City of Culver City - File #: HIST-7101

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Action Details	Meeting Details	Video
12/17/2007	1	HISTORICAL - REDEVELOPMENT	approved		Action details	Meeting details

City of Culver City, California Redevelopment Agency Agenda Item Report Page 1 of 6 RECOMMENDATION: That the Culver City Redevelopment Agency (the “Agency”) direct staff as deemed appropriate. BACKGROUND: In November 2005, Westfield obtained Planning Commission approval to construct a project that consisted of modifying the existing 1.05 million square foot mall by demolishing some 180,000 square feet of existing space and replacing it with some 446,000 square feet of new space in a multi-level configuration with rooftop parking. The new mall would have approximately 1.3 million square feet of retail space upon completion, would be supported by 4,233 parking spaces, and would implement an array of on-site and off-site access and circulation improvements. This expansion and remodeling project (the “Project”) was subject to environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act via the preparation of a Mitigated Negative Declaration (“MND”) by the City in August 2005 and revised in September and November 2005. This document was duly circulated for public review and adopted by the City Planning Commission with the conclusion that the Project would not result in significant adverse environmental impacts. In the successive two years, the mall’s scale, massing and mix of uses has remained in substantial conformance with that approved by the Planning Meeting Date: 12/17/07 Item Number: A-3 AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of a Design for Development for the Westfield Mall at Fox Hills. Contact Person/Dept.: Sol Blumenfeld or Todd Tipton Phone Number: (310) 253-5760 Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X] Public Hearing: [] Consent Item: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X] Public Notification: Master Notification List; Fox Hills Homeowner Association on December 14, 2007; Chamber of Commerce on December 14, 2007. Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld 12/13/07 Executive Director Approval: Jerry Fulwood 12/13/07 Chief Financial Officer: Jeff Muir 12/13/07 City of Culver City, California Redevelopment Agency Agenda Item Report Page 2 of 6 Commission in November 2005. At the time, several wall-mounted panel signs located on the mall’s westerly, freeway-facing facades were proposed by Westfield. The project’s conditions of approval required Westfield to submit a Master Sign Program (“MSP”) that further described the proposed signs. Pursuant to the Culver City Municipal Code, Master Sign Programs are subject to administrative review and approval. Westfield submitted a MSP in September 2007, which proposed the following signs in addition to the wall-mounted panel signs: • Three vertical freeway-oriented signs each rising approximately 80 feet over the expanded mall’s rooftop located along the Sepulveda Boulevard frontage; and • Four pole-mounted, billboard-type signs located in the parking lot west of the mall building. Because the freeway and billboard signs were not contemplated in the initial MND, a subsequent environmental analysis (“the Analysis”) is necessary. The Analysis considers aesthetics, traffic safety and impacts on global climate in connection with the MSP. The global climate change portion of the Analysis will determine whether or not the proposed signs substantively increase the mall’s power demand beyond what is currently consumed. On December 3, 2007, the Agency authorized execution of an agreement with PCR Services Corporation to conduct the necessary environmental review. The agreement took into consideration potential environmental impacts such as aesthetics, light/glare, (height?), energy consumption, etc. The agreement was fully funded by Westfield. DISCUSSION: In 1975 when the mall was developed, a primary objective of the City was that this large new retail development serves as an attractive gateway as well as an important sales tax generator. While the mall enjoyed success for many years, it has more recently experienced a slowdown due to the loss of Robinson-May, introduction of newer and upgraded competing properties, which resulted in limited reinvestment by the owner. City of Culver City, California Redevelopment Agency Agenda Item Report Page 3 of 6 Since Westfield acquired the mall in 1998, it has sought to improve the mall’s performance via a major renovation that was approved by the Planning Commission in August 2005. The City, Agency and Westfield desire that the mall redevelopment be of the highest quality design and materials, and be comprised of the best possible tenants. In order to achieve this goal, Westfield believes it imperative that the mall’s visibility be improved. To accomplish this, Westfield proposed an aggressive Master Sign Program in August 2007 consisting of: • Vertical Signs - Three vertical signs (Signs AP-A) are proposed to be oriented primarily to the I-405 Freeway and would be located atop the expanded mall structure's western façade overlooking Sepulveda Boulevard. Each would provide two separate display panels approximately 70 to 80 feet in length and 35 feet in width facing generally opposite directions. When mounted on the mall roof the display panels of these signs would be approximately 120 feet in height from adjacent grade ; • Façade-Mounted Signs - Four façade-mounted sign panels (Signs AP-B) would be located on the expanded mall’s western façade and on the western ends of the mall’s northern and southern facades. These would be oriented to both freeways as appropriate and would vary in size from 14 feet in length and 48 feet in width to 29 feet in length and 64 feet in width; and • Pole-Mounted Signs (billboards) - Four pole-mounted signs (Signs AP-C) would be located in the parking lot north of the mall primarily addressing the SR 90 Freeway, which is elevated over the project site approximately 27 feet. Pole-mounted signs would each be as high as 60 feet above grade. Three of these latter signs would provide sign panels 14 feet in length and 48 feet in width, while a fourth is proposed in a more vertical configuration with three panels 40 feet in length and 24 feet in width. The content on all eleven freeway-oriented signs would consist of fixed copy and images (that is, they would not be digitally sequencing) and each would be illuminated. Each would be operable from 5:00 A.M. to daylight and from dusk to midnight. All of these signage panels will be powered with solar collectors (photovoltaic or other systems, as appropriate) made either a part of the respective signage structures or located elsewhere on the property. As a result, operation of all eleven freeway-oriented signs will be power grid and carbon neutral. City of Culver City, California Redevelopment Agency Agenda Item Report Page 4 of 6 A DFD is required in order to thoroughly analyze Westfield’s proposal due to the unique nature of the mall property and the type of signs proposed. The DFD must consider: 1. Regional, local and neighborhood visibility to the mall and potential negative impacts to community character. 2. Regulate special signage that could be viewed by those traveling on the San Diego (405) and Marina (90) Freeways, and provides a major focal point along the Sepulveda Boulevard and Green valley Circle frontages. 3. Enhance a major employment center in the region, while retaining, expanding and attracting businesses that enhance the City. 4. Support the business community by attracting employees and visitors to the area that will frequent local stores, restaurants, and hotels; 5. Expand Culver City’s economic base by attracting visitors to the mall. 6. Contribute to the expansion of the City’s economic base through the development of underutilized property, thereby providing additional tax revenue to the City and Culver City Redevelopment Agency; 7. The proposed DFD establishes standards that assure the Master Sign Program is appropriate to the mall, that the signs are attractive, aesthetically pleasing and compatible with the mall’s environment and that they do not create an adverse environmental impact (see attached environmental analysis). In regard to the signs, the DFD specifically addresses: Sign type, quality and size; Content Architectural design; Height; Illumination; and Prohibitions It is noted for the Agency member’s information that the DFD does not permit all items requested by Westfield in their Master Sign Program. Staff believes it important that the size and number of signs be limited in order to maintain the aesthetic character of the area. Maximum Sign Height The success of the mall is dependent upon its ability to attract customers. Without freeway oriented signs, the mall owners believe that they will have difficulty drawing City of Culver City, California Redevelopment Agency Agenda Item Report Page 5 of 6 the larger customer base required for high quality retail tenants and will not be able generate sufficient revenue to reduce the funding gap for the mall improvements. The critical issue related to the proposed MSP is sign height. The signs must be tall enough to serve their purpose of commanding customer attention from the Freeway but not so tall that they intrude upon the views from surrounding residential neighborhoods. The elevation of the mall on Sepulveda Boulevard must also be considered relative to the Vertical sign height. The mall ranges from approximately 23 feet to 30 feet below the San Diego (405) Freeway from North to South. Thus, to be clearly seen from the Freeway, the signs must be elevated to the height of the Freeway. If the goal of the Master Sign Program is to ensure sign visibility for the distance of the mall frontage, (approximately 1000’) then the vertical sign height must be a minimum of 100 feet. Approximately 30’ above grade is required to clear the Freeway elevation and 50’ to 60’ of elevation is required to provide enough height to see the signs over a 1000’ foot distance. (Please see Attached DFD, Exhibit C). The actual length of the vertical signs would be 50’ to 60’ and mounted at the mall roof level which is approximately 40 feet in height. Consistent with the definition of freeway oriented signs and based upon the visibility criteria described in the DFD, Vertical signs should not exceed 100 feet above grade. (Currently, Westfield has proposed Vertical signs with advertising displays in excess of 120 feet above grade). The DFD must strike a compromise between meeting the goal of visibility along the Freeway and protecting views from the surrounding residential area. According to the photo-simulations, at a reduced elevation, the Vertical signs provide sufficient visibility from the Freeways, but are also are partly visible to surrounding residential areas (Culver Crest, Westchester Bluff and surrounding neighborhoods). Signs with a height less than 100 feet above adjacent grade, however, do not provide sufficient visibility to view them along the length of the freeway mall frontage and may not achieve the goal of drawing customers through increased Freeway visibility. (Please see Photo-simulations – DFD, Exhibit C). Limiting the height of the vertical signs to 100 feet above grade permits sufficient sign visibility along the length of the mall frontage without severely affecting surrounding areas (Culver Crest, Westchester Bluff and surrounding neighborhoods). The photo-simulations indicate that Vertical signs with a height less than 100 feet above grade do not provide sufficient visibility from the Freeway to fully meet the intent of the freeway oriented signs. City of Culver City, California Redevelopment Agency Agenda Item Report Page 6 of 6 Prohibited Pole Mounted Signs: The four pole-mounted signs proposed to be located in the parking lot north of the mall and oriented to the SR 90 Freeway, are prohibited. CONCLUSIONS: Westfield has proposed a mall improvement and expansion program to help reposition it as a modern regional retail center. The DFD incorporates a Sign Program proposed by Westfield to support the mall improvements. The DFD is based upon the land use policies of the General Plan which recommend upgrading and expanding the mall to maintain economic viability while mitigating the impacts to nearby residential neighborhoods. To the extent that the Sign Program helps attract new customers and expands the customer base, it supports the mall improvement and may achieve this redevelopment objective. Many of the proposed signs are freeway oriented, and as such, require enough height to be clearly visible along Freeway mall frontage. However, the DFD must strike a compromise between meeting the goal of Freeway visibility and protecting views from surrounding residential areas. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Proposed Westfield Culver City Design for Development with related exhibits. MOTION: That the Culver City Redevelopment Agency: 1. Direct staff as deemed appropriate. Attachments Meeting Date: 12/17/07 AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of a Design for Development for the Westfield Mall at Fox Hills. Attachments Page 1. Proposed Westfield Culver City Design for 1 -51 Development with related exhibits CULVER CITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY DESIGN FOR DEVELOPMENT WESTFIELD CULVER CITY Table of Contents I. Introduction 2 A. General Objectives 2 B. Special Controls 3 C. Definitions 3 II. Westfield Culver City 4 A. Background 4 B. Purpose and Intent of Signage 4 C. Proposed Master Sign Plan 5 III. General Provisions 6 A. General Plan 7 B. Redevelopment Plan 8 C. Zoning Code 8 IV. Signage Standards 9 A. Type, Quantity and Size 9 B. Advertising Display 11 C. Advertising Content 11 D. Architectural Design 11 E. Illumination 12 F. Prohibitions 12 V. Implementation Signage Review Procedures 13 VI. Environmental Review 13 VII. Responsibility for Securing Permits and Paying Applicable Fees 13 VIII. Conclusions 14 Exhibits Exhibit A: Map of DFD Area 15 Exhibit B: Location of Signs (Map) 16 Exhibit C: Photo Simulations of Proposed Signs in 17 Mitigated Negative Declaration 1 DESIGN FOR DEVELOPMENT WESTFIELD CULVER CITY I. Introduction The Fox Hills Mall (Mall), recently renamed Westfield Culver City is located at 200 Fox Hills Mall in the City of Culver City on nearly 44 acres of land. This property, identified in Exhibit A, is joined by five public roadways including Sepulveda Boulevard, Slauson Avenue, Hannum Avenue, Green Valley Circle and Fox Hills Drive. In addition, the Mall borders both the San Diego (405) Freeway and the Marina (90) Freeway. The location, size, and unique architectural design of the Mall give it the potential to serve as a physical gateway to Culver City. The property owner, Westfield Corporation (“Westfield”), has proposed a Master Sign Program (MSP) that focuses upon the Mall’s significant freeway orientation as part of redevelopment of the site. The size and unique location of the signs adjacent to the 405 and 90 freeways requires special design and regulatory considerations. The purpose of this Design for Development (DFD) is to promote signage standards that are appropriate to the Mall, considering site and planning constraints. This DFD is intended to set signage controls necessary to reposition the Mall as an important commercial enterprise both within the City and the surrounding region. To further attract commerce, tourism and visitation to the Mall and surrounding area, this DFD will ensure signage for the site is attractive, aesthetically pleasing, effective and compatible with the Mall’s environment and the community. The DFD will further implement the goals of the Agency and the City by enabling the continued economic viability of the Mall and the continued improvement of the economic welfare of the community. The DFD is intended to only regulate the signs described herein and all other signs shall be in compliance with zoning code Section 330 and as approved as a part of the Master Sign Program. This DFD supplements, augments, and focuses the goals, policies and objectives of the various Planning and Redevelopment documents affecting this area. However, these standards are not inclusive of all applicable City procedures, provisions, regulations and requirements that may apply to the development of the area. A. General Objectives The Agency wishes to encourage design concepts that will: 1. Expand Culver City’s economic base by attracting visitors to the Mall; 22. Provide regional, local and neighborhood visibility to the Mall without negatively impacting community character; 3. Regulate special signage that may be viewed along the elevated 405 Freeway and provides a major focal point along the Sepulveda Boulevard and Green Valley Circle frontages; 4. Redevelop an architecturally distinctive Mall that will utilize its location at the intersection of the 405 Freeway and major thoroughfares to create a gateway for the area; 5. Contribute to the expansion of the City’s economic base through the development of underutilized property, thereby providing additional tax revenue to the City and Culver City Redevelopment Agency; 6. Support the business community by bringing employees and visitors into the area that will frequent local stores, restaurants, and hotels; and 7. Enhance a major employment center in the region, while retaining, expanding and attracting businesses that enhance the City. B. Special Controls Consistent with the purposes of this DFD and pursuant to the authority of the Agency under Section 423 of the Redevelopment Plan for the Culver City Redevelopment Project, Component Area No. 1, the Agency hereby establishes the following controls and restrictions for development of The Mall, which are in addition to applicable General Plan requirements and guidelines, Zoning and Building Codes, and other requirements of the Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC). C. Definitions For the purposes of this DFD, the following definitions shall apply: (For all other definitions in this DFD, refer to the definitions listed in Section 17.700 of the CCMC.) 1. Development: The physical alteration of any parcel or area of land, including buildings, structures, grading and other related changes by any private person or entity and/or by any public body or agency. (Applies to both public and private construction and development.) 2. Freeway-Oriented Signs: As used herein, are on-site signs that are directed essentially to be visible only from a freeway. 3 3. Pole Mounted Signs: A sign that is displayed on or totally supported by one or more support elements that are on the ground with no part of the sign attached to a building or structure. 4. Wall Mounted Signs – A sign that is displayed on or attached to an exterior wall of a building or structure. II. Westfield Culver City A. Background The existing Mall was opened in 1975 and is improved with some 1,054,150 square feet of commercial space including department stores, numerous smaller retail shops, restaurants and related uses, and a freestanding office building at the southwest corner of the site. There are 4,359 parking spaces presently serving the Mall. Westfield does not own the two large department stores; JC Penny’s and Macy’s are independently owned. Westfield acquired the Mall as the primary property owner in October 1998, and as the representative of all of the site’s property owners filed a complete Site Plan Review application for the expansion and remodeling of the existing Mall in August, 2005. The application proposed demolition of some 180,000 square feet of existing space including the existing freestanding office building, and new construction of slightly over 446,000 square feet of new retail and related space in a multi-level configuration with rooftop parking. The total resulting floor area within the Mall after demolition and new construction was to be 1,320,465 square feet. Onsite and offsite elements include architectural improvements such as pedestrian plazas and wall mounted signage; retail and restaurant uses; revisions to vehicle access ramps and expansion of the parking structure; parking lot improvements including striping, curbing, landscaping and handicapped parking upgrades; relocation of two primary driveway locations and realignment of medians and left turn pockets along Sepulveda Boulevard; and signalization of the Hannum Avenue driveway. B. Purpose and Intent of Signage A major objective of the City for the Mall in 1975 was that this large new retail development would serve as an attractive new gateway to the City of Culver City as well as an important sales tax generator. Anticipated patrons included City residents, residents from surrounding communities and, importantly, from those utilizing the nearby freeway. 4 While the Mall enjoyed success for many years, it has more recently fallen on slower times due to the introduction of newer and upgraded competing properties, limited reinvestment by the owners and to the fact that, despite appreciable effective freeway frontage, only limited freeway visibility has ever been established at the Mall. Currently, the Mall lacks a sense of connection to the rest of Culver City. The discontinuity of established streets to the north limits easy access to the rest of the City and exacerbates a sense of separation. To the southwest, the site vicinity is distinguished by the Howard Hughes Center’s signage and mid- and high-rise buildings. Signage and design guidelines of the Mall are based on its uniqueness as outlined in the following findings: 1) The project is 43.77 acres. This is the largest commercial site in Culver City. 2) The Mall includes over one million Gross Square Feet of retail space, making it the largest retail space within the City. 3) The site is surrounded by five public streets and adjacent to the elevated 405 Freeway, the 90 Freeway and the obstructing overpass interchange between the two. 4) The project site’s elevation is below the 405 Freeway and below the neighboring properties. 5) The elevation of the Mall on Sepulveda Boulevard ranges form approximately 23 feet to 30 feet below the 405 Freeway from North to South. 6) The actual Freeway frontage with an obstructed view to the Mall is approximately 1,375 feet in length. 7) The unobstructed 405 Freeway view is framed on the north end by the three story office building located at 5995 Sepulveda Avenue and the tree blind at the Sepulveda Avenue exit at the south. 8) The elevated 405 and 90 Freeways, and overpass interchange, visually obstruct and prevent the project site from realizing its potential as a gateway to Culver City. 9) The freeway traffic does not have a clear view of the project site until after a passerby has passed any viable freeway exit ramp. C. Proposed Master Sign Program Planning Commission Resolution No 2005-PO19 approving Westfield’s expansion and remodel of the Mall requires that Westfield submit a MSP for the exterior signs. Westfield submitted a MSP to the City in September 2007, which includes the following signs: • Vertical Signs - Three Vertical Signs (Signs AP-A, Exhibit C) are proposed to be oriented primarily to the 405 Freeway and would 5be located atop the expanded Mall structure's western façade overlooking Sepulveda Boulevard. Each vertical sign contains two separate display panels approximately 70 to 80 feet in length and 35 feet in width facing generally opposite directions. In addition, the Vertical Sign structural framework extends beyond the sign advertising panel display length by up to 15’-6’ to create an architectural feature and spire. The Vertical Signs will be mounted on top of the Mall which varies in height from 46’- 10” to 57’-2”. With the Vertical Signs mounted at the Mall roof line, the height of the advertising display will extend up to 137’–2” and the spire will extend up to 152’ – 8” on the south- west elevation. • Wall-Mounted Signs - Four Wall-Mounted Sign panels (Signs AP-B, Exhibit C) would be located on the expanded Mall’s western façade and on the western ends of the Mall’s northern and southern facades. These would be oriented to both freeways as appropriate and would vary in size from 14 feet in length and 48 feet in width to 29 feet high and 64 feet in width; and • Pole-Mounted Signs (billboards) - Four Pole-Mounted Signs (Signs AP-C, Exhibit C) would be located in the parking lot north of the Mall primarily addressing the 90 Freeway, which is elevated over the project site approximately 27 feet. Pole- Mounted Signs would each be as high as 60 feet above grade. Three of these signs provide sign panels 14 feet in length and 48 feet in width and one is proposed in a more vertical configuration with three panels 40 in length and 24 feet wide. The content on all eleven Freeway-Oriented Signs would consist of fixed copy and images (that is, they would not be digitally sequencing) and each would be illuminated. Each would be operable from 5:00 A.M. to daylight and from dusk to midnight. All of these signage panels will be powered with solar collectors (photovoltaic or other systems, as appropriate) made either a part of the respective signage structures or located elsewhere on the property. As a result, operation of all eleven freeway-oriented signs will not be derived from the power grid and will be carbon neutral. III. General Provisions Uses permitted in the DFD area shall be compatible with the General Plan, the Redevelopment Plan and the Zoning Code. 6 A. General Plan The General Plan designates the Mall as Regional Center. This designation allows large-scale commercial uses that may share parking. It is intended to support existing and anticipated commercial developments that serve a regional market area and would serve both the residential and business communities. The designation is characterized by varying height limits, expansive landscaped setbacks, and a minimum parcel size. The following policies of the General Plan guide the DFD for the Mall Area and are especially pertinent. The DFD is based on the General Plan as it currently exists or as amended in the future. 1. Land Use Element i. Policy 5.D Provide development incentives for projects that provide specific community or neighborhood needs. ii. Policy 5.G Encourage the location of high quality retail shops and fine restaurants in areas which could serve both businesses and residential patrons. iii. Policy 6.A Encourage revitalization of commercial corridors in the City through new development and renovation of existing structures with incentives which address development standards and the project approval process. iv. Policy 6.B Focus commercial development into cohesive districts by identifying and encouraging intensities and qualities of commercial uses that are sensitive to their locations, and by emphasizing specific uses (i.e., general commercial or regional commercial corridors). v. Policy 7.B Allow existing regional and community centers to upgrade and expand in response to changing market demands, to maintain their economic viability, with adequate mitigation of impacts to nearby residential neighborhoods. vi. Policy 25.B Improve the Fox Hills Sub Area’s identity as part of Culver City by assigning high priority to signage and gateway improvements to this area. vii. Policy 25.F Reinforce the physical and visual connection between the Fox Hills mall and nearby hotels. 7 B. Redevelopment Plan for the Culver City Redevelopment Project The DFD area falls within Redevelopment Project Component Area No. 1. Section 423 of The Redevelopment Plan (“The Redevelopment Plan”) applies: Within the limits, restrictions, and controls established in the Plan, the Agency is authorized to establish heights of buildings, land coverage, setback requirements, design criteria, traffic circulation, traffic access, and other development and design controls necessary for proper development of both private and public areas within the Component Area. Such controls may not relax the requirements of the Culver City Planning and Zoning Ordinance, or any applicable specific plan. No new improvement shall be constructed and no existing improvement shall be substantially modified, altered, repaired, or rehabilitated except in accordance with any such controls. In the case of Real Property that is the subject of a disposition and development or participation agreement with the Agency, it shall be constructed in accordance with architectural, landscape, and site plans submitted to and approved in writing by the Agency. One objective of the Redevelopment Plan is to create an attractive and pleasant environment in the Component Area. Therefore, such plans must give consideration to good design, open space, and other amenities to enhance the aesthetic quality of the Component Area. The Agency will not approve any plans that do not comply with the Redevelopment Plan. C. Zoning Code The sign regulations are enacted to “serve the interests of community aesthetics, vehicular and pedestrian safety, to protect and preserve property values, to improve the visual environment of the City so as to promote commerce, investment, tourism, and visitation, and the overall quality of life for persons living in, doing businesses in, or visiting the City” (CCMC 17.330.005). All signs must conform to City sign standards and regulations as they now exist or are hereafter legislated. It is recognized that the coordination of signs within this DFD area affect its appearance and image. Therefore, it is the intent of this DFD that the Agency may adopt additional signage standards and guidelines which may be more restrictive than City standards in order to further the goals of the Redevelopment Plan or the objectives of a special district. 8 IV. Signage Standards The DFD establishes appropriate regulations for the sign program for the Mall related to quantity, size, height, location, color construction materials, lighting, and other design features. The DFD addresses signs and graphics on the exterior of the Mall and throughout the site. Each sign in the proposed sign program shall also comply with applicable city, state and federal regulation with regard to size, materials and structure, illumination and content. Signs within the interior of the Mall are exempt from the DFD. One of the critical issues related to the proposed Vertical Signs is height. The signs must be tall enough to serve their purpose of commanding customer attention from the freeway, but not so tall that they intrude upon the views from surrounding residential neighborhoods. The elevation of the Mall on Sepulveda Boulevard ranges from approximately 23 feet to 30 feet below the 405 Freeway from North to South. Thus, to be seen from the freeway, the signs must at minimum be located above the Freeway elevation. The size of the signs also has bearing on the proposed repositioning of the Mall. The DFD goal of attracting new customers with highly visible signage may not parallel the goal of creating a more upscale mall environment. Photo simulations modeling the project vertical signs at varying heights above the freeway elevation have been prepared to evaluate the height effects of the signage from vantage points in the areas surrounding the Mall. The photo-simulations indicate that at the currently proposed heights, the signage will be visible from residential neighborhoods to the east and west and commercial areas to the north and south. Westfield’s proposed height for the signs may be obtrusive to these neighborhoods, unless the sign height is modified. The following provides a discussion of standards that may be applied to achieve the goals of the MSP and moderate the effects of sign height upon neighborhoods in and around Redevelopment Component Plan Area No. 1: A. Type, Quantity & Size a. Vertical Signs. The success of the Mall is dependent upon its ability to attract customers. Without Freeway Oriented Signs, the Mall owners believe that they will have difficulty drawing a larger customer base that is required for high quality retail tenants. Pursuant to the findings in Section II B and consistent with the economic development and Redevelopment Plan goals for Component Area 1 noted in Sections III A and B, Vertical Signs should be permitted to be large enough to be legible from the 405 and 90 Freeways. If appropriately sized, these signs will reinforce the Mall’s identity and guide customers from the freeway to the Mall, while minimizing the effects upon surrounding neighborhoods. In this manner, 9the Mall signage will support the General Plan’s goal for the Mall to serve as a gateway to Culver City. 1. Maximum Number and Height: Up to three Vertical Signs (oriented to the405 Freeway and located on the expanded Mall roof structure's western façade overlooking Sepulveda Boulevard) may be permitted. Each Vertical Sign may provide two separate display panels measuring approximately 50-60 feet in length and 35 feet in width facing generally opposite directions. Mounted at the roof level, the signage would extend up to a maximum of 100’ from the finished grade immediately below it, providing adequate visibility from the Freeway and moderating visibility to residential areas to the east and west of the Mall as shown in Exhibit C). The photo-simulations (Exhibit C) reveal that at 100 feet in height, the vertical signs will be visible from an approximate distance of 1000 feet along the 405 Freeway, the approximate length of the Mall freeway frontage. From this distance, the signs may be visible though not readily legible. In addition, existing freeway landscaping partially obstructs the view of some of the Vertical Signs along the freeway. (Please see Photo-simulations – Exhibit C). Further, signs that are part of the structural support of the building should not exceed 56 feet above grade. Any sign that is part of the structural support of the building and that exceeds 56 feet in height above grade should be prohibited. If the goal is to maximize Vertical Sign visibility for the distance of the mall frontage, (approximately 1000’) then the Vertical Sign height must be a minimum of 100 feet. (Approximately 30’ above grade is required to clear the freeway elevation and 50’ to 60’ above the freeway is required to provide enough elevation to see the signs over a 1000 foot distance. The actual length of the Vertical Signs would be 50’ to 60’ mounted at the Mall roof level. Consistent with the definition of Freeway Oriented Signs and based upon the visibility criteria above, Vertical Signs should not exceed 100 feet above grade. (Currently, Westfield has proposed Vertical Signs with advertising displays in excess of 120 feet above grade). The DFD must strike a compromise between meeting the goal of visibility along the Freeway and protecting views from the surrounding residential area. 10According to the photo-simulations, at this elevation, the Vertical Signs provide sufficient visibility from the freeways; however they are partly visible to surrounding residential areas (Culver Crest, Westchester Bluff and surrounding neighborhoods). Signs with a height less than 100 feet above adjacent grade do not provide sufficient visibility from the freeway along Mall frontage and may not achieve the goal of drawing customers through increased freeway visibility. (Please see Photo-simulations – Exhibit C). 2. Maximum Number of Sign Faces: No more than two sign faces per Vertical sign are permitted and the portion of the sign not oriented toward the freeway shall not contain advertising of any kind. The portion of the sign not oriented toward the freeway must be a solid material and painted to match the remainder of the sign structure. b. Wall-Mounted Signs. 1. A maximum of four Wall-mounted Sign Panels may be located on the expanded Mall’s western façade and on the western ends of the Mall’s northern and southern facades. These maybe oriented to both freeways where feasible. 2. Façade-mounted signs may vary in size from14 feet in length and 48 feet in width to 29 feet in length and 64 feet in width. c. Pole-Mounted Signs (Billboards). 1. Pole-mounted signs are prohibited. B. Advertising Display Signs will be used exclusively for advertisements consisting of fixed copy and images and shall not be digitally sequencing. C. Advertising Content Signs will be used exclusively to advertise the businesses or services upon the property upon which the signs are placed. D. Architectural Design This DFD is intended to promote project design that is attractive, functional and consistent with the regional commercial designation of the General Plan and the applicable zone. Toward that end, the MSP must 11harmonize with the architecture of the mall buildings and surrounding area and comport with the City’s Zoning Code. Vertical signs must be architecturally but not structurally integrated into the building facade in order to avoid creating an over-height building condition. They must clearly be signage affixed to the building and not a structural building feature. The signs should be integrated with the building’s architectural form and be compatible with the new Mall design. The signs structural elements shall be consistent with the Mall’s exterior color. E. Illumination Sign illumination shall not adversely affect adjacent uses, especially nearby residential development. All exterior sign illumination shall be designed, installed and maintained so as to be non-intrusive to surrounding areas. Creative, energy efficient, low-maintenance illumination solutions (Photovoltaic) are required. Sign panels shall be powered with solar collectors (photovoltaic or other systems, as appropriate) made either a part of the respective signage structures or located elsewhere on the property with the intent to be power grid and carbon neutral. Signs shall only be illuminated from 5:00 A.M. to daylight and from dusk to midnight and only the sign copy shall be illuminated (no architectural lighting). F. Prohibitions Signs shall not include any use or structure which by reason of design, traffic, smoke, glare, noise, odor, or similar factors would be incompatible with the surrounding areas or structures. Signs shall not contain multiple advertisements (no stacked advertising signs). Signs shall be for advertising only and shall not contain telecommunication facilities. The following sign types are prohibited within the DFD area: • Pole-Mounted Signs. • Internally illuminated Digitally Sequence Signs. • Off-site Advertising Signs. • Changeable Copy Signs (Manually, Mechanically Electronically) 12 V. Implementation - Signage Review Procedures CCMC Chapter 17.330 specifies a comprehensive sign regulating process that considers types of signs, maximum sign areas, maximum sign heights, maximum number of signs, and locations of signs. The CCMC provides for MSPs as a mechanism “…to modify the CCMC and to ensure the signs for a uniquely planned or designed development or area are most appropriate for that particular development or area.”[17.330.050(D)(2)]. Signs for the Mall shall be subject to the applicable signage requirements of the City Zoning Ordinance and this DFD, and shall be processed pursuant to a Master Sign Program as outlined in Section 17.330.050.D.2. Formulation of a MSP by the “developer” as an integral part of the overall development concept shall be required. Notwithstanding specific CCMC provisions having citywide application, the Agency intends to allow only signs essential and appropriate to the scale and character of a quality regional center. Within this general framework, the Agency is receptive to innovative and imaginative sign techniques and proposals. When appropriate, notice to surrounding properties, community outreach, and opportunities for early public participation in the design and development process may be required and are always encouraged. VI. Environmental Review Development of buildings, structures, and public and private facilities within the DFD Area shall be subject to specific environmental review pursuant to the applicable City and Agency review procedures. Such environmental review may include, but is not limited to: 1. Completion of the City’s Preliminary Environmental Information Form; and 2. Any additional review up to and or including a full environmental impact report or negative declaration. Cost for any such environmental review, consultants, and contract administration (if required) shall be paid by the property owner or developer. A technical study has been prepared to examine potential aesthetic environmental effects related to views, light and glare, traffic and climate change and found that the proposed MSP will not cause new significant environmental impacts. VII. Responsibility for Securing Permits and Paying Applicable Fees Nothing contained in this DFD or in subsequent agreements shall be construed in any way to exempt the developer, person or agency proposing 13the public or private development or facility (or his/her assignee, buyer, transferee, conveyee or lessee) from securing all permits and paying all fees required of developers of private property within the City of Culver City. VIII. Conclusions Westfield has proposed a Mall improvement and expansion program to help reposition it as a modern regional retail center. The DFD incorporates a Sign Program proposed by Westfield to support the Mall improvements. The DFD is based upon the land use policies of the General Plan which recommend upgrading and expanding the Mall to maintain economic viability while mitigating the impacts to nearby residential neighborhoods. To the extent that the Sign Program helps attract new customers and expands the customer base, it supports the Mall improvement and may achieve this redevelopment objective. Many of the proposed signs are freeway oriented, and as such, require enough height to be clearly visible along Freeway mall frontage. However, the DFD must strike a compromise between meeting the goal of Freeway visibility and protecting views from surrounding residential areas. Also the size of the signs has bearing on the proposed repositioning of the mall. The goal of attracting new customers with highly visible signage may not be consistent with the goal of creating a more upscale mall environment that harmonizes with the surrounding community. 14 Exhibit A SITE MAP DESIGN FOR DEVELOPMENT WESTFIELD CULVER CITY 15 -./ & !"#$% & -./ & City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 4 II. PURPOSE OF THE ADDENDUM TO THE ADOPTED IS/MND Section 15164(b) of the CEQA Guidelines provides that an addendum to an adopted MND may be prepared if some changes or additions are necessary and none of the conditions described in Section 15162 of the Guidelines calling for the preparation of a Subsequent MND have occurred. Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines specifies that a Subsequent MND need only be prepared if: 1. Substantial changes are proposed in the project which will require major revisions of the previous MND due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; 2. Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken which will require major revisions of the previous MND due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; 3. New information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the previous negative declaration was certified as complete shows any of the following: a. The project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous MND, b. Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in the previous MND, c. Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible would in fact be feasible, and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects of the project, but the project proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative, or d. Mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from those analyzed in the previous MND would substantially reduce one or more significant effects on the environment, but the project proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative. City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page i TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 Background ...............................................................................................................................1 Approved Project ....................................................................................................................1 Master Sign Program ..............................................................................................................3 II. PURPOSE OF THE ADDENDUM TO THE ADOPTED IS/MND ..................................4 III. THE CURRENT PROJECT AND THE MASTER SIGN PROGRAM ...........................6 The Current Project ...................................................................................................................6 Master Sign Program ..............................................................................................................6 IV. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ..............................................................................14 Aesthetics ..............................................................................................................................15 Transportation Safety ............................................................................................................29 Global Climate Change ...........................................................................................................31 V. CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................34 City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Location of the Project .............................................................................................................2 2 Level 1 Plan .............................................................................................................................7 3 Level 2 Plan .............................................................................................................................8 4 Level 3 Plan .............................................................................................................................9 5 Roof Level Plan .....................................................................................................................10 6 Freeway Oriented Signs .........................................................................................................12 7 Vertical Signs .........................................................................................................................13 8 View Locations ....................................................................................................................17 9 View 1 - State Route 90 Eastbound to Interstate 405 Southbound Transition ....................18 10 View 2 - Residential Neighborhood along Westchester Bluffs at Riggs Place near Kentwood Avenue .................................................................................................................19 11 View 3 - Interstate 405 Northbound at Slauson Avenue Exit ..............................................20 12 View 4 - Residential Neighborhood at 11505 Segrell Way (between Berryman Avenue and Slauson Avenue ...............................................................................................................21 13 View 5 - Residential Neighborhood at Hannum Avenue and Bush Way ............................22 14 View 6 - Residential Neighborhood at 10751 Cranks Road: Elevation 154 feet .................23 15 View 7 - Office Depot Parking Lot at 5640 Sepulveda Boulevard .......................................24 16 View 8 - Slauson Avenue at State Route 90 West Entrance ................................................25 17 View 9 - Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office at 6120 Bristol Parkway...........................26 City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 1 I. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND This document is an Addendum to an adopted Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration regarding the expansion and remodel of the existing Westfield Fox Hills Mall (Mall). The Mall is located at 200 Fox Hills Mall in the City of Culver City on nearly 44 acres of land. This property is identified in Figure 1 on page 2 and is adjoined by five public roadways including Sepulveda Boulevard on the west and West Slauson Avenue to the north; Hannum Avenue is easterly, and Green Valley Circle as well as Fox Hills Drive from the southern property line. In addition, the Interstate 405 (I-405) is aligned immediately west of Sepulveda Boulevard across from the Mall and the Marina Freeway, or State Route 90 (SR 90), actually transects the project site in an elevated configuration. The existing Mall was opened in 1975 and is improved with some 1,054,150 square feet of mixed retail space including department stores, numerous smaller retail shops, restaurants, and related uses, and also including a freestanding office building at the southwest corner of the site. There are 4,359 parking spaces presently serving the Mall. A major objective of the City for the Mall at the time of its opening was the hope that this large new retail development would serve as an attractive new gateway to the City of Culver City as well as an important cachement of sales tax revenue associated with patronage of City residents, residents from surrounding communities and, importantly, from nearby freeway traffic. While the Mall enjoyed some success in its early years, it has more recently fallen on slower times. This decline has been attributable to successful introduction of newer and upgraded competing properties, limited upgrading attention at the subject Mall, and to the fact that, despite appreciable effective freeway frontage, only limited freeway visibility has ever been established at the Mall. APPROVED PROJECT Westfield Corporation, Incorporated acquired the Mall as the primary property owner in October 1998, and as representative of all of the site’s property owners filed a complete Site Plan Review application (Case No. SPR P-2005027) for the expansion and remodeling of the existing Mall in August, 2005. The application proposed demolition of some 180,000 square feet of existing space including the existing freestanding office building, and new construction of slightly over 446,000 square feet of new retail and related space in a multi-level configuration with rooftop parking. The total resulting floor area within the Mall after demolition and new construction was to be 1,320,465 square feet. In addition, a Parking Demand Study determined !"# " $%!"& ' ()%*+,,- , ,./%0"& !(0"%*('' 1%2()"%0"& ! " # " $ % & % % % & % , 3, ,%0"& # '( 4"!)%)" "&)5%"06|3011|%00& I. Introduction City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 3 a minimum parking need for 4,233 spaces, which could be further reduced by 170 spaces to a minimum of 4,074 spaces due to the existing on-site transit center and future improvements. This latter minimum on-site parking supply was imposed on the expanded Mall project Onsite and offsite elements were to include architectural improvements such as outdoor plazas and signage; retail and restaurant uses with associated onsite consumption of alcoholic beverages; revisions to vehicle access ramps and expansion of the parking structure; parking lot improvements including striping, curbing, landscaping and handicapped parking upgrades; relocation of two primary driveway locations and realignment of medians and left turn pockets along Sepulveda Boulevard; and signalization of the Hannum Avenue driveway. In compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, the environmental consequences of the project proposed in the Westfield application were thoroughly addressed in an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) prepared by the City initially on August 31, 2005 and subsequently revised September 8, 2005 and November 2, 2005. On November 9, 2005, this MND was adopted by the Culver City Planning Commission with a finding that the proposed project would not cause any significant adverse environmental impacts. On the same date, the Planning Commission also approved the subject of SPR P-2005027 via Resolution No. 2005-PO19. This approval is referred to throughout the balance of this document as the “Approved Project.” MASTER SIGN PROGRAM Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Chapter 17.330 specifies a comprehensive system for regulation of signs in Culver City including types of signs, maximum sign areas, maximum sign heights, maximum number of signs, and locations of signs. The CCMC provides for master sign programs (MSP) as a mechanism “…to modify the CCMC and to ensure the signs for a uniquely planned or designed development or area are most appropriate for that particular development or area.”[17.330.050(D)(2)] A MSP “…may be initiated by the City or Redevelopment Agency for a particular area in furtherance of a specific plan, revitalization program, overlay zone or other area wide planning tool.” [17.330.050(D)(2)(c)] Freeway- oriented signs, or those signs that are intended to be essentially visible only from a freeway, are prohibited by the ordinance unless the Director approves and issues a permit pursuant to the MSP to allow such signs. Planning Commission Resolution No 2005-PO19 approving Westfield’s expansion and remodel of the Mall ( the Approved Project), requires that Westfield submit a MSP for the exterior signs proposed as part of the “Approved Project. Westfield did submit such a MSP in September 2007. That MSP, specifically those signs considered freeway- oriented signs, is the primary subject of this Addendum to the adopted IS/MND. II. Purpose of the Addendum to the Adopted IS/MND City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 5 The purpose of this Addendum is to analyze the environmental effects associated with the Master Sign Program (MSP) which, as part of its approval of the Approved Project, the Planning Commission required Westfield to submit to the City's Planning Manager. If the analyses presented herein demonstrate that the MSP will not result in new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of the effects identified in the Adopted IS/MND. Pursuant to Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines, a Subsequent MND is not required. With such analytic demonstration an Addendum would be the appropriate documentation to address the potential impacts of the Westfield MSP. City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 6 III. THE CURRENT PROJECT AND THE MASTER SIGN PROGRAM THE CURRENT PROJECT In the two years since the Planning Commission action regarding the Approved Project, spatial organization and design details have evolved somewhat. However, the scale, massing and mix of previously intended uses remain unchanged. Today, the same amount of demolition is programmed and new construction will provide some 444,130 square feet of new retail and related floor area for a total of 1,318,450 square feet within the new Mall upon completion, or somewhat less than approved by the Planning Commission in the Approved Project. Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 on pages 7, 8, 9 and 10 illustrate plans for Levels 1, 2, 3 and the Roof Level in the Current Project. Within the Current Project, a new northwest entrance via Sepulveda Boulevard will become a prominent “front door” entrance to the Mall. The pedestrian connection to the transit station adjoining West Slauson Avenue will be enhanced and landscaped. The new mall floor and sections of the existing terrazzo floor will be updated with a stone tile and polished concrete floor, providing contrast to brighter repainted walls and ceilings in lieu of the monochromatic palette between floor, wall and ceiling in the existing Mall. Tile pavers throughout the expansion’s second level, and in select areas of the existing second level, will provide a needed updating. Full height, all-glass handrails will occur though the mall expansion and will replace the steel picket and wire mesh handrails in the existing Mall. The existing food court will be reconfigured and re-imaged, from new amenities and updated flooring to a ceiling renovation and expanded entry vestibule and seating areas, and a fourth level entry and sky lobby overlooking the new court will connect shoppers via elevator and cart escalator to a second level Target entrance. Parking will expand over the roof of a new Target store in the southwest corner of the property providing a total of 4,152 spaces on-site, or roughly 78 spaces more than the minimum number established by the Planning Commission in the approval of the Approved Project. Each of these improvements within the Current Project is in substantial conformance with the Approved Project. MASTER SIGN PROGRAM The Master Sign Program (MSP) anticipated in the Planning Commission’s decision to approve the Approved Project has now been submitted to the City's Planning Manager by Westfield. In addition to an array of site, tenant and directional signage, the MSP includes a set of freeway-oriented signs intended to be visible from the I-405 and SR 90 Freeways. The III. The Current Project and the Master Sign Program City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 11 locations of these freeway-oriented signs are identified in Figure 6 on page 12 and include three types of signs. Three vertical signs (Signs AP-A) are proposed to be oriented primarily to the I- 405 Freeway and would be located atop the expanded Mall structure's western façade overlooking Sepulveda Boulevard. Each would provide two separate display panels approximately 70 to 80 feet high and 35 feet wide facing generally opposite directions. Refer to Figure 7 on page 13 for an illustration of these vertical signs in conjunction with the expanded Mall building profile and in cross-section of the property looking east. In addition, four façade-mounted sign panels (Signs AP-B) would be located on the expanded Mall’s western façade and on the western ends of the Mall’s northern and southern facades. These would be oriented to both freeways as appropriate and would vary in size from 14 feet high and 48 feet wide to 29 feet high and 64 feet wide. Finally, four pole-mounted billboard-type signs (Signs AP-C) would be located in the parking lot north of the Mall primarily addressing the SR 90 Freeway, which is elevated over the project site approximately 27 feet. These pole-mounted signs would each be as high as 60 feet above grade. Three of these latter signs would provide sign panels 14 feet high and 48 feet wide, while a fourth is proposed in a more vertical configuration with three panels 40 feet high and 24 feet wide. The content on all eleven freeway-oriented signs would consist of fixed copy and images (that is, they would not be digitally sequencing) and each would be illuminated. Each would be operable from 5:00 A.M. to daylight and from dusk to midnight. All of these signage panels will be powered with solar collectors (photovoltaic or other systems, as appropriate) made either a part of the respective signage structures or located elsewhere on the property. As a result, operation of all eleven freeway-oriented signs will be power grid and carbon neutral. The freeway-oriented signs evaluated in this document represent the Applicant's intent with regard to locations and scale. However, the depictions presented herein represent conceptual illustrations rather than finished designs. Each such sign would comply with applicable city, state and federal regulation with regard to size, materials and structure, illumination and content. ! " # $ # " City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 14 IV. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT The MND regarding the Approved Project that was adopted by the Culver City Planning Commission on November 9, 2005 was based on an Initial Study prepared by the City. The Initial Study was comprised of the State CEQA Environmental Checklist, a formal listing of 83 separate questions organized within 18 environmental categories, each of which was addressed with supporting analysis and discussion and each concluded with a finding that the Approved Project would have either no impact or less than significant impact. The Approved Project was determined to have no potentially significant impacts. As it has evolved in the ensuing two years since the Approved Project was approved, the Current Project is virtually the same as the Approved Project, though roughly 2,000 square feet smaller. And, while not detailed for consideration by the Planning Commission, the Master Sign Program (MSP) that has now been submitted by Westfield was contemplated by the Commission which made its preparation, submittal and approval by the City a condition of approval in Resolution No. 2005-P109. Therefore, construction and operation of the Current Project should have the same environmental consequences as documented relative to the Approved Project in the City’s MND, except insofar as the effects of constructing and operating the freeway-oriented signage within the MSP are concerned. In its own right, the MSP would not be expected to effect the conclusions reached in the MND for the Approved Project regarding any of several resource issues (specifically Agricultural Resources, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Geology and Soils, or Mineral Resources) since no such resources are associated with the project site or because, in the case of geology and soils, the project’s effects including the MSP effects would be identical to those without it. With regard to the effects of project construction and operational behaviors on on- and off-site infrastructure, systems and elements, the Current Project including the MSP will either have the same effects as the Approved Project because the relevant conditions are the same (specifically Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality) in either case, or because the type and magnitude of project behavior will be the same (specifically Air Quality, Land Use and Planning, Noise, Population and Housing, Transportation/Traffic, Public Services, Recreation, Utilities and Services Systems). Any hazardous conditions as may be associated with the project site will be common to either the Approved Project or the Current Project and will not change, and the Current Project including the MSP will have the same propensity to use hazardous materials as necessary in daily operations as the Approved Project because the uses IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 15 and sizes of uses are virtually identical. The MSP will not affect the amount of rainfall that falls on the project site nor the design of drainage improvements planned for the property or the associated affects on water quality. The MSP will not cause the Current Project to generate more traffic than was forecast for the Approved Project because the traffic generation for the Approved Project evaluated in the MND assumed that the expanded Mall would attract the very trips from the freeways that the MSP is designed to attract. Thus, air pollution emissions from vehicles driving to and from the Mall would not change. Vehicle noise would not change. Effects on roadway and intersection capacity would not change. Demand for public services, public utilities and recreation would not change since the respective signs would not generate demand for such services, facilities or utilities or because, as in the case of electric power, the signs will be powered entirely by power grid-neutral solar energy. Similarly, the Current Project with the MSP can be expected to have much the same land use relationship with the array of surrounding land uses as would the Approved Project since the profile of surrounding uses is fully compatible with major urban retail activity and expected associated advertising and signage. With regard to population and housing, the MSP would be passive with respect to population growth and neither the Approved Project nor the Current Project including the MSP can be expected to displace any existing population or housing. Notwithstanding the foregoing conclusions, the MSP could have the potential to affect three environmental subjects: Aesthetics, Transportation Safety and Global Climate Change. The MSP's potential effect on Aesthetics is apparent due to the MSP's evident intent to be visible from the freeways, and questions regarding Transportation Safety arise out of concern that such visibility could translate into driver distraction. Global climate change is included here because it is a comparatively recent issue, was not included in the City's 2005 MND, and is not yet included in the State CEQA Environmental Checklist. Each of these topics is addressed separately below. AESTHETICS As there are no designated scenic highways or recognized scenic resources in the project locale, implementation of the proposed MSP could not be expected to adversely affect any such resources. However, the 11 freeway-oriented signs proposed within the MSP are intended to be visible from the I-405 and SR 90 freeways as well as local arterials, and as a result, would likely also be visible from other parts of the surrounding community. Therefore, this assessment is intended to determine where such signage might be visible from and whether it could significantly alter the visual character of the locale as seen from a wide variety of perspectives reflecting the full range of community sensitivity IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 16 For this assessment, nine view locations were selected by City staff as representative of widely diverse perspectives associated with different land uses and topographic character in the locale. The nine view locations are listed as follows and are identified by number in Figure 8 on page 17: View 1: State Route 90 Eastbound to Interstate 405 Southbound Transition (Figure 9), View 2: Residential Neighborhood along Westchester Bluffs at Riggs Place near Kentwood Avenue (Figure 10), View 3: Interstate 405 Northbound at Slauson Avenue exit (Figure 11), View 4: Residential Neighborhood at 11505 Segrell Way (between Berryman Avenue and Slauson Avenue (Figure 12), View 5: Residential Neighborhood at Hannum Avenue and Bush Way (Figure 13), View 6: Residential Neighborhood at 10751 Cranks Road: Elevation 154 feet (Figure 14), View 7: Office Depot Parking Lot at 5640 Sepulveda Boulevard (Figure 15), View 8: Slauson Avenue at State Route 90 West Entrance (Figure 16), and View 9: Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office at 6120 Bristol Parkway (Figure 17). Three of the view locations represent freeway or arterial views: Views 1, 3 and 8. Views 2, 4, 5 and 6 are located in residential neighborhoods. Views 7 and 9 are located in retail or business commercial districts. Collectively these vantages are believed to represent each of the perspectives that may be characteristic of the particular community surrounding the Fox Hills Mall property. At each of the view locations digital photographs were taken toward the Mall property, which could be seen in the camera lens in some but not all views. Then with the aid of global information systems technology, the digitized view locations were integrated with the digitized Mall expansion architectural designs and the placement and dimensions of the proposed freeway-oriented signage to produce accurate photo simulations of the expected views from each of the nine vantages. In addition, at the direction of City staff, each of the three taller signs proposed atop the new west end of the expanded Mall structure along Sepulveda Boulevard were simulated at four different heights: 120 feet above grade as proposed by the applicant, and 100 feet, 80 feet and 50 feet above grade, respectively. Theses simulations are presented in Figures 9 through 17 on pages 18 through 26. Each of these figures is presented with the view location mapped in the !" # $ % & '()) %*)) +, !"" # !"" # !" #$ % &' ( ! ) ' % * # +, " $ &' ( ! ) &' ( ! ) ' % ( # +, " &' ( ! ) ' % ( # +, " &' ( ! ) ' % - # +, " .+// %0// #12|1010| ! "!#!$% & ! "!'#!& (% %)( !" #$ % &' ! ( ' % ) # *+ " $ &' ! ( &' ! ( ' % , # *+ " &' ! ( ' % , # *+ " &' ! 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( ' % - # *+ " ! ! .*// %0// #12 "# $ "# % & &' ( &)*+& & % & &' ($ &)% &,- '., !" #$ % &' ( ! ) ' % * # +, " $ &' ( ! ) &' ( ! ) ' % - # +, " &' ( ! ) ' % - # +, " &' ( ! ) ' % ( # +, " .+// %0// #12 ! "# $ !%&'() " ! "# $ !%&! " *+)" )$,*" !" #$ % $ &' ( ! ) &' ( ! ) ' % * # +, " !" -+ %/ #01 # $ " # " %& ' ( )&*+,- . %& ' ( )&$*&%.' /|68|- -(/ IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 27 upper left hand position, while the photograph of existing views is presented in the upper center position. The simulation of the signs as proposed with the three tallest signs at 120 feet above grade is in the upper right position, and the simulations of the three taller signs at 100, 80, and 50 feet, respectively, occupy the lower left, center and right positions. In two instances, Views 4 and 9, none of the signage would be visible even at the highest heights, and in these instances simulations at the lower heights were not completed. No copy or graphic images are represented on any of the sign panels. Where the sign panels would be visible from the respective vantages, they are represented in the respective figures by an artificial orange color so that they can be made out in the figure; however, there is no intent that the actual signs would be so colored. Also, in instances where the signs could not be visible due to intervening buildings, landscape or topography, the hidden signs are depicted in their accurate locations in a bright yellow color so that the reader will understand why they would not be seen. Freeway/Arterial Views. From the two freeway views, one at the eastbound SR-90 to the southbound I-405 transition (View Location 1) and the other at the northbound off-ramp from the I-405 to Sepulveda Boulevard (View Location 3), the three tallest signs are plainly visible at the proposed 120-foot height and are increasingly obscured by intervening buildings or trees at the lower heights. At 50 and 80 feet above grade, respectively, little of any of the signs would be visible, while at 100 feet the upper portions of each sign would be visible. At the proposed height of 120 feet, the signs do not appear out of scale with the surrounding built environment and during the daytime or when illuminated at night would not seem to exceed reasonable expectations for advertising displays in an urban setting. From the arterial location at the terminus of SR-90 at Slauson Avenue ( View Location 8), relatively little of any of the signs would be visible even at the highest proposed heights due to intervening Mall building mass and trees. Virtually none of the tallest signs along Sepulveda Boulevard would be visible at the lower heights, though the billboard-types sign along the SR-90 alignment would be quite visible to drivers on the freeway, itself. Views from Residential Neighborhoods. Four views from residential neighborhoods were simulated, two from view locations at the edge of higher terrain from which panoramic views are available (View Locations 2 and 6) and two from view locations within neighborhoods on the urban plain characteristic of most of Culver City (View Locations 4 and 5). From the two elevated vantages, the project site is in the intermediate distance. From the Kentwood location (View Location 2), visibility of the three vertical signs proposed along Sepulveda Boulevard increases from barely visible at the lowest height to plainly visible at the highest 120-foot height, though the billboard-type signs would not be visible at all. At a maximum height above grade of 120 feet, the three signs appear to have a height close to that of the existing Radisson Hotel though significantly less mass. While plainly visible and they would add new content to the view but would not substantively alter the visual character of the entire IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 28 view. They also would be visible when illuminated at night, and would be seen against a rather highly illuminated urban backdrop. Despite being visible within that backdrop, they would not be expected to redefine the nature of the nighttime view. It should be noted that in the event the City approves the Entrada Office Tower Project proposed along Centinela Avenue as depicted in the map in Figure 9, that proposed structure would obstruct views of the northern-, most sign along the Sepulveda Boulevard frontage. As this vantage is moved northerly and westerly along the bluff face, the Entrada structure would obstruct views of the proposed signs more completely. From the Cranks Road vantage (View Location 6), visibility of the three vertical signs also changes from barely visible to plainly visible as the height increases and three of the four billboard signs would also be visible in the foreground. As in the case of views from the Kentwood neighborhood, the visibility of the proposed signs, even at the highest heights, would not be expected to significantly alter the character of the existing view during daytime or nighttime. Views from the Segrell Way and Hannun Avenue vantages ( View Location 4 and 5) will not permit visibility of any of the sign with in the proposed MSP at any heights due to low viewing angles, distance and the presence of taller intervening structures and trees. It is believed that this condition is typical; of views toward the Mall from residential areas located below the bluffs and Baldwin Hills. Views from Commercial Areas. The two remaining view locations were taken from the Office Depot parking lot immediately north and across Slauson Avenue from the Mall property (View Location 7) and from within the business park east of the Mall along Bristol Parkway (View Location 9). Due to close proximity to the northernmost proposed billboard-type sign at the Office Depot vantage, this sign would be quite visible when not screened by trees, while the even at 120 feet above grade the three vertical signs would maintain a relatively distant perspective. At lower heights, the signs recede to only limited visibility at most. Due to the relatively larger scale of structures in the Bristol Parkway area , little if any visibility of the signs proposed in the MSP would be expected except as may be available from the higher floors of west-facing buildings. In conclusion, despite the intent of the proposed freeway-oriented signs in the subject MSP to be visible, they would not be universally visible from all vantages within the surrounding community. Evaluation of simulations of the proposed signage program from a reasonable selection of vantages representing the range of perspectives and sensitivities in this community indicate that it will not be visible at all from large tracts of residential neighborhoods occupying the urban plain in Culver City, that they would not exceed current expectations for advertising displays in the commercial sectors of an urban environment, and that while plainly visible at the IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 29 highest proposed heights they would not significantly alter the character of existing views from hillside locations during the daytime or at night. TRANSPORTATION SAFETY “Outdoor advertising has been a fixture on America’s roadways since there were roadways. From the “Burma Shave” signs and “Mail Pouch Tobacco” signs of the 1920’s, to the jumbo neon spectaculars and computer controlled images on skyscraper curtain walls that grace Times Square, Hollywood and Las Vegas today, outdoor advertising has always been present in our built environment. Although the pros and cons of billboards have been debated for more than 50 years, it is perhaps their influence on traffic flow and safety that has been most controversial.”|1010| Notwithstanding differences of opinion may exist regarding billboards’ and other roadway-oriented signs’ effects on traffic safety, the Legislature of the State of California included the following language in the Outdoor Advertising Act and Regulations, as amended: “The Legislature finds: (a) Outdoor advertising is a legitimate commercial use of property adjacent to roads and highways. (b) Outdoor advertising is an integral part of the business and marketing function, and established segment of the national economy, and should be allowed to exist in business areas, subject to reasonable controls in the public interest.” The Outdoor Advertising Act precludes displays that obstruct motorists’ visibility of traffic signs, or appear to simulate or imitate traffic safety signs giving warning to motorists, or include red or blinking or intermittent light likely to be mistaken for a warning or danger signals, or any associated illumination that could be considered vision impairing due to brilliance, or that is placed upon trees or painted upon rocks or other natural features. It also limits sign animation or message/image sequencing, sometimes called flashing, on digital or electronic signs to changes in content frequency of not less than every four seconds. The Act also limits the size of advertising displays that promote businesses, goods or services not located on the property on which the advertising is displayed to a maximum area of 1200 square feet and maximum height of 25 feet and a maximum length of 60 feet. However, no such size limitations exist for advertising displays on the property for which businesses, goods or services are being advertised. |1010| "Outdoor Advertising Act and Regulations,” 2005 Edition. California Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Operations, Outdoor Advertising Program. IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 30 The thrust of each of these restrictions is to preserve the traffic safety value of traffic signs and to insure that advertising displays do not interfere with driver visibility or vision, as well as to safeguard the public interest in natural features as may exist along the State’s highways, all while preserving the right to advertise as a reasonable use of commercial property. While the Outdoor Advertising Act appears to establish an acceptable balance between the right to advertise and driver safety, the advent of new technologies that have introduced large-scale, very bright, high resolution signs with changing images to the roadside have added to the concern about advertising causing driver distraction. The subject has only begun to be examined in the scientific literature and clear consensus has not emerged. Two studies prepared for or submitted to the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education were recently released. The first, "A Study of the Relationship between Digital Billboards and Traffic Safety in Cuyahoga County, Ohio,"|1010| concluded: “The conclusion of this study is that digital billboards have no statistical relationship with the occurrence of accidents. The analysis and statistics in Cuyahoga County demonstrate that accidents are no more likely to occur along sections of Interstate routes near digital billboards than those without them.” The second study, “Driving Performance and Digital Billboards: Final Report,”|1010| stated its conclusion as follows: “Although there are measurable changes in driver performance in the presence of digital billboards, in many cases these differences are on a par with those associated with everyday driving, such as the on-premises signs located at businesses. Conventional billboards were shown both in the current study and in the Charlotte study to be very similar to baseline and comparison events in terms of driver behavior and performance; thus, the design of digital billboards should be kept as similar as possible to conventional billboards.” A third study was commissioned by the Maryland State Highway Administration specifically to peer review the two studies just cited. This last study, “A Critical, Comprehensive Review of the Two Studies Recently Released by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America”|1010| concluded that acceptance of the conclusions in the two previously cited studies was premature and inappropriate. The author concluded by saying ,”…that no research yet published can fully answer the question of whether EBBs (electronic billboards) create a sufficient distraction of drivers’ attention that they should be banned or strictly regulated under certain roadway, environmental, and traffic conditions.” |1010| "A Study of the Relationship between Digital Billboards and Traffic Safety in Cuyahoga County, Ohio," Tantala and Associates, 2007. |1010| “Driving Performance and Digital Billboards: Final Report," Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Center for Automotive Safety Research, 2007. |1010| “A Critical, Comprehensive Review of the Two Studies Recently Released by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America," The Veridian Group, 2007. IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 31 Against this background of regulation and study, the MSP submitted by the Applicant consists of 11 separate freeway-oriented sign elements: three vertically oriented sign structures to be mounted atop the roof of the expanded Mall (two advertising panels per sign structure), four façade mounted advertising panels, and four billboard-type advertising displays (three with two advertising panels per billboard structure and the fourth with three panels). As each of these advertising displays is proposed on the Fox Hills Mall property and would only be advertising establishments located, or goods and services available, within the Mall or on the premises, these signs do not appear to be limited in size by the Outdoor Advertising Act. While all of these signs are intended to be seen from adjoining roadways and freeways, none would interfere with driver visibility of traffic conditions, signals or signs. They would not simulate traffic signs in a manner that could cause driver confusion and they would not project intense beams of light that might interfere with driver vision. And notwithstanding insufficient evidence to conclude that digital or electronic signs with image sequencing do not cause driver distraction leading to higher accident risk, none of the signs proposed in the subject MSP would be digital. Even though the Outdoor Advertising Act sanctions sign animation with changes no more frequent than every four seconds, all freeway-oriented signs in this MSP are proposed as illuminated fixed image advertising displays with no animation or electronic image changes. On the basis of the foregoing circumstance, it is concluded that the freeway-oriented signs within the proposed MSP would achieve the balance between the recognized right to advertise in commercial areas and driver safety intended by the Outdoor Advertising Act. No adverse impact on traffic safety is anticipated. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE The subject of global climate change is one that has arisen relative to specific projects since the Planning Commission's approval of the Approved Project in November 2005. Global climate change refers to changes in average climatic conditions on Earth as a whole, including temperature, wind patterns, precipitation and storms. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are compounds found in the Earth’s atmosphere that play a critical role in determining the Earth’s surface temperature. These gases allow high-frequency solar radiation to enter the Earth’s atmosphere, but retain the low frequency energy which is radiated back from the Earth to space, resulting in a warming of the atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect. The anthropogenic (human) contribution to global climate change attributable to emissions of GHGs is currently one of the most important and widely debated scientific, economic and political issues in the United States. An understanding of the fundamental processes responsible for global climate change has improved over the past decade, and predictive capabilities are advancing. However, there remain IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 32 significant scientific uncertainties, for example, in predictions of local effects of climate change, occurrence of extreme weather events, effects of aerosols, changes in clouds, shifts in the intensity and distribution of precipitation, and changes in oceanic circulation. Due to the complexity of the Earth’s climate system, the uncertainty surrounding climate change may never be completely eliminated. Because of these uncertainties, there continues to be significant debate as to the extent to which increased concentrations of GHGs have caused or will cause climate change, and with respect to the appropriate actions to limit and/or respond to climate change. In addition, it is impossible to link a single development project with future specific climate change impacts. In response to growing scientific and political concern regarding global climate change, California has recently adopted a series of laws to reduce both the level of GHGs in the atmosphere and to reduce emissions of GHGs from commercial and private activities within the State. Most importantly among these, in September 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as Assembly Bill 32 (AB32), into law. AB32 commits the State to achieve the following: • Reduce current GHG emissions to 2000 levels by 2010 (which represents an approximately 11 percent reduction from emissions projections if current GHG production rates are not altered, or so called “business as usual”) • Reduce current GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (25 percent below “business as usual”) • Reduce California's statewide GHG emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 To achieve these goals, AB32 mandates that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) establish a quantified emissions cap, institute a schedule to meet the cap, implement regulations to reduce Statewide GHG emissions from stationary sources, and develop tracking, reporting, and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that reductions are achieved. At present, there are no state or local agency greenhouse gas emission significance thresholds. AB32 did not set a significance threshold for GHG emissions, although the EPA, CARB or another agency may issue regulations at some point to set forth significance criteria for CEQA analysis. In the interim, none of the CEQA Guidelines, the City of Los Angeles CEQA Thresholds Guide, the South Coast Air Quality Management District's (SCAQMD) CEQA Air Quality Handbook, the SCAQMD Air Quality Management Plan, or any other relevant source of authority for air quality impacts sets forth significance thresholds for GHG emissions. IV. Environmental Assessment City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 33 AB32 suggests that there is a de minimis level of emissions below which CARB will not regulate. AB32 directs CARB to “recommend a de minimis threshold of greenhouse gas emissions below which emissions reduction requirements will not apply” by January 1, 2009.|1010| In addition, AB32 charges CARB with meeting the statewide target “in a manner that minimizes costs and maximizes benefits for California’s economy, improves and modernizes California’s energy infrastructure and maintains the electric system reliability, maximizes additional environmental and economic co-benefits for California, and complements the state’s efforts to improve air quality.”|1010| It directs CARB to begin emissions monitoring and annual reporting by January 1, 2008, starting first with those emissions sources “that contribute the most to statewide emissions.”|1010| As a result, some projects may be permitted to emit GHGs without having a significant impact. Since the subject of global climate change was not addressed in the City’s 2005 MND, it is appropriate to address it here relative to the MSP proposed for the Fox Hills Mall. Implementation of the MSP has the potential to generate GHG emissions during construction as well as operation. On-site construction activities related to installation of the signage would result in GHG emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels in construction equipment. However, due to the short duration of construction activities emissions are likely to be minimal. Given that the design of the project has resulted in a reduction of 2,000 square feet of finished retail space, it is expected that emissions from construction of the proposed project including the MSP would be on the same order as those originally contemplated for the Approved Project. Therefore, GHG emissions due to construction of the Current Project including the MSP would be on the same order of those that would be emitted during construction of the Approved Project. Following construction, operation of the MSP’s freeway-oriented signage will be powered entirely via solar energy, through the installation of photovoltaic or other appropriate collectors either as part of the signage structures, themselves, or located elsewhere on the Mall property. As a result, the environmental consequences of the freeway-oriented signage relative to global climate change is that it will generate no net GHG emissions, on an annual basis. Relying on renewable energy sources, such as solar, is a proven strategy for reducing or eliminating GHG emissions, is supportive of the State’s goals, and results in a project-related emissions profile that is better than “business as usual”. This progressive commitment should serve as a positive example in the transition to sustainable times. |1010| H&SC § 38561(e). |1010| H&SC § 38501(h). |1010| H&SC § 38530(b)(1). City of Culver City Fox Hills Mall Improvement Project PCR Services Corporation December 2007 Page 34 V. CONCLUSION Based on the specific environmental analyses previously presented in Section IV, the proposed Master Sign Program would not cause new significant environmental impacts upon the three issue areas for which the proposed project might be expected to generate concern: Aesthetics, Transportation Safety or Global Climate Change. Moreover, when the project that was approved by the Planning Commission in November 2005 (Approved Project) is compared with the project as it has evolved in the subsequent two years (Current Project), the Current Project is so similar to the Approved Project, albeit slightly smaller, that it is in substantial conformance with the Commission’s approval. Therefore, with respect to each of the other 15 general issue areas in the State CEQA Checklist the Current Project’s impacts would not be different from those attributed to the Approved Project by the Mitigated Negative Declaration adopted by the Commission at the time of its approval, each of which were determined to be less than significant. !"!## $% !"!"& '( " ) *# !&"!& $% !&"!& "" +" , **!!*& $% **!!*&

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