1129-31 S. Bedford Street

1129-31 S. Bedford Street

The Applicant proposes the demolition of an existing duplex and the construction, use and maintenance of a five (5)-story multifamily residential building containing 13 dwelling units (and one (1) additional dwelling unit subject to ministerial review), including one (1) unit restricted to Very Low Income Households and one (1) unit restricted to Extremely Low Income Households. The project site is located at 1129-1131 South Bedford Street within the Wilshire Community Plan. It comprises 13,789 square feet of floor area with a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 3.52:1, which is less than the maximum 4.35:1 FAR permitted by the TOC Guidelines. The proposed building will be 56 feet in height as measured from grade to the top of the roof parapet with one (1) level of subterranean parking. The unit mix will comprise four (4) 1-bedrooms, six (6) 2-bedroom, and three (3) 3-bedroom units. The project is providing 13 vehicular parking spaces and 16 long-term bicycle parking spaces in the subterranean parking garage, and two (2) short term bicycle parking spaces. The project will provide a total a minimum of 1,900 square feet open space that meets the requirements of LAMC 12.21 G.2, and a minimum of 1,300 square feet of open space that meets the requirements of Ordinance No. 167,335. The open space will be located in the rear yard, a ground 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 export of approximately 2,870 cubic yards of soil. The project proposes the removal of 24 existing on-site trees and the planting of three (3) trees in the rear yard. There are no street trees immediate adjacent to the subject site. 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. CEQA Section 15300.2: Exceptions to the Use of Categorical Exemptions 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 ENV-2023-3099-CE Page 2 of 5 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 1129-1131 South Bedford Street in the Wilshire Community Plan. There are currently 5 projects dating back to February 11, 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. PROJECTS WITHIN A QUARTER-MILE OF THE SUBJECT SITE Address Case Number Date Filed Scope of Work 1120 S CORNING ST DIR-2019-855-TOC 02/11/2019 Construction of a new 43-unit apartment building 1059 S HOLT AVE DIR-2020-4254-TOC-HCA 07/17/2020 (approved) Construction of a new 15 unit, 5 story apartment building 1442 S BEDFORD ST DIR-2020-5554-TOC-HCA 9/21/2020 (approved) Construction of a new 5-story, 29-unit multi-family building 1049 S CORNING ST DIR-2021-2191-TOC-HCA 03/18/2021 Construction of a 9,975 square-foot six-story apartment building 1057 1-4 S HOLT AVE DIR-2023-642-TOC-PHP-HCA 01/27/2023 (approved) Construction, use, and maintenance of a five-story 14-unit apartment building Per the table above, there are 5 projects filed or filed and approved with the Department of City Planning within the quarter-mile radius. Of the 5 cases listed, 3 cases have been approved with conditions, and two (2) cases are pending. The 3 cases which have been 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, and it is not on the same block as the subject site, so 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 non-attainment. 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. ENV-2023-3099-CE Page 3 of 5 Construction of the project also would have a less-than-significant impact with regard to localized emissions. (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, 13,789-square-foot, 13-unit apartment building measuring approximately 56 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 60-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 3.59:1, which is within the 4.35:1 maximum FAR otherwise permitted by the [Q]R3-1-O Zone in conjunction with a 45-percent increase permitted per the TOC Affordable Housing Incentive Program in exchange for affordable housing. The proposed building will be five (5) stories, with one (1) subterranean parking level 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 one (1) two-story duplex built in 1930. 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, ENV-2023-3099-CE Page 4 of 5 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. CEQA Determination – Class 32 Categorical Exemption Applies A project qualifies for a Class 32 Categorical Exemption if it is developed on an infill site and meets the conditions as follows: (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. (a) The project is consistent with applicable general plan designation, applicable policies, and applicable zoning designations. The subject site is located within the Wilshire Community Plan. The site is zoned [Q]R3-1-O and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Medium Residential. As shown in the case file, the project is consistent with the applicable Wilshire Community Plan designation and policies and all applicable zoning designations and regulations in conjunction with the TOC Affordable Housing Incentive Program. (b) The proposed development occurs within city limits on a project site no more than five acres substantially surrounded by urban uses. The subject site is wholly within the City of Los Angeles, on a site that is approximately 0.15 acres. The surrounding area is characterized by level topography, improved streets and residential uses. Abutting properties to the north, east, south, and west are improved with two- to three-story multifamily residential structures. Further south, along Pico Boulevard, properties are zoned C4-1-O designated for Neighborhood Office Commercial land uses and are improved with single-story commercial structures. All properties within the vicinity of the project site are located within the Wilshire Community Plan. (c) The project has no value as a habitat for endangered species, rare, or threatened species. The site is previously disturbed and surrounded by development and therefore is not, and has no value as, a habitat for endangered, rare, or threatened species. The applicant submitted an Owner’s Declaration of Biological Resources, dated February 1, 2023 and signed by the owner, stating that the project site does not contain any known biological resources, including water resources, protected trees and/or shrubs, or any other sensitive/special resources. Moreover, a Tree Report dated June 13, 2024, prepared by Arsen Margossian, Certified Consulting Arborist (#WE-7233A), states that there are no existing trees in the public right-of-way and the 24 protected trees on-site that are proposed for removal are not a City of Los Angeles protected native tree or shrub pursuant to Ordinance No. 186,873. The project is proposing to add three (3) 24-inch box trees on-site trees to the rear yard. (d) Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. ENV-2023-3099-CE Page 5 of 5 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 City of Los Angeles Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Calculator resulted in the proposed project having a net increase of 47 daily vehicle trips and a net increase of 288 daily VMT. Based on the VMT Calculator, the project is not required to perform VMT analysis under the VMT standards. Therefore, no foreseeable cumulative impacts are expected. 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 project would not result in any significant effects related to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. (e) The proposed project has been reviewed by City staff and can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. The project site will be adequately served by all public utilities and services given that the construction of a residential building will be located on a site that has been previously developed with a single-family home and that is consistent with the General Plan. Therefore, the project meets all of the Criteria for the Class 32. As the project has been found to be categorically exempt from CEQA, the project is not anticipated to have a negative effect on the environment and no mitigation measures are required.

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