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CC - Introduction of an Ordinance (1) Approving a Comprehensive Plan, Height Exception and Tentative Tract Map (P2015-0141) and (2) Adopting the Related Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program to Allow a Mixed Use Transit Oriented Development Consisting of a 148 Room Hotel, Approximately 57,700 Gross Square Feet of Retail and Restaurant Uses, 196,300 Gross Square Feet of Office Use and 200 Residential Dwelling Units Located at 8824 National Boulevard.
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Contact Person/Dept: Susan Yun, Senior Planner/CDD
Thomas Gorham, Planning Division/CDD
Phone Number: (310) 253-5755
(310) 253-5727
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [X] Action Item: [] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [X] No [] Date: 02/17/16
Commission Name: Planning Commission
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (03/10/16); On February 18, 2016, a notice was posted on the site and was mailed to all the property owners and occupants within a 1,000 foot radius of the Culver City’s Transit Oriented Development area (approximately 1,900 recipients) and emailed to the Master Notification List. The notice was also published in the Culver City News on February 25, 2016 and March 3, 2016.
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Director of Community Development
(03/09/16)
______________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council 1) adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), based on the Initial Study finding that the Project, with mitigation measures incorporated, will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment (Attachment No.2); and 2) introduce the proposed ordinance (Attachment No.1) approving Comprehensive Plan, P2015-0141-CP, Height Exception, P2015-0141-HTEX, and Tentative Tract Map, P2015-0141-TTM, subject to Conditions of Approval.
PROCEDURE:
1. The Mayor seeks a motion to receive and file the affidavit of mailing and posting of public notice.
2. The Mayor calls on staff for a brief staff report and the City Council poses questions to staff as desired.
3. The Mayor seeks a motion to open the public hearing, providing the applicant the first opportunity to speak, followed by the general public.
4. The Mayor seeks a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been presented.
5. The City Council discusses the matter and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND:
Request
Culver Station, LLC (the Applicant) is requesting approval of a Comprehensive Plan, Height Exception and Tentative Tract Map to develop a 5.53-acre triangular-shaped property located south of the intersection of Venice Boulevard and National Boulevard, with portions of the site (Site) located in Culver City and the City of Los Angeles (Project). The Project site is located immediately adjacent to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Exposition (Expo) Line and Culver City Station Expo Station (Culver City Metro Station or Metro Station).
Project History
The City and former Culver City Redevelopment Agency (former CCRA) spent 10 years, visioning, planning and acquiring the site to make it ready for redevelopment as an office, retail, restaurant, residential and hotel development with approximately 1,500 stalls of subterranean parking with 300 spaces serving the Expo light rail station. The Project is envisioned as a model, sustainable mixed use development that effectively brings housing, shopping and employment together with convenient transit in order to promote smart growth and area revitalization. The former CCRA approved preliminary plans and a goals statement for redevelopment of the site. The goals have been incorporated in the property zoning and are reflected in the Project plans. To achieve the Project goals, the former CCRA also negotiated an Option and Perpetual Easement Agreement with Metro for use of the Metro right-of-way (which totals 1.67 acres) and advanced funds for structural improvements to the Expo train platform to permit subterranean parking and development along it. The Site was rezoned PD in 2012, and the City commenced with selecting a Site developer, Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group (Lowe), to develop the Project. As part of the long-range planning for the Site and surrounding area, the City Council has approved the Washington/National Streetscape Plan which implements many of the area goals for an enhanced pedestrian environment and to promote use of alternative transit.
Proposed Development
The Project is a transit oriented development (TOD) known as Ivy Station and includes a mix of office, retail, restaurant, residential and hotel uses. Existing uses on the site include light industrial and commercial uses along Venice Boulevard and surface parking for the Expo Station. The Project is part of an emerging TOD District which includes two projects currently under construction, (Access Culver City and Platform). The City has encouraged development in the TOD District in order to promote the use of mass transit and address the important goals of improved regional mobility and air quality.
The Project parking, totaling 1,531 stalls, is provided on-site within the ground-level podium and in the three level subterranean parking structure. The Project includes 300 parking spaces for the adjacent Expo Station.
Office or residential uses in the Project will be located on building upper levels with some creative office uses provided at the ground level Project interior. The ground floor along the Project street frontages will accommodate small scale retail and outdoor dining. The Project interior open space includes outdoor dining, retail spaces, and a large public park (the “Great Lawn”) for active and passive recreation that will be programmed to accommodate community oriented uses. The Great Lawn will be irrigated with recycled water through use of below grade cisterns and all landscaped areas will be planted with low maintenance drought tolerant planting. A transit plaza is also provided for Expo riders for seating, dining and services. Together the large central open space connected by landscaped pedestrian walks and plazas will total approximately one acre.
Sustainable features in the Project include Low Impact Development (LID) such as bioswales, filtration planters and cisterns for storm water capture, passive and active solar heating, lighting and cooling, with a LEED qualifying design.
Mobility features in the Project to enhance area mobility and address first/last mile transit use include: 1) Coordinated light rail and bus schedules for hotel guests, residents and office tenants; 2) Interactive bike, train and bus route digital display that encourages interconnections; 3) Bike friendly design with ample short and long term bike parking; 4) Bike rental hub; 5) Designated alternative fuel vehicle parking and ridesharing; 6) Tap cards and transit maps for residents and hotel guests; 7) Easy access to/from the Expo station by bicycle as well as connections to the Expo bike path and Culver City and City of Los Angeles bike paths including the installation of bike boxes at street intersections adjacent to the Project; 8) Wayfinding signage; 9) Provision of Expo passes for the lease-up of residential units; 10) Streetscape planning to create an inviting walkable environment; 11) Dedicated Expo parking for Expo riders; and 12.) Real-time parking signage for quick access to available parking supply.
The Project is designed to be pedestrian serving with ground level uses that are intended to draw locally from the surrounding neighborhoods and regionally via Expo and fulfill the City’s long-standing goals of creating a sustainable, place-making development that brings housing, shopping, and employment together with convenient mass transit. Please see the attached Planning Commission staff report for a detailed analysis of the Project (Attachment No. 3).
Comprehensive Plan
A Comprehensive Plan is required for the Project pursuant to Zoning Code Section 17.560, Comprehensive Plans. The Project Site was rezoned in 2012 from Industrial General (IG) and Transportation (T) to Planned Development District No. 11 (PD-11). The proposed Comprehensive Plan includes the development standards and allowed land uses established pursuant to the PD-11 Zone which reflects the mixed use transit-related character of the Project. The intent of a Comprehensive Plan is to allow for flexibility in the application of the Zoning Code standards for large scale developments. A Comprehensive Plan considers innovation in site planning in order to more effectively respond to site features, uses on adjoining properties, and other impacts that the Zoning Code may not be able to adequately address. The property PD zoning district is implemented with the Comprehensive Plan.
The Comprehensive Plan application includes all the relevant land use and development standards for the Project including setbacks, building height, parking, permitted uses, site plan, floor plans, building elevations and renderings, building materials and colors, landscaping, open space, mobility, and sustainability provisions (Attachment No. 6).
DISCUSSION:
At its February 17, 2016 meeting, the Planning Commission considered the staff report, public testimony, and the applicant’s presentation. A summary of key topics raised at the Planning Commission meeting are briefly discussed in the section below. Following the hearing, the Planning Commission adopted a Resolution (Attachment No. 2) recommending City Council approval of the proposed Comprehensive Plan, P2015-0141-CP, Height Exception, P2015-0141-HTEX, and Tentative Tract Map, P2015-0141-TTM, subject to conditions of approval. Please see Attachment Nos. 3 through 10 (Planning Commission Staff Report, Initial Study/Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND), Traffic Analysis, Comprehensive Plan, IS/MND Comments, Summary Response to Agency and Public Comments on IS/MND, General Public Comments, Ivy Station LOS Summary Chart) for a detailed review of the Project.
Traffic
The Planning Commission considered public testimony regarding existing traffic and potential increased traffic from the proposed Project on nearby streets. Specifically, the completeness of the Project traffic study was questioned because it did not include, as a “related project,” a large mixed use development project (Cumulus Project) proposed at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard in the City of Los Angeles.
Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), all projects are evaluated for their potential impact to the environment. For larger and complex projects, a traffic study is prepared to industry standards to demonstrate the level of impact the project may have on the environment. The traffic study will recommend mitigation measures for any potentially significant impacts that a project may create. The City develops a memorandum of understanding (MOU) indicating the scope and assumptions for the project traffic study prior to commencement. A traffic study analyzes the trip generation and circulation of the project and surrounding developments within a five year planning horizon. The Ivy Station MOU was approved in December 2014 and did not include the Cumulus Project on the list of related projects since it was not recognized as a project at that time by the City of Los Angeles.
Once an MOU is approved, new projects that come on line are not added and other projects that are abandoned are not removed from the list. To do so would be arbitrary and unreasonable, as it would require developers to continuously alter the traffic analysis, as well as the related CEQA documentation that relies upon the traffic analysis, as projects are added and/or removed.
Related projects are a factor in the traffic analysis in that they are added to the existing year’s traffic conditions along with an ambient growth of 1% per year to arrive at the future year in which the project will be completed. That future year becomes the base year conditions in which the impact of the project is examined. The project’s traffic is added to the future base year to determine if the project has an impact at any intersection or residential street. The project is responsible for any significant impacts it alone creates and/or any substantial contribution of traffic at already deficient intersections per applicable traffic impact thresholds. A project is not responsible for existing traffic conditions or for the traffic generated by any of the related projects, as project traffic impacts are based only on a project’s traffic contribution to the roadway network.
Nevertheless, while not a requirement of either CEQA or the Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) or other Culver City rule or regulation, an additional analysis was conducted for informational purposes to determine whether the Cumulus Project would result in any additional significant traffic impacts had it been included in the traffic study. The additional analysis determined, with the Cumulus Project included as a related project, traffic at the Venice and National intersection exceeded acceptable thresholds during the AM peak period. However, the original traffic study showed that the Ivy Station project created an impact at the same intersection during the PM peak period, and the mitigation measure required for that impact also mitigates the AM peak period traffic condition. Therefore, no additional traffic mitigation measures would be required for the Ivy Station project beyond those prescribed in the Final MND, and no additional intersections would be significantly impacted by the Ivy Station project beyond those identified in the Final MND. (Attachment No. 10 provides a side-by-side comparison of traffic impacts with the Cumulus Project both included and not included as a related project along with the results after mitigation measures are applied.) The developer of the Cumulus Project has agreed to provide $1.1 million to fund traffic mitigation measures for various intersections impacted by the Cumulus Project as part of its traffic mitigation measures.
General traffic congestion in and around the Project site, including along Washington, National, and Venice Boulevards, as well as the local project vicinity (i.e., Culver City Arts District and westbound traffic impacts along Washington Boulevard) was another concern expressed by members of the public.
The City also responded to comments about traffic congestion along westbound Washington Boulevard at National Boulevard. It was pointed out that recent traffic signal work and lane closures due to construction projects caused excessive delay for westbound traffic along Washington Boulevard during the peak periods. More recently, after the signal work was completed and lanes were re-opened, staff observed that generally the queue of traffic in both directions on Washington Boulevard has been significantly reduced and allows movement through the intersection in one traffic signal cycle.
It was also noted that Washington Boulevard (along with many of the other streets in Culver City) is an east-west commuter route that carries a significant amount of through traffic from the City of Los Angeles and other cities. The City is working to improve traffic flow along Washington Boulevard and throughout the City, and will be installing an Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS), which is state-of-the-art traffic signal synchronization. ATCS will be installed throughout the City including along Washington Boulevard in the stretch between National Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard by early 2018. The ATCS will allow for real-time adjustments to the traffic signals to address current traffic conditions, including when there are unforeseen lane closures or construction work. This will result in improved travel time for motorists along Washington Boulevard. In the meantime, the City’s traffic engineers are reviewing the existing timing of the traffic signals for possible adjustments to reduce the backup queues of traffic along Washington Boulevard.
Construction Impacts
Construction impacts as they relate to traffic congestion during peak hours were another concern expressed by the Planning Commission and members of the public.
All construction activities would occur in compliance with the CCMC’s permitted hours of construction, including no construction on Sundays and National Holidays, and be subject to noise reduction techniques consistent with City noise policies, which are also conditions of approval for the project (see Condition No. 162 and 164 of Attachment No.1, Exhibit A, Conditions of Approval).
Also, a Construction Traffic Management Plan (Condition No. 31) is required to be developed by the Project contractor in consultation with the Project’s traffic and/or civil engineer and approved by the City of Culver City, City Engineer and Planning Manager and the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works prior to issuance of any project demolition, grading or excavation permit. The Construction Traffic Management Plan will also be reviewed and approved by the City’s Fire and Police Departments. The construction management plan will include an up-to-date list of local police, fire, and emergency response organizations and procedures for the continuous coordination of construction activity, potential delays, and any alerts related to unanticipated road conditions or delays, with local police, fire, and emergency response agencies. Coordination will include the assessment of any alternative access routes that might be required through the site, and maps showing access to and within the site and to adjacent properties; and the location, times, and estimated duration of any roadway closures, traffic detours, use of protective devices, warning signs, and staging or queuing areas. Thus, the Plan will be designed and implemented to maintain adequate emergency response in and around the Project site.
The Planning Commission required an additional measure to the Construction Traffic Management Plan condition to ensure timely email alerts and notification for street or lane closures. Condition No. 31 was modified to include the following:
“The Construction Traffic Management Plan shall include the timing and duration of all street and/or lane closures and shall be made available to the City in digital format for posting on the City’s website and distribution via email alerts on the City’s “Gov Delivery” system. The Construction Traffic Management Plan shall be updated weekly during the duration of project construction.”
Expo Parking
Expo parking both on a temporary and permanent basis were identified by some as a concern. Under the provisions of the Option and Perpetual Easement Agreement, upon Project commencement of construction, the City is required to provide up to 235 free temporary parking spaces at the nearby Ince parking structure (less than ¼ mile from Project Site) to accommodate Expo riders.
The City engaged Walker Parking Consultants to prepare a parking study in order to insure that Ince parking structure can accommodate the temporary addition of Expo parking during peak periods. Walker found that even during peak periods up to 200 parking spaces were available at Ince parking structure and recommended the following additional measures to accommodate the increased demand 1) Implementing parking pricing strategies within overall downtown public parking supply; 2) Minimizing the amount of monthly parking; 3) Installing new parking technologies (pay stations, Tap Card, LED parking signage) to increase operational efficiency; 4) Accommodating in-aisle stacked parking as needed; and 5) Adding reversible garage entry lanes during Expo commuting times.
It was noted that Metro is generally responsible for providing parking for the Expo line but in consideration for use of a portion of the Metro right of way adjacent to the Culver City Station, the City agreed to construct and maintain 300 permanent parking spaces exclusively for Expo riders in addition to the complement of parking required for the Project.
Some Expo users and residents also expressed concern about the supply of Expo parking at Project completion (a reduction from 600 spaces to 300 spaces) and questioned whether the demand for parking will decrease when Phase II Expo is operating to Santa Monica. Responding to these concerns, Metro staff in attendance at the Commission hearing indicated they are not planning to increase the number of parking stalls for the Expo station at this time. They also indicated that they may soon start to charge a fee for parking at all Metro stations depending on the outcome of a parking management study expected to be completed by the end of 2016. The combination of charging for parking and operation of Phase II Expo may result in reduced parking demand at the Culver City Expo Station.
The Metro representative also stated they are working on developing a parking guidance system that would broadcast real time Metro parking data to a users’ cell phone or computer indicating where parking is available ahead of time to avoid arriving at a lot that is congested or full. During construction of the Project, Metro believes there will be adequate parking for Expo users at the Ince Parking Structure with 235 spaces and also at the nearby La Cienega Expo Station parking structure with 160 parking spaces.
Furthermore, there may be opportunities for shared parking with Metro pursuant to the City’s Option and Perpetual Easement Agreement. The Applicant has stated that it would be feasible to share or bundle parking spaces with Metro or other users in the Project to maximize the utilization of all the parking spaces.
A member of the public expressed a desire for the Applicant to extend the duration of time that parking permits are funded, in the event that a parking district is established in the East Culver City neighborhood. The Planning Commission, upon the Applicant’s agreement, recommended that Condition No. 190 be modified to require the applicant to provide funding to pay for two parking permits per household in said parking district for three years instead of one year as originally required.
Mobility (Shared Transportation) Options and Connections
The Planning Commission and members of the public expressed a desire for the City to facilitate and enhance mobility options and improve bicycle and pedestrian connections to and from City activity centers such as Downtown Culver City and the TOD area. Specifically, suggestions were made for the City and the Applicant to provide more innovative mobility and “last mile” options such as car, bike and scooter sharing, collaborate use of Uber and Lyft services as well as Pedi cabs that would better incentivize people to use mass transit. Also, issues were raised in regards to gaps in bike connections in the East Culver City neighborhood area and along Washington Boulevard heading west to Downtown Culver City.
The Applicant intends to facilitate car sharing during and after construction. During construction the Applicant will work with the City on finding a suitable temporary location for car sharing parking. One possible location is the area behind the City-owned parkette directly south across the street from the Project site. After construction is completed, car sharing will be facilitated in the Projects’ short term parking area and loading area on the ground level podium. The Applicant has stated they are currently working with Metro and Southern California Edison on a demonstration project for electric vehicle shuttle service for the community that could potentially include connections from the Project site to the Hayden Tract, Downtown Culver City and other key areas of the City. An electric vehicle shuttle service could operate from a nearby bus stop or from a perimeter location and the facilities would be housed on the Project site (charging stations).
In regards to bicycle infrastructure and connections, staff presented that the City is currently in the process of forming a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee that will act as an advisory body to the City Council on bicycle and pedestrian issues, including bike sharing, to obtain input on a proposed bicycle connection on Washington Boulevard between the Expo Station area and Downtown Culver City and future connections east of the Transit Oriented Development District along Washington Boulevard.
Open Space Operations and Programming
The Planning Commission and members of the public were supportive of the extensive high quality public open space proposed as part of the Project and stated that the public open space should have full access and remain open to the public for the life of the project. They also stated that the open space park programming should be current and relevant for the times so that it does not diminish or get eliminated altogether due to lack of interest.
As part of the implementation agreement with the City, the Applicant is required to maintain and operate in perpetuity the public open space proposed in the Project (Condition No. 151). Lowe indicates that it will designate an entity within their organization to operate and manage the open space park programming to ensure its success. That entity will establish an advisory board made up of business on the Site and will coordinate with City staff and the community to gather input on the types and scheduling of programming to take place at Ivy Station.
Building Height
On November 12, 2012, the City Council considered rezoning the Ivy Station property (Zoning Code Amendment ZCMA P-2012085) and authorized granting a height exception for future site development providing that the project otherwise conforms with the development thresholds established under the PD-11 Zone. The City Council authorized granting a Project height exception based upon the following criteria:
§ Sustainability
§ Improved Massing and Open Space
§ Financial Feasibility
The Planning Commission evaluated and recommended to the City Council approval of the proposed building height exception based on the above criteria and the information provided by the Applicant to support the findings for a height exception. The applicant is requesting a height exception to reconcile 1) maximizing on grade open space and improving building massing; 2) ensuring Project sustainability, and 3) ensuring the Project is financially feasible. A detailed discussion of the findings for the building height exception are provided in the Planning Commission staff report (Attachment No. 3) and summarized below:
Sustainability
The applicant asserts that overall Project site plan provides for reduced building coverage and increased open space to improve Project sustainability related to natural lighting, heating and cooling. Expansive areas of open space allow sunlight to penetrate into outdoor spaces and building interiors, allow passive heating and cooling and the extensive use of solar technology. The Project site plan is based upon sun and shadow and light and air studies, and the extensive use of open space has permitted water retention and collection for on-site irrigation needs
Building Massing
The applicant maintains that the proposed building massing includes unusual and interesting architectural features for each of the Project buildings. The hotel massing includes two kinds of setbacks along the street frontage and at the ground level. The residential building contains setbacks, exterior and interior balconies, and varied roof heights which provide a varied building form. The office building contains cantilevered decks alternating with setbacks. Along north and south sides of the office building there are deep cantilevers. There is also significant step back at the top floor. The east and west sides of the office building are angled from the north south elevations to create visual interest and avoid a monolithic structure.
Financial Feasibility
The applicant maintains that financial feasibility is related to the overall Project cost, type and scope of development. The Project is proposed as a midrise development ranging from two to six stories based upon the property zoning. Achieving the optimum development program is important to ensure that the Site is appropriately sized and scaled to meet the TOD objectives of bringing compatible uses together and creating the critical mass necessary to help advance regional mobility needs and ensure Project financial feasibility. According to the developer, this can be done at the Ivy Station by maximizing building height while including a large central open space and an extensive network of pedestrian paths and plazas. The 5.53 acre Site contains no more than a maximum building coverage of approximately 55 percent, reflecting the required large central open space, transit plaza and the extensive use of public plazas and landscaped pedestrian paths within and surrounding the Site. Further, the Project includes approximately 15 acres of subterranean parking required under the PD-11 Zone, which the applicant maintains is a significant cost that produces little revenue.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, an Initial Study was prepared for this Project. The Initial Study determined that the Project could result in significant impacts on the environment. However, the Initial Study determined that there would not be significant impacts on the environment with implementation of the prescribed mitigation measures included within the Initial Study. Because the Project Applicant has agreed to implement the prescribed mitigation measures, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (or “MND”) was prepared as the required CEQA clearance documentation for the Project (Attachment No. 4). The MND determined that the Project will require mitigation measures to reduce the following “potentially significant” impacts on the environment to a less than significant level:
1. Biological Resources - Impacts to nesting raptor and/or songbirds during the breeding season.
2. Cultural Resources - Impacts to previously unknown archaeological and paleontological resources, as well as Native American human remains, that could unexpectedly be discovered during Project construction activities.
3. Geology and Soils - Impacts pertaining to seismic and ground and soil stability hazards during the design and construction phases of the Project.
4. Hazards and Hazardous Materials - Impacts pertaining to the removal and/or treatment of impacted soils beneath the Site resulting from previous on-site uses, as well those pertaining to asbestos containing materials (ACMs) and lead-based paint during demolition of existing on-site structures.
5. Water Quality - Impacts pertaining to the proper treatment and disposal of removed groundwater beneath the site during potential construction-related dewatering activities.
6. Noise - Operational noise impacts to future residents and occupants on the Project Site.
7. Public Services - Impacts regarding emergency response times and emergency access during construction activities.
8. Traffic - Impacts to the intersections at Robertson Boulevard and National Boulevard, and at National Boulevard and Venice Boulevard. Impacts along National Boulevard between Venice Boulevard and Washington Boulevard. Also, impacts regarding pedestrian and vehicular safety in and around the Project Site.
The prescribed mitigation measures that will reduce the Project’s potentially significant impacts to a less than significant level are listed in a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), which was included as Attachment C in the MND and also as Attachment No. 1, Exhibit B to the proposed City Council Ordinance.
The MND was recommended for adoption by the Planning Commission on February 17, 2016. The City has prepared a Final MND for review and adoption by the City Council which clarifies, amplifies or makes insignificant modifications to the MND, as a result of the additional analysis that was conducted for informational purposes only to determine whether the Cumulus project would result in any additional significant traffic impacts had it been included as a related project in the traffic study. These changes do not add significant new information to the MND, nor do they result in new or more severe significant environmental impacts from the Project. As such, CEQA Guidelines 15073.5 does not require recirculation of the MND document or further environmental review.
All comments received during the public review period on the MND are contained in Attachment No. 7. An overview of agency and organization comments and summary responses and key environmental issues raised by the public within the comment letters are provided in Attachment No. 8.
CONCLUSION:
Culver City has been engaged in long term planning to redevelop the property known as the “Triangle Site”. To that end, the City and former CCRA successfully assembled the 31 parcels that comprise the Site, negotiated parking and development easement agreements with the Metro, engaged Caltrans and the City of Los Angeles to promote common planning goals and expended significant funds to strengthen the Expo Station train platform to allow development on the Metro right-of-way. The City has envisioned a model, sustainable, mixed use transit oriented development for the Site that effectively brings housing, shopping and employment together with mass transit in order to promote important goals of improved air quality, regional mobility and area revitalization.
The proposed Ivy Station Project is consistent with the City’s long term planning and will be a key part of the emerging Transit Oriented Development District surrounding the Culver City Expo Station. Staff has worked closely with the Applicant, the community and other stakeholders to ensure that the Project meets the City’s goals and objectives and based on the analysis contained herein staff believes the findings for a Comprehensive Plan, Height Exception and the Tentative Tract Map can be made as outlined in proposed Ordinance (Attachment No. 1) and recommends Project approval.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the proposed project.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Proposed Ordinance and Exhibit A, Conditions of Approval and Exhibit B, Mitigation Measures (MMRP).
2. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2016-P002 (without attachments).
3. February 17, 2016, Planning Commission Staff Report (without attachments.)
4. Initial Study/ Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) dated March 9, 2016.
5. Traffic Analysis prepared by Kimley Horn dated November 2015 and supplemented on January 21, 2016.
6. Comprehensive Plan dated February, 2016.
7. IS/MND Comments Received.
8. Summary of Response to Agency and Public Comments on IS/MND.
9. General Public Comments.
10. Ivy Station LOS Summary Chart w/ Cumulus Project.
RECOMMENDED MOTION(S):
That the City Council:
1. Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, based on the Initial Study, finding that the Project, with mitigation measures incorporated, will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment; and
2. Introduce the proposed Ordinance, approving Comprehensive Plan, P2015-0141-CP, Height Exception, P2015-0141-HTEX, and Tentative Tract Map, P2015-0141-TTM, subject to the Conditions of Approval.