Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project

119 Pages·2015·4.1 MB·English

City of Los Angeles
Clarendon Street
Apartments Development
Project

Initial Study

July 2015
Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project

22055-22147 Clarendon Street
Los Angeles, CA 91367

Initial Study

Prepared for:

City of Los Angeles
200 North Spring Street, Suite 750
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Prepared with the assistance of:

Rincon Consultants, Inc.
180 North Ashwood Avenue
Ventura, California 93003

July 2015
This report prepared on 50% recycled paper with 50% post-consumer content.
Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
Initial Study

Table of Contents

Page

Initial Study ................................................................................................................................................. 1
1. Project Title .............................................................................................................................. 1
2. Lead Agency Name and Address ........................................................................................ 1
3. Contact Person and Phone Number .................................................................................... 1
4. Project Location ...................................................................................................................... 1
5. Project Sponsor’s Name and Address ................................................................................. 1
6. General Plan Designation ...................................................................................................... 1
7. Zoning ...................................................................................................................................... 1
8. Description of Project ............................................................................................................. 1
9. Surrounding Land Uses and Setting .................................................................................... 2
10. Other Public Agencies Whose Approval is Required ..................................................... 11
Environmental Factors Potentially Affected .................................................................................... 11
Determination ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Environmental Checklist .................................................................................................................... 14
I. Aesthetics .......................................................................................................................... 14
II. Agriculture and Forest Resources ................................................................................. 18
III. Air Quality ........................................................................................................................ 19
IV. Biological Resources ........................................................................................................ 27
V. Cultural Resources .......................................................................................................... 30
VI. Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................ 33
VII. Greenhouse Gas Emissions ............................................................................................ 38
VIII. Hazards and Hazardous Materials ............................................................................... 41
IX. Hydrology and Water Quality ....................................................................................... 47
X. Land Use and Planning .................................................................................................. 52
XI. Mineral Resources ........................................................................................................... 54
XII. Noise .................................................................................................................................. 55
XV. Recreation ......................................................................................................................... 65
XVI. Transportation/Traffic.................................................................................................... 66
XVII. Utilities and Service Systems ......................................................................................... 70
XVIII. Mandatory Findings of Significance ............................................................................. 78
References ............................................................................................................................................. 80
Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................... 80
Persons Contacted ........................................................................................................................... 82

List of Figures

Figure 1 Regional Location ................................................................................................................. 3
Figure 2 Project Site Location ............................................................................................................. 4
Figure 3 Proposed Site Plan ................................................................................................................ 5
Figure 4 Photos of Project Site ............................................................................................................ 7
Figure 5 Photos of Surrounding Uses ................................................................................................ 8
Figure 6 Summer Shadows ................................................................................................................. 9
Figure 7 Winter Shadows .................................................................................................................. 10
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Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
Initial Study

List of Tables

Table 1 Proposed Project Characteristics ........................................................................................ 2
Table 2 Current Federal and State Ambient Air Quality Attainment Standards .................... 20
Table 3 Health Effects Associated with Criteria Pollutants ........................................................ 21
Table 4 SCAQMD Air Quality Significance Thresholds ............................................................. 22
Table 5 SCAQMD LSTs for Construction ..................................................................................... 23
Table 6 Typical Noise Levels at Construction Sites ..................................................................... 59
Table 7 Student Generation Rates .................................................................................................. 64
Table 8 Project Trip Generation ...................................................................................................... 68
Table 9 Estimated Wastewater Generation ................................................................................... 71
Table 10 Multiple Dry Years Water Supply and Demand ............................................................ 73
Table 11 Solid Waste Disposal Facilities ......................................................................................... 76
Table 12 Estimated Solid Waste Generation ................................................................................... 76

Appendix

Appendix A: Trip Generation Analysis

City of Los Angeles
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Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
Initial Study

INITIAL STUDY

1. Project Title: Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
2. Lead Agency Name City of Los Angeles
and Address: 200 North Spring Street, Room 750
Los Angeles, CA 90012
3. Contact Person and Adam Villani
Phone Number: [phone]

4. Project Location: 22055-22147 Clarendon Street
Los Angeles, CA 91367
APN: 2169-026-110
Acres: 4.22

The project site encompasses approximately 4.22 acres and is
located at 22055-22147 Clarendon Street in the neighborhood of
Woodland Hills in the City of Los Angeles, California. Figure 1
shows the regional location. Figure 2 shows the project site
location.

5. Project Sponsor’s Darin Hansen, Vice President
Name and Address AMCAL Equities, LLC
30141 Agoura Road, Suite 100
Agoura Hills, CA 91301

6. General Plan Community Commercial
Designation:

7. Specific Plan C ommunity Commercial
Designation:

8. Zoning: One-Family (R1-1VL), Limited Commercial (CR-1VLD),
Automobile Parking (P-1VLD)

9. Description of Project:

The proposed project would involve demolition of an existing post office and office building
and development of a multi-family housing project consisting of a five-story residential
building with 335 residential units, club house, leasing office, and parking garage. The
proposed residential and parking structures would be located adjacent to Highway 101, on the
site’s northern boundary. Vehicular access to the project site would be provided by a main
entrance located on along Clarendon Street between Farralone Avenue and Glade Avenue.

Project characteristics are summarized in Table 1. Figure 3 shows the conceptual site plans.
City of Los Angeles
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Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
Initial Study

Table 1
Proposed Project Characteristics
Project Site Size 4.22 acres (183,799 square feet)
USPS Post Office: 29,638 sf
Existing On-Site Uses
Office Building: 10,929 sf
Proposed Floor Area 369,159 sf
Automobile parking: 576 spaces
Proposed Parking
Bicycle parking: 336 spaces
Proposed Height Residential Structure: 5 stories, 58 feet maximum

An environmental impact report (EIR) will be prepared for the project. In accordance with
Section 15063(c) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA
Guidelines), the purpose of this Initial Study is to focus the EIR on the effects preliminarily
determined to be significant; identify the effects preliminary determined not to be significant
and therefore do not need to be studied in the EIR; and explain the reasons for determining that
potentially significant effects have been preliminarily determined not to be significant.

In accordance with Section 15126(d) of the CEQA Guidelines, the EIR will examine a range of
reasonable alternatives to the proposed project that could feasibly achieve similar objectives.
The following alternatives will be considered in the EIR:

 No Project Alternative
 100% Commercial Alternative: This alternative will consider a commercial development
on the project site, rather than a residential project.
 Mixed-Use Development Alternative: This alternative will consider a mixed-use
residential and commercial project that would be 45-feet high and comply with
applicable local zoning codes.

9. Surrounding Land Uses and Setting:

The project site is currently developed with a one-story commercial structure utilized as a U.S.
Postal Service (USPS) post office (29,638 square feet) and a two-story commercial office building
(10,929 square feet). The remainder of the site is developed with paved parking lots and
landscaped areas. Figure 4 shows photos of the project site. The project site has a General Plan
designation of Community Commercial. The project site is within the Ventura/Cahuenga
Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan area and also has a Specific Plan designation of Community
Commercial. The project site’s zoning is not consistent with its current General Plan and
Specific Plan designation. The project site is zoned One-Family (R1), Limited Commercial (CR)
and Automobile Parking (P).

The project site is bordered by Highway 101 to the north, Clarendon Street to the south, existing
commercial development to the west and southeast, and the Highway 101 southbound on-ramp
from State Route 27 and a residential property to the east. Figure 5 shows photos of the
surrounding uses.
City of Los Angeles
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Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
Initial Study
±
0 600 1,200
Feet
Imagery provided by National Geographic Society, ESRI and its licensors © 2015.
The topographic representation depicted in this map may not portray all of the
features currently found in the vicinity today and/or features depicted in this map
may have changed since the original topographic map was assembled.
Basemap Source: ESRI Data, 2004, and USGS/CDFG, 2002.
Project Location ±
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Regional Location Figure 1
City of Los Angeles
Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
Initial Study
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Project Site Location Figure 2
City of Los Angeles
Clarendon Street Apartments Development Project
Initial Study
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Conceptual Site Plan
Figure 3
Source: Architects Orange, March 2015
City of Los Angeles