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PC - PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a Administrative Site Plan Review and Tentative Parcel Map to allow the demolition of an existing one-story single-family dwelling and the construction of a new two-story, four-unit attached condominium development with subterranean parking at 4233 East Boulevard (Project).
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Meeting Date: August 28, 2024
Contact Person/Dept: William Kavadas, Assistant Planner
Emily Stadnicki, Current Planning Manager
Phone Number: 310-253-5706 / 310-253-5727
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [X] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Planning Commission (8/22/24); (Posted) City Website (8/7/24); (Mailed) Property owners and occupants within a 500 ft radius extended to City Block (8/7/24); (Posted) on-site sign facing East Boulevard (8/7/24).
Department Approval: Mark E. Muenzer, Planning & Development Director (8/16/24)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Planning Commission adopt Resolution No. 2024-P003, adopting a Class 3 and Class 15 Categorical Exemption pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Section 15303, New Construction of Small Structures, and Class 15, Minor Land Divisions, and approving Administrative Site Plan Review and Tentative Parcel Map P2022-0187-ASPR/TPM, for the demolition of an existing one-story single-family residence and construction of a new two-story, four-unit attached condominium development with subterranean parking in the Medium Density Multiple-Family Residential (RMD) Zone.
PROCEDURES
1. Chair calls on staff for a brief staff report and the Planning Commission poses questions to staff.
2. Chair opens the public hearing, providing the Applicant the first opportunity to speak, followed by the general public.
3. Chair seeks a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been presented.
4. Planning Commission discusses the matter and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND
Request
The request involves an Administrative Site Plan Review and Tentative Parcel Map to build a new four-unit airspace condominium project with subterranean parking at 4233 East Boulevard ("Project site" or "Site"). The Project Summary (Attachment No. 2) and Preliminary Development Plans (Attachment No. 4) provide a synopsis of the project details and plan lay out. The project was originally submitted for Preliminary Plan Review in 2019 but was delayed due to the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in early 2020. The Entitlement Application was submitted in 2022 but the hearing date was delayed due to concerns that the project was not incompliance with California Senate Bill (SB) 8. After the Applicant provided necessary documentation to show compliance with SB 8, the project was able to move forward for public hearing.
Project Site/Existing Conditions
The Project site is a 7,280 square-foot parcel that is generally flat and rectangularly shaped. It is located on the west side of East Boulevard at the intersection of South Park Avenue. It is currently developed with a 1,302 square-foot single family home and a 648 square-foot detached garage. The site is accessed via a driveway from East Boulevard.
The Land Use Element of the City's General Plan designates this site as Medium Density Multiple Family Land Use while the site's zoning designation is Medium Density Multiple-Family Residential (RMD); it is not identified in the Housing Element Residential Sites Inventory. The proposed four-unit airspace condominium is allowed in the Zone with an approved Administrative Site Plan Review and Tentative Parcel Map to permit the construction of the structure and subdivision for condominium purposes.
The Site is located at the City limit with a small portion of the northwest corner of the property in the City of Los Angeles. The project is surrounded by single-family homes to the north, west, and south, and by a multi-family condominium building to the east. The larger neighborhood is a mix of single-family and multi-family uses with mix of commercial uses along Washington Boulevard.
Project Description
The proposed four-unit multi-family structure with underground parking has a modern architectural design. The project development program is summarized in the following table.
Table 1: Development Program
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Size (sq. ft.)
1,835
2,038
2,084
1,900
Bedrooms|1010101010|Bath
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
Each unit will have two parking spaces in a shared subterranean garage; there are two guest parking spaces (one standard and one accessible). Pedestrian access to the subterranean garage would be provided by a common access staircase and accessible lift on the east side of the building. The maximum height of the structure is 25'-6" measured from finished grade to parapet.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
Architectural Design
The Project is designed in a modern architectural style with composite wood siding on the first floor and second floor facades to provide variation to the stucco treatment on all other parts of the building. A mix of insets for the wood composite siding as well as setbacks for second floor balconies provide a varied fa?ade that reduces perception of bulk and mass. These materials and features break-up the massing of the structure and contribute to the architectural variation of the surrounding neighborhood. Roof decks are setback from the edge of the building to increase privacy. The front of the first floor of the building includes floor to ceiling windows and an expanse of windows and balconies at the second floor. This creates a pedestrian oriented frontage that adds to the street presence in the neighborhood.
Landscaping
As required by the Zoning Code, the applicant must landscape all front, side, and rear yards not devoted to paved driveways, walkways, or patios. In addition, the front setback area must include a total landscaping area equal to 55 percent the overall area or 535 square feet. The front yard setback provides approximately 568 square feet of landscaping, with one 36" box olive tree and a mix of shrubbery and ground cover. The eastern side yard is used for pedestrian circulation and access to the units, while the western side yard serves as private patios for units 3 and 4 and is landscaped with California Grey Rush and Boston Ivy. The rear yard includes a row of Sweet Bay trees to help provide privacy screening to the single-family home to the rear. Trees, shrubs, and ground cover is conditioned to include drought tolerant planting. The Project is subject to the City's Urban Forest Master Plan and will provide necessary parkway landscape improvements. Preliminary landscape information is included in the preliminary development plans (Attachment No. 4).
The RMD Zone requires a minimum 100 square feet of open space per unit. Each unit provides more than the minimum open space requirement by way of roof decks while Units 3 and 4 have additional ground floor patios along the western property line. The Project's proposed decks and patios provide a total open space area of 2,727 square feet. Private open space details are shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Open Space Program
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Total
Decks/Patios (sq. ft.)
749
692
659; 92
474; 61
2,727
Traffic, Circulation, and Parking
Minimum parking requirements are no longer required by the CCMC. The project will still provide ten parking spaces in a shared garage as noted below:
* Eight subterranean parking spaces in shared garage (two per unit)
* Two guest parking stalls (one standard and one accessible).
The subterranean garage is accessed from a single driveway on East Boulevard. The driveway exceeds maximum slope per the Code, but the applicant has provided an engineered stamped drawing as part of elevations in Attachment No. 4 showing that the modified slope will still provide visibility of pedestrians at the public right-of-way and allow for seamless movement of automobiles over changes in slope. Parking spaces meet minimum dimension standards and overhead clearance requirements. Drive aisles provide backup beyond the minimum 24 feet to allow for maneuvering in and out of parking stalls to exit the site with cars facing the public right-of-way. Private storage lockers with 102 cubic feet of area are also provided in the subterranean garage.
Primary pedestrian access to each unit is provided via a walkway on the eastern side of the property. Exterior access to the garage will be provided by a lift and staircase, also on the eastern side of the property. The applicant meets bike parking requirements by providing two bike parking stalls per unit in the garage and two guest bike stalls within the front yard adjacent to East Boulevard. The project will also meet Code requirements for EV parking by providing one EV charging space, two EV ready spaces, and two EV capable spaces.
The proposed means of vehicle and pedestrian ingress/egress to and from the site provides adequate access for emergency vehicles and services. The configuration of the proposed onsite vehicle maneuvering area is designed in accordance with all applicable CCMC standards and the driveway design allows for visibility and maneuverability of automobiles. The density of the development will not create significant traffic impacts on adjacent streets and is below the City's threshold required for a traffic study.
SB 8 Compliance
The Housing Crisis Act of 2019, as amended by SB 8 (California Government Code Section 66300 et seq.), prohibits the approval of any proposed housing development project ("Project") on a site ("Property") that will require demolition of existing dwelling units or occupied or vacant "Protected Units" unless the Project replaces those units as specified in the law. The Property is occupied by one single family residence that is currently being rented to a tenant. The City's Housing and Human Services Department required the Applicant to provide necessary tenant income documentation to prove the income status of the existing and recent past tenants. In May 2024, the Housing staff certified a Replacement Unit Determination Application declaring that the subject property is exempt from SB 8 based on the documentation provided by the existing tenant that the subject unit has not been rented by either a low income or very low-income household within the past five years.
Development Fees
The Project is subject to development fees that are collected during the Building Permit plan check phase. The Mobility Fee is used to address traffic and mobility impacts in the City, while the Parkland In-Lieu fee addresses the impact on public park infrastructure as a result of the increase density. Below is a summary estimate of these fees for this Project:
* Parkland In-Lieu Fee: $23,013.50
* Mobility Fee based on net new units: $10,182.
As noted, these are estimates and fees may change after final Building Permit plans are submitted.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Pursuant to the City's current Community Outreach Guidelines, the applicant held two community meetings as part of its outreach to neighbors and community members for the Project. Consistent with Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Chapter 17.630, a notice of community meeting was mailed to all property owners and occupants within 500-feet extended to city block from the Project Site boundaries. The community meetings were held in person on October 17, 2019 and virtually on July 15, 2021. See Attachment No. 6 for a summary of both meetings.
Comments Received During Public Comment Period
A public notice was mailed to all property owners and occupants within a 500-foot radius of the Project Site extended to city block on August 6, 2024, advising the public of a hearing at the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting of August 28, 2024. A sign was also installed on the property facing East Boulevard on the August 7, 2024. As of the writing of this report, no comments have been received in response to the public notification of the public hearing for this item.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the proposed Project is Categorically Exempt per CEQA Section 15303, Class 3, New Construction of Small Structures as there are fewer than seven units proposed and CEQA Section 15315, Class 15 - Minor Land Divisions for the creation of four or fewer residential parcels that comply with General Plan and Zoning, require no variances or exceptions, are provided all services and access, were not involved in a division of larger parcel within the previous two year, with an average slope less than 20 percent.
The location of the Project is predominantly urban and built out and will not result in any significant impacts that may otherwise occur in a sensitive environmental area. The cumulative impact of this Project, and the approval of other projects like it in the vicinity, is not expected to have any significant environmental impact that has not already been studied as part of the original Zoning adoption for the property and surrounding neighborhood. The Project is not located along any state designated scenic highway or within any designated hazardous waste site. The site on which the Project is proposed is not considered a significant historical site.
CONCLUSION
Based on the proposed preliminary development plans and recommended conditions of approval, the Project is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, adequately served by public facilities and, consistent with the General Plan, Zoning Code, and all CCMC requirements. The findings for Administrative Site Plan Review and Tentative Parcel Map P2022-0187-ASPR/TPM are made as outlined in proposed Planning Commission Resolution No. 2024-P003 (Attachment No. 1).
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Planning Commission Resolution No. 2024-P003 with Exhibit A, Conditions of Approval and Exhibit B, Code Requirements
2. Project Summary
3. Vicinity Map
4. Preliminary Development Plans and Tentative Parcel Map No. 82719 dated June 21, 2023
5. Preliminary Construction Management Plan dated April 28, 2023
6. Community Meeting Summaries
MOTION
That the Planning Commission:
Adopt Resolution No. 2024-P003 adopting a Categorical Exemption pursuant to CEQA and approving Administrative Site Plan Review P2022-0187-ASPR and Tentative Parcel Map No. 82719, P2022-0187-TPM, subject to the Conditions of Approval.