1537 S Hayworth Apartments (ENV-2020-5018-CE)

Summary

SCH Number
2024100718
Public Agency
City of Los Angeles
Document Title
1537 S Hayworth Apartments (ENV-2020-5018-CE)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/17/2024
Document Description
The Applicant proposes the demolition of two (2) existing single-family dwellings and two (2) detached garages and the construction, use and maintenance of a five (5)-story multifamily residential building containing 30 dwelling units, including three (3) units restricted to Extremely Low Income Households. The project site is located at 1537-1541 South Hayworth Avenue within the Wilshire Community Plan. It comprises 38,499 square feet of floor area with a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 4.05:1, which is less than the maximum 4.5:1 FAR permitted by the TOC Guidelines. The proposed building will be 57 feet in height as measured from grade to the top of the roof parapet with two (2) levels of subterranean parking. The unit mix will comprise six (6) one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units, and six (6) three-bedroom units. The project is providing 55 vehicular parking spaces and 28 long term bicycle parking spaces in the subterranean parking garage, and three (3) short term bicycle parking spaces in the front yard setback along Hayworth Avenue. The project will provide a total of 3,054 square feet of open space that complies with regulations pursuant to LAMC Section 12.21 G.2. The open space will be located in the rear yard, a 1st floor recreation room, and private balconies. The number of units and size is not unusual for the vicinity of the subject site and is similar in scope to other existing multi-family dwellings in the area. Thus, there are no unusual circumstances which may lead to a significant effect on the environment. The project proposes the cut and export of 19,554 cubic yards of soil and the fill of 151 cubic yards. No import of soil is proposed. The project proposes the removal of eleven (11) existing onsite trees and the planting of ten (10) trees, consisting of 10 ground floor on-site trees. The project proposes to retain all three (3) Street Trees in the public right-of-way. This environmental analysis does not authorize the removal of any street trees without prior approval of Urban Forestry, in compliance with LAMC Sections 62.169 and 62.170 and their applicable findings. As there currently is no approved right-of-way improvement plan and for purposes of conservative analysis and the requirements of CEQA, Planning has analyzed the worst-case potential for removal of all street trees. Note, no Street Tree or protected tree may be removed without prior approval of the Board of Public Works/Urban Forestry (BPW) under LAMC Sections 62.161 - 62.171. As a Transit Oriented Community development, and a project which is characterized as in-fill development, the project qualifies for the Class 32 Categorical Exemption.

Contact Information

Name
Dylan Lawrence
Agency Name
City of Los Angeles, City Planning Department
Job Title
City Planning Associate
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency

Name
Gary Benjamin
Agency Name
ALCHEMY PLANNING + LAND USE
Job Title
Representative
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project

Location

Cities
Los Angeles
Counties
Los Angeles
Regions
Southern California
Zip
90035
Other Location Info
PROJECT LOCATION 1537-1541 South Hayworth Avenue
Other Information
NAME OF APPLICANT/ OWNER: Dan Daneshrad

Notice of Exemption

Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15332 - Class 32
Reasons for Exemption
The City has considered whether the proposed project is subject to any of the five (5) exceptions that would prohibit the use of a categorical exemption as set forth in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2. There are five (5) Exceptions which must be considered in order to find a project exempt under Section 15332: (a) Cumulative Impacts; (b) Significant Effect; (C) Scenic Highways; (d) Hazardous Waste Sites; and (e) Historical Resources. (a) Cumulative Impacts. All exemptions for these classes are inapplicable when the cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place, over time is significant. The project is located at 1537-1541 South Hayworth Avenue in the Wilshire Community Plan. There are currently 13 projects dating back to July 31, 2019, which are either currently filed with the Department of City Planning or have received a Letter of Determination from the Department of City Planning but have yet to receive a Certificate of Occupancy from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). As such, there are projects within a quarter-mile of the same type and in the same place as the subject project. 1500 S Hi Point St/DIR-2020-1870-TOC-HCA 3/17/2020 (approved) Construction of a new 5-story, 58-unit multi-family building 1420 S Point/View St DIR-2022-2855-TOC-HCA 4/25/2022 Construction of a new 5-story, 23-unit multi-family building 1551 S Hi Point St/ DIR-2023-7360-TOC-HCA 11/2/2023 (approved) Construction of a new 6-story, 38-unit multi-family building 5879 W Pico Blvd/ZA-2022-7716-ZAI and DIR-2021-9863-TOC-HCA 10/21/2022/ Construction of a 7-story mixed use building with 50 units and 3,125 square feet of commercial floor area 5903 W Pico Blvd /DIR-2023-4877-TOC-SPR-HCA 7/17/2023 Construction of a 8- story, 122-unit multifamily building 1540 S Orange Grove Ave/DIR-2022-12-TOC-HCA 1/3/2022 (approved) Construction of a 5-story, 16-unit multifamily building Per the table above, there are 13 projects filed or filed and approved with the Department of City Planning within the quarter-mile radius. Of the 13 cases listed, 10 cases were previously approved, and three (3) cases are pending. The 10 cases which were previously approved are unlikely to result in a cumulative impact with the subject site, as only one (1) of them is located on the same street; this project, at 1541 South Hayworth Avenue, represents a prior application filed at the proposed project site, so it would not have an impact on the proposed project. According to SCAQMD, individual construction projects that do not exceed the SCAQMD’s recommended daily thresholds for project-specific impacts would not cause a cumulatively considerable increase in emissions for those pollutants for which the Air Basin is in nonattainment. 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. Construction-related daily emissions at the project site would not exceed SCAQMD’s regional or localized significance thresholds. Therefore, the project’s contribution to cumulative construction-related regional emissions would not be cumulatively considerable and therefore would be less than significant. Construction of the project also would have a less-than-significant impact with regard to localized emissions. As noise is a localized phenomenon and decreases in magnitude as distance from the source increases, only projects and ambient growth in the nearby area could combine with the proposed project to result in cumulatively considerable noise impacts. The applicant retained a consultant to prepare a noise and vibration study for the site. The study, prepared by DKA Planning, in January 2024, details methods that will be used to comply with the City of Los Angeles Noise Ordinance. Therefore, the project would not result in significant impacts related to noise. (b) Significant Effect. A categorical exemption shall not be used for an activity where there is a reasonable possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. As mentioned, the project proposes the construction, use, and maintenance of a new five (5)-story, 38,499-square-foot, 30-unit apartment building measuring approximately 57 feet in height. The project site is located in an area zoned and designated for such development and the project proposes the use of a 70-percent density increase through the TOC Affordable Housing Incentive Program in exchange for affordable housing. All surrounding lots are developed with single- and multi-family buildings. The project proposes a FAR of 4.05:1, which is within the 4.5:1 maximum FAR otherwise permitted by the [Q]R3-1-O Zone in conjunction with a 50-percent increase permitted per the TOC Affordable Housing Incentive Program in exchange for affordable housing. The proposed building will be five (5) stories, with two (2) subterranean parking levels in an area that is currently developed within buildings that range in height from one to four stories. In conjunction with the TOC Affordable Housing Incentive Program, the proposed building will not be unusual for the vicinity of the subject site and will be similar in scope to future residential buildings in the area that use the TOC Affordable Housing Incentive Program in exchange for affordable housing. Thus, there are no unusual circumstances which may lead to a significant effect on the environment. (c) Scenic Highways. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may result in damage to scenic resources, including but not limited to, trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or similar resources, within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway. As it relates to development along a Scenic Highway, 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. State Route 27 is located approximately 12 miles to the west of the subject property. Therefore, the subject site will not create any impacts within a designated state scenic highway. (d) Hazardous Waste. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project located on a site which is included on any list complied pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. In regard to Hazardous Waste sites, 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. As such, the project would not be developed on a site identified as a hazardous site pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. (e) Historic Resources. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. The project site improved with two (2) existing single-family dwellings and two (2) detached garages built in 1925 and 1938. Office of Historic Resources staff confirmed via email on August 6, 2024, that the 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.
County Clerk
Los Angeles

Attachments

Notice of Exemption

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