El Buen Sabor restaurant

2024070586

City of Los Angeles

NOE - Notice of Exemption

7/16/2024

7/16/2024

Debbie Lawrence

City of Los Angeles / Department of City Planning

Project Planner

Lead/Public Agency

200 N Spring st
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 978-1163

debbie.larence@lacity.org

34°5'40.6"N 118°12'28.8"W

N Figueroa and E 34 ave

90065

Categorical Exemption

Section 15301 / Class 1

Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency's determination. The Department of City Planning (DCP) determined that the City of Los Angeles Guidelines for the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 and the State CEQA Guidelines designate the subject project as Categorically Exempt under Article 19, Section 15301, Class 1, Existing Structures, and there is no substantial evidence demonstrating that an exception to a categorical exemption pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2 applies. The parent case is ZA-2022-8516-CUB. The project is a Conditional Use to authorize the continued sales and dispensing of beer and wine only for on-site consumption in conjunction with an existing 2,725-square-foot restaurant in the [Q]C2-1VL-HPOZ Zone, with seating capacity of 76 indoor seats; and authorize karaoke, live entertainment, and amplified sound on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Proposed operating hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 11 :00 p.m., and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00a.m. to 2:00 a.m. The project is located at 4306 North Figueroa Street. The property is a level, rectangular-shaped, interior parcel of land. The subject property has a total of 7,000 square feet and is developed with a one-story commercial building occupied by the subject restaurant (El Sabor) and by an unmarked business. Vehicular access to the adjoining 17-space shared surface parking lot is via a driveway on North Figueroa Street, directly north of the subject restaurant. The land uses within a 500-foot radius of the property reflect a pattern of commercial uses along Figueroa Street with multi- and single-family uses located to the east and west of Figueroa Street along adjacent local streets. Properties to the north are zoned [Q]C2-1 VL-HPOZ and are developed with one- to three-story commercial buildings, occupied by a variety of community serving retail stores and restaurants. Properties to the east are zoned RD2-1-HPOZ and are developed with a mix of one- to three-story single-and multi-family dwellings. Adjoining properties to the south are zoned RD2-1-HPOZ and are developed with a variety of one- to three-story single- and multi-family dwellings. Properties to the west, across Figueroa Street, are zoned [Q]C2-1VL-HPOZ and RD2-1-HPOZ and are developed with a one-story mini-shopping center which is occupied by a variety of community-serving retail stores and restaurants, and with single land multi-family dwellings beyond the shopping center. There are six (6) Exceptions which the City is required to consider before finding a project exempt under Class 15311: (a) Location; (b) Cumulative Impacts; (c) Significant Effect; (d) Scenic Highways; (e) Hazardous Waste Sites; and (f) Historical Resources. The proposed project involves the continued sales of alcohol within an existing restaurant. No construction is proposed to the existing building, thus no new development will occur. Therefore, the project will not result in a significant impact based on its location, nor will there be any significant cumulative impacts. The property is located within the East Los Angeles State Enterprise Zone (Zl-2129), an Urban Agricultural Incentive Zone, the Highland Park-Garvanza Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (Zl-2440), a Freeway Adjacent Advisory area (Zl-2427), and is about 2. 7 kilometers from the Upper Elysian Park fault. The project will not result in a significant impact based on its location, nor will there be any significant cumulative impacts. As discussed, there are no changes to the Floor Area Ratio and height of the existing structure. 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 Topanga Canyon State Scenic Highway is about 22 miles west of the subject site. Therefore the subject site will not create any impacts within a designated as a 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 is identified as a historic resource, as a Contributor to the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ. However, the project will not make any changes to the existing building. HPOZ staff determined that the entitlement request is not a Project under the HPOZ ordinance unless exterior work is to occur, per the HPOZ Referral Form signed and dated January 17, 2023. 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.