Planning and Land Use Management Committee

JOURNAL – PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE ­ SPECIAL MEETING Tuesday, May 31, 2022 JOHN FERRARO COUNCIL CHAMBER, ROOM , CITY HALL ­ 2:00 PM 200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 COUNCILMEMBER MARQUEECE HARRIS­ MEMBERS: DAWSON, CHAIR COUNCILMEMBER GILBERT A. CEDILLO COUNCILMEMBER BOB BLUMENFIELD COUNCILMEMBER JOHN S. LEE COUNCILMEMBER MONICA RODRIGUEZ (Candy Rosales ­ Legislative Assistant ­ (213) 978­1078 Questions can be submitted to clerk.plumcommittee@lacity.org) Pursuant to Assembly Bill 361, and due to concerns over COVID­19, this Los Angeles City Council committee meeting will take all public comment by teleconference. The audio for this meeting is broadcast live on the internet at https://clerk.lacity.org/calendar. The live audio can also be heard at: (213) 621­CITY (Metro), (818) 904­9450 (Valley), (310) 471­CITY (Westside) and (310) 547­CITY (San Pedro Area). If the live audio is unavailable via one of these channels, members of the public should try one of the other channels. Members of the public who would like to offer public comment on the items listed on the agenda should call 1 669 254 5252 and use Meeting ID No. 161 644 6631 and then press #. Press # again when prompted for participant ID. Once admitted into the meeting, press *9 to request to speak. Requests for reasonable modification or accommodation from individuals with disabilities, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act can be made by contacting the City Clerk's Office at (213) 978­1133. For Telecommunication Relay Services for the hearing impaired, please see the information located at the end of this agenda. Submit written comment at LACouncilComment.com Note: For information regarding the Committee and its operations, please contact the Committee Legislative Assistant at the phone number and/or email address listed above. The Legislative Assistant may answer questions and provide materials and notice of matters scheduled before the City Council. Sign Language Interpreters, Communication Access Real­Time Transcription (CART), Assistive Listening Devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability, you are advised to make your request at least 72 hours prior to the meeting/event you wish to attend. Due to difficulties in securing Sign Language Interpreters, five or more business days notice is strongly recommended. For additional information, please contact the Legislative Assistant listed above. Notice to Paid Representatives: If you are compensated to monitor, attend, or speak at this meeting, City law may require you to register as a lobbyist and report your activity. See Los Angeles Municipal Code 48.01 et seq. More information is available at ethics.lacity.org/lobbying. For assistance, please contact the Ethics Commission at (213) 978­1960 or ethics.commission@lacity.org. MULTIPLE AGENDA ITEM COMMENT Transcription (CART), Assistive Listening Devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability, you are advised to make your request at least 72 hours prior to the meeting/event you wish to attend. Due to difficulties in securing Sign Language Interpreters, five or more business days notice is strongly recommended. For additional information, please contact the Legislative Assistant listed above. Notice to Paid Representatives: If you are compensated to monitor, attend, or speak at this meeting, City law may require you to register as a lobbyist and report your activity. See Los Angeles Municipal Code 48.01 et seq. More information is available at ethics.lacity.org/lobbying. For assistance, please contact the Ethics Commission at (213) 978­1960 or ethics.commission@lacity.org. MULTIPLE AGENDA ITEM COMMENT GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT ITEM(S) (1) 22­0300 CD 11 Environmental Impact Report (EIR), No. ENV­2008­1342­EIR, Addendum dated September 2021, and related California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Sections 15162 and 15164; and report from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission, relative to a proposed Ordinance for an Amendment to the Loyola Marymount University Specific Plan to amend the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Specific Plan to modify the previously approved floor area for Academic/Administrative, Residential, and Athletic Indoor uses and to allow for subsequent adjustments in the distribution of floor area among these uses; the proposed Amendment will permit the retention, renovation, use, and/or change the use of the existing sports arena (Gersten Pavilion), in conjunction with an updated Traffic Demand Management Plan; the Amendment will continue to permit the construction of a new sports arena on Campus, as was previously disclosed and approved; the Amendment will also require that LMU establish and maintain a dedicated compliance officer to further enhance communications with the Westchester community; the Amendment will not change the maximum permitted floor area or the maximum total student enrollment, faculty, staff, and on­Campus residents; for the property located at 1 LMU Drive (LMU). (The project was assessed in the previously certified EIR, No. ENV­2008­1342­EIR, certified on February 25, 2011.) Applicant: Lynne Scarboro, LMU Representative: John Heintz, Latham & Watkins LLP Case No. CPC­2019­4651­SP Environmental No. ENV­2008­1342­EIR­ADD1 Fiscal Impact Statement: Yes Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Los Angeles City Planning Commission and Attachments, dated 03­02­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo  Environmental No. ENV­2008­1342­EIR­ADD1 Fiscal Impact Statement: Yes Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Los Angeles City Planning Commission and Attachments, dated 03­02­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (2) 22­0516 Motion (Koretz – Price – Harris­Dawson – Bonin) relative to requesting the City Attorney’s Office to prepare and present an ordinance with an urgency clause that (1) replaces existing Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) section 104.23 with language consistent with the proposed ordinance in Attachment A; and (2) amends LAMC Section 31.00, et seq., and other provisions to the extent necessary, to incorporate the relevant provisions of the Los Angeles County Code and implement the County’s Emblem Program for Authorized Cannabis Stores. Fiscal Impact Statement: No APPROVED Motion (Koretz – Price – Harris­Dawson) AS AMENDED to include additional recommendations as detailed in the Report from Planning and Land Use Management Committee – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (3) 21­1354 CD 5 Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 19, Section 15308, Class 8, and Article 19, Section 15331, Class 31 of the State CEQA Guidelines, and report from the Cultural Heritage Commission relative to the inclusion of the Danziger Studio and Residence, located at 7001 West Melrose Avenue, in the list of Historic­Cultural Monuments. Applicant: City of Los Angeles Owner: David Findley, Trustee, Melrose Trust c/o Lawrence Witzer Case No. CHC­2020­1835­HCM Environmental No. ENV­2020­1836­CE Fiscal Impact Statement: No Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Cultural Heritage Commission dated 11­16­2021 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo  Environmental No. ENV­2020­1836­CE Fiscal Impact Statement: No Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Cultural Heritage Commission dated 11­16­2021 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (4) 22­0579 Motion (Harris­Dawson ­ Blumenfield ­ Martinez ­ Buscaino) relative to requesting the City Attorney to report on all civil enforcement actions against unlicensed cannabis businesses that have occurred to date, and evaluate the feasibility of issuing new Cease and Desist letters that can more effectively deter the continued operation of unlicensed businesses; instruct the Los Angeles Police Department to report on all of its enforcement actions; and instruct the Department of Cannabis Regulation to report on best practices as it relates to cannabis enforcement measures against unlicensed cannabis businesses in other cities. Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Motion (Harris­Dawson – Blumenfield – Martinez – Buscaino) dated 05­ 17­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (5) 14­0366­S33 Motion (Harris­Dawson ­ Rodriguez) relative to instructing the Department of Building and Safety, and the Los Angeles Police Department to report on the status of the City's padlock enforcement actions; request the City Attorney to issue cease and desist letters to unlicensed cannabis businesses that have been subject to padlock enforcement; and instructing the Department of Cannabis Regulation to report on best practices as it relates to cannabis enforcement measures that other cities have in place. Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Motion (Harris­Dawson – Rodriguez) dated 05­11­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (6) 21­1278 CD 13 Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 19, Section 15308, Class 8, and Article 19, Section 15331, Class 31 of the State CEQA Guidelines, and report from the Cultural Heritage Commission relative to the inclusion of the Ozawa  APPROVED Motion (Harris­Dawson – Rodriguez) dated 05­11­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (6) 21­1278 CD 13 Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 19, Section 15308, Class 8, and Article 19, Section 15331, Class 31 of the State CEQA Guidelines, and report from the Cultural Heritage Commission relative to the inclusion of the Ozawa Boarding House/Obayashi Employment Agency, located at 564­564 ½ North Virgil Avenue, in the list of Historic­Cultural Monuments. Applicant: Brian Curran, Hollywood Heritage Owners: Kenkichi Matayoshi, Trustee, Seiei and Setsuko Matayoshi, and Matt Mehdizadeh Case No. CHC­2021­5001­HCM Environmental No. ENV­2021­5002­CE Fiscal Impact Statement: No Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Cultural Heritage Commission dated 11­01­2021 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (7) 21­1287 CD 13 Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 19, Section 15308, Class 8, and Article 19, Section 15331, Class 31 of the State CEQA Guidelines, and report from the Cultural Heritage Commission relative to the inclusion of the Joyce Boarding House/Ozawa Residence, located at 560­562 North Virgil Avenue, in the list of Historic­Cultural Monuments. Applicant: Brian Curran, Hollywood Heritage Owners: Kenkichi Matayoshi, Trustee, Seiei and Setsuko Matayoshi, and Matt Mehdizadeh Case No. CHC­2021­4996­HCM Environmental No. ENV­2021­4997­CE Fiscal Impact Statement: No Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Cultural Heritage Commission dated 11­01­2021 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo  Case No. CHC­2021­4996­HCM Environmental No. ENV­2021­4997­CE Fiscal Impact Statement: No Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Cultural Heritage Commission dated 11­01­2021 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (8) 22­0205 CD 13 Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 19, Section 15332, Class 32, of the CEQA Guidelines, and related CEQA findings; report from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission (LACPC), and an Appeal filed by David Wheatley, North Commonwealth United Neighborhood Association, from the determination of the LACPC in approving a Categorical Exemption as the environmental clearance for a proposed Tier 3 Transit Oriented Communities affordable housing project involving the demolition of one office building and two single­family houses and the construction, use, and maintenance of a six­story, 40­unit residential building, including four units reserved for Extremely Low Income household occupancy for a period of 55 years; the proposed building will encompass approximately 61,106 square feet of floor area, resulting in a Floor Area Ratio of 3.79 to 1, and rise to a maximum building height of 67 feet, and parking accommodations included 50 automobile parking spaces within the subterranean garage and a total of 44 bicycle parking spaces (four short­term and 40 long­ term); for the property located at 505­517 North Hoover Street. Applicant: Daniel Pourbaba, 511 Hoover LLC Representative: Aaron Belliston, BMR Enterprises Case No. DIR­2021­2250­TOC­HCA­1A Environmental No. ENV­2021­2251­CE­1A Fiscal Impact Statement: Yes Community Impact Statement: None submitted DENIED the appeal, and thereby SUSTAINED the determination of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission (LACPC), as detailed in the Report from the LACPC dated 02­24­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (9) 22­0412 CD 13 Negative Declaration, No. ENV­2021­4281­ND, and related California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15074(b); reports from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission and Mayor, and Resolution for a General Plan Amendment to amend the  DENIED the appeal, and thereby SUSTAINED the determination of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission (LACPC), as detailed in the Report from the LACPC dated 02­24­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (9) 22­0412 CD 13 Negative Declaration, No. ENV­2021­4281­ND, and related California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15074(b); reports from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission and Mayor, and Resolution for a General Plan Amendment to amend the Hollywood Community Plan to re­designate the subject parcels from Medium Residential to Commercial Manufacturing land uses, pursuant to Section 11.5.6 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC); draft Ordinance effectuating a Zone Change from R3­1 to (T)(Q)CM­1, pursuant to LAMC Section 12.32, subject to the (T) Tentative Classification and (Q) Qualified Classification as set forth in the attached exhibit of said Ordinance; and, consideration of a Building Line Removal to remove a 15­ foot Building Line along the westerly side of Lillian Way, established under Ordinance No. 109119; for a project involving the removal of an existing surface parking lot, and the construction, use, and maintenance of a new, three­story, 56 feet in height commercial office building with a floor area of 30,385 square feet, equating to a Floor Area Ratio of approximately 1.5:1; the proposed development will have two subterranean parking levels and ground level parking that will contain a total of 83 vehicular parking stalls, the project will provide a total of nine bicycle parking stalls, including three short­term, and six long­term parking stalls, and will provide approximately 3,658 square feet of open space, including a 2,346 square­foot roof deck; for the property located at 711­723 North Lillian Way, subject to Modified Conditions of Approval. Applicant: Robert Herscu, 711 Lillian LLC, Herscu 711 LLC, 717 Lillian LLC, Herscu Lillian LLC, 720 Cahuenga LLC, & Cahuenga Herscu LLC Representative: Gary Benjamin, Alchemy Planning + Land Use Case No. CPC­2021­4280­GPA­ZC­BL Environmental No. ENV­ 2021­4281­ND Fiscal Impact Statement: Yes Community Impact Statement: None submitted APPROVED Report from Los Angeles City Planning Commission, Mayor Transmittal, Resolution, Draft Ordinances, and Attachments, dated 03­01­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (10) 18­1101 CD 5 Negative Declaration, No. ENV­2021­815­ND, and related California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15074(b); report from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission relative to a proposed ordinance amending the Westwood Village Specific  APPROVED Report from Los Angeles City Planning Commission, Mayor Transmittal, Resolution, Draft Ordinances, and Attachments, dated 03­01­2022 – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (10) 18­1101 CD 5 Negative Declaration, No. ENV­2021­815­ND, and related California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15074(b); report from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission relative to a proposed ordinance amending the Westwood Village Specific Plan and the Westwood Community Design Review Board Specific Plan; and rescinding the Director of Planning’s 2002 interpretation of Restaurant, Fast Food Establishment and Other Food Establishments of the Westwood Village Specific Plan, inasmuch as the proposed ordinance will amend the existing definitions. Case No. CPC­2021­795­SP Environmental No. ENV­2021­815­ND Fiscal Impact Statement: No Community Impact Statement: Yes Against unless Amended: Westwood Neighborhood Council For: North Westwood Neighborhood Council APPROVED Report from Los Angeles City Planning Commission, Mayor Transmittal, Resolution, and Draft Ordinance, dated 04­08­2022, AS AMENDED, as detailed in the Report from Planning and Land Use Management Committee – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo (11) 22­0505 CD 5 TIME LIMIT AND LAST DAY FOR COUNCIL ACTION: 6/1/22 Categorical Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA State Guidelines, Section 15311 (Accessory Structures), Class 11, and related CEQA findings, and communication from the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission (WLAAPC) regarding the WLAAPC’s determination in denying the appeal filed by Yeshiva University Los Angeles Boys High School (Representative: John M. Bowman, Esq. Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben), and sustaining the Zoning Administrator’s determination dated January 26, 2022; denying, pursuant to Section 562 of the Los Angeles City Charter (LACC) and Section 12.27 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC), a Zone Variance to allow: a) Six on­site wall signs totaling 108.96 square feet of surface area in the R1 zone in lieu of the maximum 30 square feet of surface area, and two signs in the R1 Zone that individually exceed the maximum 20 square feet of surface area pursuant to the LAMC Section 12.21­A.7(h); b) Four wall signs that project more than 24 inches from the face of the building, pursuant to LAMC Section 14.4.10 D.2; c) Four signs to be placed on an “awning” (canopy) that is not on the valence as prohibited pursuant to University Los Angeles Boys High School (Representative: John M. Bowman, Esq. Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben), and sustaining the Zoning Administrator’s determination dated January 26, 2022; denying, pursuant to Section 562 of the Los Angeles City Charter (LACC) and Section 12.27 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC), a Zone Variance to allow: a) Six on­site wall signs totaling 108.96 square feet of surface area in the R1 zone in lieu of the maximum 30 square feet of surface area, and two signs in the R1 Zone that individually exceed the maximum 20 square feet of surface area pursuant to the LAMC Section 12.21­A.7(h); b) Four wall signs that project more than 24 inches from the face of the building, pursuant to LAMC Section 14.4.10 D.2; c) Four signs to be placed on an “awning” (canopy) that is not on the valence as prohibited pursuant to LAMC Section 14.4.19; and, d) Three monument signs totaling 275 square feet in lieu of the maximum area of 75 square feet pursuant to LAMC Section 14.4.8 A; and adopting the Findings; for the installation of twelve new on­site signs at the existing Yeshiva University Los Angeles Boys High School, on a site zoned for commercial and residential uses; nine of the proposed new signs are not allowed by­right as proposed and designed and would require a variance, six of the proposed signs are in the commercially zoned portion of the site; three of the proposed signs in the commercially zoned portion of the site are allowed by­right and three of the signs in the commercially zoned portion of the site (Signs ST­23, ST­24, and ST­31) are not allowed by­right as proposed and designed as they exceed the allowable maximum sign areas for monument signs, wall projections, and/or maximum awning or canopy placement, the six proposed signs in the residentially zoned portion of the site are not allowed by­right as proposed and designed as they exceed the allowable maximum sign areas, wall projections, and/or maximum awning or canopy placement, five of the six signs on the residentially zoned portion of the lot are internal to the campus and not visible from the public right­of­way (ST­02b, ST­04, ST­05, ST­06, and ST­11b), one sign on the residentially zoned portion of the lot is visible from the public right­of­way (Sign ST­02a). Sign ST­02a is proposed to face east and be placed above the primary entrance to the campus from Castello Avenue, the proposed total combined sign area for the six signs proposed within the residentially zoned portion of the lot is 108.96 square feet, this revised project, incorporates changes made prior to or during the public hearing on May 6, 2021, the initial project was presented by the applicant prior to the WLAAPC appeal hearing on September 16, 2020; after consideration, the WLAAPC remanded the matter back to the Zoning Administrator to consider new evidence that three of the proposed signs are on the commercially zoned portion of the lot, rather than the residentially zoned portion of the lot, and to consider the proposed relocation of a sign (ST­07) that was subsequently removed from the proposed project by the Applicant for property located at 9760 West Pico Boulevard. (On May 11, 2022, the City Council adopted Motion [Koretz – Harris­Dawson], pursuant to Charter Section 245, asserting jurisdiction over the April 13, 2022 [Letter of Determination dated April 28, 2022] of the WLAAPC] Applicant: Yeshiva University Los Angeles Boys High School Representative: John M. Bowman, Esq. Elkins Kalt Weintraub Rueben Case No. ZA­2019­5552­ZA­1A ENV­2019­553­CE Community Impact Statement: None submitted  the proposed project by the Applicant for property located at 9760 West Pico Boulevard. (On May 11, 2022, the City Council adopted Motion [Koretz – Harris­Dawson], pursuant to Charter Section 245, asserting jurisdiction over the April 13, 2022 [Letter of Determination dated April 28, 2022] of the WLAAPC] Applicant: Yeshiva University Los Angeles Boys High School Representative: John M. Bowman, Esq. Elkins Kalt Weintraub Rueben Case No. ZA­2019­5552­ZA­1A ENV­2019­553­CE Community Impact Statement: None submitted GRANTED the appeal, and thereby OVERTURNED the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission WLAAPC’s determination in sustaining the Zoning Administrator’s determination – (4) Yes; (0) No; (1) Absent: Cedillo If you challenge this Committee's action(s) in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Clerk at or prior to, the public hearing. Any written correspondence delivered to the City Clerk before the City Council's final action on a matter will become a part of the administrative record. Materials relative to items on this agenda can be obtained from the Office of the City Clerk's Council File Management System, at lacouncilfile.com by entering the Council File number listed immediately following the item number (e.g., 00­0000). Telecommunication Relay Services Telephone communication is one of the most important forms of communication in society today. Due to advancements in technology, telephone devices have evolved with new services and capabilities. Individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, and individuals with a speech disability are following these trends and are rapidly migrating to more advanced telecommunications methods, both for peer­to­peer and third­party telecommunications relay service (TRS) communications. Telecommunications Relay Service is a telephone service that allows persons with hearing or speech disabilities to place and receive telephone calls. TRS is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories for local and/or long distance calls. TRS providers ­ generally telephone companies ­ are compensated for the costs of providing TRS from either a state or a federal fund. There is no cost to the TRS user. What forms of TRS are available?There are several forms of TRS, depending on the particular needs of the user and the equipment available: TRS includes: Text to Voice TIY­Based TRS; Speech­to­Speech Relay Service; Shared Non­English Language Relay Service; Captioned Telephone Relay Service; Internet Protocol Relay Service; and Video Relay Service. Please visit this site for detail descriptions, https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications­relay­service­trs. Don't hang up! Some people hang up on TRS calls because they think the CA is a telemarketer. If you hear, "Hello. This is the relay service .. . " when you pick up the phone, please don't hang up! You are about to talk, through a TRS provider, to a person who is deaf, hard­of­hearing, or has a speech disability. For more information about FCC programs to promote access to telecommunications services for people with disabilities, visit theFCC's Disability Rights Office website.