avenue 44. Zero (0) Protected Trees or Shrubs are proposed for removal at 533 West Avenue 44. Three (3) Protected Toyon shrubs and one (1) Significant Tree of Heaven are proposed for removal at 537 West Avenue 44. The three (3) Toyon will replaced at a 4:1 ratio and the one (1) Tree of Heaven will be replaced at a 1 :1 ratio. Additionally, per the Biological Resources Report prepared by Envicom Corporation on July 25, 2019 and revised January 6, 2021, there were no special-status plant species and no special-status wildlife species found on-site. The project site is also not within a recognized habitat linkage or wildlife corridor. Thus, there are no unusual circumstances which may lead to a significant effect on the environment. Additionally, the only State Scenic Highway within the City of Los Angeles is the Topanga Canyon State Scenic Highway, State Route 27, which travels through a portion of Topanga State Park. The proposed project is located over 22 miles away from the Topanga Canyon State Scenic Highway, therefore, the subject site will not create any impacts within a designated state scenic highway. Furthermore, according to Envirostor, the State of California's database of Hazardous Waste Sites, neither the subject site, nor any site in the vicinity, is identified as a hazardous waste site. The project site has not been identified as a historic resource by local or state agencies, and the project site has not been determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, California Register of Historical Resources, the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Register, and/or any local register; and was not found to be a potential historic resource based on the City's Historic Places LA website or Survey LA, the citywide survey of Los Angeles. Finally, the City does not choose to treat the site as a historic resource. Based on this, the project will not result in a substantial adverse change to the significance of a historic resource and this exception does not apply.