ZA-2024-305-ZAD-HCA

2025020296

City of Los Angeles

NOE - Notice of Exemption

2/10/2025

2/10/2025

Linda Lou

City of Los Angeles / Department of City Planning

City Planner

Lead/Public Agency

200 N Spring st
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 978-1473

linda.lou@lacity.org

Jiwon Jung

LACA

Representative

Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project

2700 East 2nd Street
los angeles, CA 90033

(213) 207-0792

bb.at.laca@gmail.com

34°4'51.2"N 118°11'42.3"W

90032

4392 W Rose Hill Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032 and Tourmaline dr

Categorical Exemption

section 15303 / Class 3

Section 15303, New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures. Class 3 consists of construction and location of limited numbers 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. 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. The site is zoned [Q]R1-1D-HCR and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Low Residential. While the subject site is located within a Hillside Area, Special Grading Area (BOE Basic Grid Map A-13372), Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and is located 1.22 kilometers from the Upper Elysian Park Fault Zone, 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. Regulatory Compliance Measures (RCMs) include requirements to conform with the California Building Code and the City’s Landform Grading Manual. 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. The project shall comply with the conditions contained within the Department of Building and Safety Grading Geology and Soils Approval Letter dated August 4, 2023 (Log #127080) for the proposed project. Thus, the location of the project will not result in a significant impact based on its location.With regard to potential cumulative impacts during the construction phase of the project, there may be active construction activity in the vicinity of where the subject property is located at the same time that the project undergoes construction. However, Regulatory Compliance Measures will help ensure that cumulative impacts related to construction activity are addressed. The subject project submitted a Construction Traffic Management Plan for review by the City’s Department of Transportation (LADOT), pursuant to the LADOT’s Hillside Development Construction Traffic Management Plan is to address transportation concerns specific to hillside communities, including narrow streets, limited emergency access, and location in a Very High Fire Severity Zone. The proposed project will be subject to the conditions detailed in the Project’s Construction Traffic Management Plan, included in the case file, which was reviewed and stamped-approve by LADOT on April 10, 2024. The conditions imposed address any potential cumulative effects of various projects of the same type in the same area. Therefore, the subject project will have no cumulative impact on the City’s circulation system. As mentioned, the project proposes the construction, use, and maintenance of a new 895-squarefoot, three-story single-family dwelling with an attached carport, on an 2,943-square-foot vacant lot, in an area zoned and designated for such development. There is a nearby lot developed with a single-family dwelling. The lots adjacent to the site are vacant. Nearby, lots are developed with single-family residences or are vacant. The subject site is of a similar size and slope to nearby properties. The project proposes a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of approximately 0.3:1 or 895 square feet on a site that is permitted to have a maximum of 1,121.5 square feet (0.38:1 FAR) per the slope band analysis. The project proposes a building height of 26 feet, which is not unusual for the vicinity of the subject site and is similar in scope to other existing residential uses in the area. Prior to any work on the adjacent public right-of-way, the applicant will be required to obtain approved plans from the Department of Public Works. As there currently is no approved right-ofway improvement plan and for purposes of conservative analysis under CEQA, Planning has analyzed the worst-case potential for removal of all street trees. Note that street trees and protected trees shall not be removed without prior approval of the Board of Public Works/Urban Forestry (BPW) under LAMC Sections 62.161-62.171. At the time of preparation of this environmental document, no approvals have been given for any tree removals on-site or in the right-of-way by BPW. According to a tree report dated October 27, 2024, prepared by Leonardo Moran, a Registered Consulting Arborist #660, there are no protected trees to be removed. The arborist found zero protected trees on site and identified three protected Black Walnut trees off site. Two of these protected trees will remain undisturbed and one will receive minor root zone encroachment; all three protected trees will be preserved. There is one Mexican Fan Palm tree, a street tree in the public-right-of-way, that will also be preserved. The Urban Forestry Department reviewed and approved the report on November 15, 2024. 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 proposed project is located approximately 28 miles away from Topanga State Park, therefore, the project site will not create any impacts within a designated state scenic highway. 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. 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.The project will be subject to 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.