9622 West Green Verdugo Drive

2025010672

City of Los Angeles

NOE - Notice of Exemption

1/22/2025

1/22/2025

Sasha Kassab

City of Los Angeles / Department of City Planning

Planning Assistant

Lead/Public Agency

200 N Spring st
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 756-1724

Sasha.Kassab@lacity.org

Whitney Del Real

W Baker Consulting

Representative

Parties Undertaking Project

1125 Black Canyon Road
simi valley, CA 93063

(805) 551-5651

whitney@wbakerconsulting.com

34°15'11.6"N 118°20'24"W

91040

9622 Green Verdugo Dr, Shadow Hills, CA 91040 and Teazle Canyon dr

Categorical Exemption

Section 15303 / Class 3

Class 3 consists of construction and location of limited number 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 described in this section are the maximum allowable on any legal parcel. Examples of this exemption include but are not limited to: a) One single-family residence, or a second dwelling unit in a residential zone. In urbanized areas, up to three single-family residences may be constructed or converted under this exemption. 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 15303, Class 3. The project is for the demolition of a fire-damaged single-family dwelling, the construction of a 3,153 square-foot single-family dwelling, and a 462 square-foot detached garage on a hillside street that is less than 20 feet wide. As the construction of a single-family dwelling on a substandard hillside street, the project qualifies for the Class 3 Categorical Exemption. The site is zoned RE40-1 K and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Very Low I Residential. As shown in the case file, the project is consistent with the applicable SunlandTujunga- Lake View Terrace-Shadow Hills-East La Tuna Canyon Community Plan designation and policies and all applicable zoning designations and regulations. The subject site is wholly within the City of Los Angeles, on a site that is approximately 1.21 acres. Lots adjacent to the subject site are developed with the following uses: Very Low I Residential, Minimum Residential, and Open Space. 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 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. 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 SCA QM D construction and operational thresholds. The project site will be adequately served by all pubiic utilities and services given that the construction of the construction of a single-family dwelling on a substandard hillside street 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 3. There are six (6) Exceptions which the City is required to consider before finding a project exempt under Class 15303: (a) Location; (b) Cumulative Impacts; (c) Significant Effect; (d) Scenic Highways; (e) Hazardous Waste Sites; and (f) Historical Resources. While the subject site is located within a Hillside area, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, High Wind Velocity Area, Special Grading Area (BOE Basic Grid Map A- 13372), within the Verdugo Fault Zone, and a Landslide area, 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. 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. Thus, the location of the project will not result in a significant impact based on its location. There is not a succession of known projects of the same type and in the same place as the subject project. As mentioned, the project proposes the construction of a single-family dwelling on a substandard hillside street in an area zoned and designated for such development. All adjacent lots are developed with single-family dwellings, a duplex, and open space, and the subject site is of a similar size and slope to nearby properties. The project proposes a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.06:1 on a site that is permitted to have a maximum FAR of 0.06:1. Two-story single-family dwellings with a height of less than 30 feet are not unusual for the vicinity of the subject site, and is similar in scope to other existing residential 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 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 20 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 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.