WLASNC Joint PLUM Committee and Board of Directors Meeting
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 7:15 PM
Video Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88631839397
Meeting ID 886 3183 9397 (and press #)
Phone: (669) 900-6833 or (833) 548 0282, (888) 475 4499, (877) 853 5257, (833) 548 0276
Agenda
1. Call to Order:
a. PLUM Committee is 7 members, 4 are required for quorum.
b. Board is 15 members, 9 are required for quorum.
2. Administrative:
a. This is a regular meeting, not a special meeting, because it is held at its regularly scheduled time (per DONE’s virtual meeting requirements).
b. Review of Minutes from March meeting.
c. Planning 101 training (Cornerstone): Completed - J.Ross, T.Temme, A.Ghorbani, K.Wataghani, T.Sweeney, D.Swartz.
3. Public Comment - Items not on the Agenda: 1-minute minimum per speaker.
4. Government/Agency/Community Partner updates: Council District #11 (Planning Deputy - Jason Douglas):
a. Thank you to Len Nguyen, who worked at CD11 as West L.A. field deputy and planning deputy in collaboration with our WLASNC community since 2004 and recently left the office.
b. Website for affordable units: https://LAHousing.LACity.org/AAHR
5. Ex parte communications: J.Ross:
a. Bundy/Expo/Amherst apartments: Will Cipes, Carmel Partners - PLUM scheduling.
b. 1814 S. Federal Ave. apartments: Matthew Hayden, Hayden Planning, representative - PLUM scheduling.
c. 2225 Amherst Ave. & 2041 Barry Ave.: Cory Singer, Thomas James Homes – PLUM scheduling.
d. 11835 Tennessee Pl. houses: Jesi Harris, Brian Silveira & Assoc., representative - PLUM scheduling and clarification of motion.
6. 1814 S. Federal Ave. apartments: Previous NC resolution to revise design of façade with more muted colors. Developer is considering (Mar.8 correspondence with representative).
a. Representative: Matthew Hayden, Hayden Planning.
7. 11835 Tennessee Place houses: Demolition of a 1-story house, and new construction of 4 houses of 2-3 stories in R4 zone. Request for Specific Plan Exception to reduce front setbacks from 15 ft. to 5 ft.
a. Case #: AA-2022-1158-PMLA-SL-HCA. ENV-2022-1157-EAF. APCW-2022-1156-SPE-HCA.
b. Application/plans: (click on "Tennessee11825" folder).
https://tinyurl.com/WLASNC-PLUM
c. Community status: TBD.
d. City status: Planner - Connie Chauv. Submittal on Feb. 18.
e. NC status: PLUM voted to oppose Specific Plan Exception that would allow encroachment into ROW for additional 10 ft. to provide a full front yard setback (15 ft. required, 5 ft. provided onsite, additional 10 ft. provided in ROW via R-Permit).
f. Motion: Request that developer purchase the ROW at market-rate price, instead of obtaining an R-Permit.
i. Justification: An R-Permit does not guarantee that the space will be provided in perpetuity, and if the city reclaims it, the houses will not have a full front yard. Only the purchase of land will allow for a front yard in perpetuity.
g. Representative: Jesi Harris, Brian Silveira & Assoc.
h. Owner: Michael Librush, MDM Builders, Tennessee Place LLC.
8. Motions: Tennessee Pl. triangle.
a. Motion: Request that City purchase the Tennessee Ave./Place triangle for a public park.
i. Justification: The Expo TNP upzoning will bring thousands of new residents to the neighborhood, but the city did not provide for any parks or open space for them. This location is centrally located and its shape makes it difficult to build housing. Our city is park poor, and the city intends to build no new parks in our N.C. district.
b. Motion: Request that BOE, DOT and Planning Dept. reduce the width of Tennessee Ave. and Tennessee Place (east of Bundy) to 60 ft, (40 ft. roadway + 10 ft sidewalks) and builder wider public sidewalks with green landscaping parkways.
i. Justification: Current width of ~78 ft. is excessively wide, and 20 ft. wider than the Local Road designation, which is typical for similar neighborhoods. Our neighborhood has 32% vacancy for street trees, and this land can be used to plant more trees.
c. Motion: Request that BOE, DOT and Planning Dept. reduce the width of Tennessee Ave. and Tennessee Place (east of Bundy) to 60 ft, (40 ft. roadway + 10 ft sidewalks) and vacate extra land to property owners, but mandate that green landscaping must be constructed (not buildings).
i. Justification: Current width of ~78 ft. is excessively wide, and 20 ft. wider than the Local Road designation, which is typical for similar neighborhoods.
9. Motion: Request that City revise the Exposition Station Transit Neighborhood Plan as follows: Building breaks shall be clarified and defined per the same standards of the Westside Multifamily Q Conditions (below) – buildings that exceed 150 ft. in length (reduced from 250 ft.) shall have a break that is at least 20 ft wide and landscaped as an amenity, continuous from the ground floor to the sky, and must extend back the entire building. Garage entrances shall not count as breaks.
2. MASSING b. Any building that has more than 150 feet of frontage along a public street shall provide at least one vertical break beginning at the ground floor. This break
shall be a minimum of 40 feet deep and 20 feet wide and shall be open to the sky.
10. 2225 S. Amherst Ave. houses: New construction of 4 houses (3 stories). Demolition of 1 house of 1-story height.
2041? S. Barry Ave. houses: New construction of x houses (3 stories). Demolition of 1 house of 1-story height.
a. Application/plans: (click on "Amherst 2225" folder).
https://tinyurl.com/WLASNC-PLUM
b. Community status: TBD.
c. City status: Permits issued.
d. NC status: First presentation for PLUM to be scheduled in March.
e. Representative: Cory Singer, Thomas James Homes.
f. Owner: Cory Singer, Thomas James Homes.
11. Provisions for unions or prevailing wages on large construction projects.
12. Bundy/Exposition/Amherst apartments: Developer will present at April or May meeting, per PLUM resolution in January.
a. 2 apartments of 7-8 stories of 460 units (52 affordable), 429 parking spaces. Demolition of 16 houses. Removal of 54 trees:
b. 2217-2227 S. Bundy Ave. & 2222-2244 S. Amherst Ave.: 1.3-acre site. Demolition of 9 1-story houses, and new construction of 8-story building (83 ft tall) with 265 units (30 extremely low-income). Total building area: 239,000 sf. Total open space (26,713 sf). Total green space: 2,985 sf. 2-level subterranean parking (239 spaces). 43,090 cy of excavation (3,792 truck trips). Removal of 39 trees. 101 new trees (__ in soil, __ in pots, __ in planters). TOC Tier 4. Zone RAS4-1VL.
i. Case #: DIR-2021-10036-TOC-VHCA. ENV-2021-10037-EAF.
ii. Link (see Initial Submittal tab on the right): https://planning.lacity.org/pdiscaseinfo/search/encoded/MjUzMTI50
iii. Incentives: Increase height from 50 ft to 83 ft (by 33 ft). Reduce open space by 15%. Increase lot coverage from 85% to 99% (17% increase). Increase density from 147 units to 265 units (by 80%). Increase FAR from 3.0 to 4.85 (increase of 45%).
c. 2301-19 S. Bundy Ave. & 2302-2312 S. Amherst Ave.: 1.0-acre site. Demolition of 7 1-story houses, and new construction of 8-story building (83 ft tall) with 195 units (22 extremely low-income). Total building area: 180,000 sf. Total open space (18,265 sf). Total green space: _,000 sf. 2-level subterranean parking (190 spaces). 37,661 cy of excavation (_2,690 truck trips). Removal of 18 trees. 73 new trees (__ in soil, __ in pots, __ in planters). TOC Tier 4. Zone RAS4-1VL.
i. Case #: DIR-2021-10047-TOC-VHCA. ENV-2021-10048-EAF.
ii. Link (see Initial Submittal tab on the right – need EAF): https://planning.lacity.org/pdiscaseinfo/search/encoded/MjUzMTQw0
iii. Incentives: Increase height from 50 ft to 83 ft (by 33 ft). Reduce open space by 20%. Increase lot coverage from 85% to 100% (18% increase). Increase density from 80 units to 195 units (by 80%). Increase FAR from 3.0 to 4.85 (increase of 45%).
d. Application/plans: (click on "Bundy/Expo/Amherst Apts" folder).
https://tinyurl.com/WLASNC-PLUM
e. Community status: TBD.
https://urbanize.city/la/post/carmel-partners-plans-455-apartments-near-expobundy-station
f. City status: Submittal on Dec. 9. Planner - Connie Chauv.
g. NC status: PLUM resolution for design changes at Jan. meeting. Developer will respond at March meeting.
h. Representative: Matt Dzurec, Armbruster, Goldsmith & Delvac.
i. Owner: Will Cipes, Carmel Partners, Bundy Expo LLC.
13. Motion: Request that City revise the Westside Multifamily Q Conditions Ordinance #186249 to:
a. Include APNs 0426-500-9175 and 0426-500-9176, which are currently exempted (11967-11973 Mayfield Ave., Brentwood).
i. Justification: These are the only 2 parcels that are exempted, and they are rectangular and flat and the same as every other parcel on the block and in the area.
b. Require that only 1 side of a corner lot be designated as a front setback, and the 2nd frontage be designated as a side setback.
i. Justification: Many parts of the LAMC consider the short side of a corner lot to be the front, and the long side to be the side setback.
c. Clarify that sidewalk width must comply with ADA (4 ft wide).
14. DWP-West L.A. facility:
a. Proposed new office building: Community meeting Wed., Apr. 20 - 6:00 pm.
i. Information: www.LADWP.com/WLADistrictYard.
ii. PLUM will request for a second meeting with neighbors to discuss revisions to proposed plan for new office building (first meeting was in July 2020).
b. Persistent noise from generator fans that don’t have enclosures. Rear 3rd generator does not have barriers.
i. 2 new generators will have enclosures.
c. New poles and high-power electric lines installed on north border of Nebraska Ave.
i. Request to calculate EMF in neighborhood at various distances.
d. Construction staging noise and visual blight at facility. Request to install plywood fence or sound blankets.
i. Request to access the site from the south and prohibit workers from parking in neighborhood.
15. West L.A. Commons:
a. Town Hall: Apr. 13 - Recording:
i. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/uNK3rVBxzeOe1iGJKl0YlsG5d0BZ839te5ngNw-9OA_hwD8v6V0EFO0S5PvveO_M.yGDgQtK-loN3gvqI
b. Town Hall: Design charrette - Wed., May 11.
c. Information: https://WestLACommons.com/
16. Lighted signs: More apartments have lighted signs (see exhibits).
a. Ayres-Barrington apartment: Lighted sign.
b. Olympic-Butler mixed-use: Neon lights on walls that face houses on Purdue Ave..
c. Lumen office: Bright lights on roof pavilion that shine outward to the street.
17. West L.A. Community Plan update:
a. Motion: Request that Planning Dept. provide zoning capacity of the city, in order to review proposals for upzoning.
i. Justification: This information may be readily available because the City has completed and voted to approve its Housing Element, and it would need this information to approve a plan. Also, the Planning Dept. has spent two years studying demographics as part of the Westside Community Plans updates, and should have information available after two years.
b. CD11 to lead supplemental tour.
c. Determine if City has calculated population projections - Replies from Kinikia Gardner, Westside Plan Update:
i. This information is disclosed when the DEIR is published.
ii. In tandem with refining concepts based on all of last summer/fall feedback, the team is also working on understanding SCAG projections - and once the team is ready to share that information they will. Planning staff does not do projections - SCAG demographers do. After Scoping the staff will then again refine plan concepts and work on the Proposed Plan's reasonably anticipated development that may meet and/or exceed SCAG's projections.
iii. In order to get there - we need to wrap up refining concepts and collect more feedback during the Scoping process.
iv. In between Scoping and the DEIR publication there will be MORE outreach efforts to show progress and solicit feedback on the draft plan and zoning.
d. Request for community to review a draft copy of the community plans to review, before the CEQA scoping starts and it's too late.
i. Yes, a preliminary draft of the emerging goals and policies is shared. And an open house and/or outreach event is hosted to share the draft plan and draft zoning before the DEIR is published. It takes 8-12 months - there are various factors that can prolong this time - in between a Scoping Meeting and a DEIR publication for a comprehensive and long range community plan update.
18. Santa Monica Blvd. Overlay Plan: Report - USC student Kevin Barrow (School of Public Policy)
19. Track leasing of affordable units in new apartments:
a. “&” apartment (Pico Blvd.) - opened in April.
b. YMCA site (Sawtelle Blvd.) - opened in April.
c. 1650 S. Sawtelle Blvd. – completion by Jan. 2021.
d. CIM Buerge site #2 (Santa Monica Blvd./Stoner) – completion by Feb. 2021.
e. Pico/Federal apartment – completion by Jan. 2021.
f. Dolores site (Santa Monica Blvd./Federal) – completion by Oct. 2021.
g. 1730 Colby Ave. apts. - not started.
h. Whole Foods/old Vons site (Santa Monica Blvd./Barrington) – not started.
i. Wertz parking lot (Santa Monica Blvd./Westgate) – not started.
j. Chevron station apartment (Santa Monica Blvd./Beloit) – not started.
k. 1656 S. Sawtelle Blvd. – not started.
l. 2444 S. Barry Ave. – not started.