11319 McCormick Street

2024080398

City of Los Angeles

NOE - Notice of Exemption

8/9/2024

8/9/2024

Joanna Marroquin

City of Los Angeles / Department of City Planning

Planning Assistant

Lead/Public Agency

200 N Spring st
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 978-1463

joanna.marroquin@lacity.org

Hamid Dehghan

HRD Arch

Representative

Parties Undertaking Project

12121 Wilshire blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 359-2245

hamid@hrdarch.com

34°9'58.6"N 118°22'41.5"W

Tujunga ave and MCcormick st

91601

Categorical Exemption

Section 15332. Class 32 (Urban tn-Fill Development}

Class 32 - (a) The project is consistent with the applicable general plan designation and all applicable general plan policies as well as with applicable zoning designation and regulations. (b) The proposed development occurs within city limits on a project site of no more than five acres substantially surrounded by urban uses. (c) The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species. (d) Approval of the project would not result In any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. (e) The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. The Planning Department 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 15332, Class 32. A project qualifies for a Class 32 Categorical Exemption if it is developed on an infill site and meets the following criteria: (a) The project is consistent with the applicable general plan designation and all applicable general plan policies as well as with the applicable zoning designation and regulations; (b) The proposed development occurs within city limits on a project site of no more than five acres substantially surrounded by urban uses; (c) The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species; (d) Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic,noise, air quality, or water quality; and (e) The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. The project is for the demolition of three existing residential units for the construction of a new five-story, 53-foot nine inches high, 24,351 square feet, 36-units multi-family residential building with 2,700 square feet of open space. There are five residential levels with one ADA parking stall at the rear accessible from the alleyway. There are four short term bicycle parking along McCormick Street and 34 long term bicycle parking on the east side of the first floor. The site is located in a Tier 4 TOC area and is setting aside 11 percent of the total, or four units, for Extremely Low-Income Households. As a new five-story residential project which is characterized as in-fill development, the project qualifies for the Class 15332, Class 32 Categorical Exemption(s). The site has a land use designation of Community Commercial with a corresponding C4-1-CA zone and is located within the North Hollywood - Valley Village Community Plan. The subject site is a total of 7,494 square feet lot area. As the site is within city limits on a project site of less than five acres a, s surrounded by urban uses, the proje walifies as an infill site. The properties to the north abutting the subject site across from the alley way are developed with a one-story commercial use building, a religious gathering commercial space and a four-story Hotel (Lexen Hotel), on the east abutting the subject site are two-story multi-family dwellings. The properties to the south across from McCormick Street are developed with two-story multifamily dwelling, one-story single-family dwelling and a private school (St. Paul's First Lutheran Elementary and Preschool). The properties to the west abutting the subject site are developed with a house of worship (St. Paul's First Lutheran Church). The site is surrounded by urban development and therefore, has no habitat or endangered, rare, or threatened species. There are no protected trees on the site, according to the Environmental Assessment Form (CP1204). The project proposes to provide nine new, 24-inch box trees to be located on the subject site and along the public right-of-way. Trees planted in the public right-ofway will be required to obtain approval from the Department of Public Works. The project will be subject to Regulatory Compliance Measures (RCMs), which require compliance with the City of Los Angeles Noise Ordinance, pollutant discharge, dewatering, stormwater mitigations, and Best Management Practices for stormwater runoff. These RCMs will ensure the project will not have significant impacts on noise and water. Furthermore, the project does not exceed the threshold criteria established by LADOT for preparing a transportation study. Therefore, the project will not have any significant impacts to traffic or transportation. The project site will be adequately served by all public utilities and services given that a · new five-story, 53-foot nine inches high, 24,351 square feet, 36-units multi-family residential building will be on a site which has been previously developed and is consistent with the General Plan. Therefore, the project meets all of the Criteria for the Class 32. Exceptions Narrative for Class 32 (and other, if applicable) Categorical Exemption There are five (5) Exceptions which must be considered in order to find a project exempt under Class 32: (a) Cumulative Impacts; (b) Significant Effect; (c) Scenic Highways; (d) Hazardous Waste Sites; and (e) Historical Resources. There are two known project that is similar of the same type and in the same area as the subject project. Nearby projects include a proposed 65-units, six-story multi-family building located at 5110 Bakman Avenue was filed under DIR-2019-1244-TOC-HCA. The second nearby project include a proposed 128-units, seven-story mixed use building located at 5240 Lankershim Boulevard was filed under DIR-2022-6485-TOC-SPR-VHCA. As mentioned, the Project proposes a new five-story, 53-foot nine inches high, 24,351 square feet, 36-units multi-family residential building within an area zoned and designated for such development. Adjacent lots are developed with a mix of uses including commercial and residential single-family and multifamily uses and the subject site is of a similar size and slope to nearby properties. The project proposes a new Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 3.25:1, by utilizing the eligibility of Tier 4 incentive. The project will utilize the maximum FAR with a proposed floor area of 24,351 square feet. The project is requesting additional incentives such as RAS 3 setback reduction and open space, as otherwise required in the C4-1-CA zone. The decrease in open space, and parking will allow for more residential units which support the inclusion of units reserved for Extremely Low-Income Households. The subject structure is not unusual for the vicinity of the subject site and is similar in scope to other existing residential land uses in the area. 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 Mulholand Scenic Highway, State Route 1, which travels through a portion of Universal Hollywood, approximately 7 miles away. Therefore, the subject site will not create any impacts within a designated as a state scenic highway. The site is located in a Liquification Zone and is not located in an BOE Special Grading Area.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 HistoricPlacesLA website or SurveyLA, the citywide survey of Los Angeles. Finally, the City does not choose to treat the site as a historic resource.