of environmental impact report and public scoping … · 2017-06-29 · street, w. 2nd street, and...

Notice of Preparation for Times Mirror Square Project of 5

June 30, 2017

CASE NO.: ENV-2016-4676-EIR PROJECT NAME: Times Mirror Square PROJECT APPLICANT: Onni Times Square LP PROJECT ADDRESS: 121, 145, 147 S. Spring Street; 100, 102, 106, 108, 110, 118, 120, 124, 126, 128, 130, 140, 142 S. Broadway; 202, 212, 214, 220, 224, 228, 230, 234 W. 1st Street; 205, 211, 221 W. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, California 90012 COMMUNITY PLANNING AREA: Central City Community Plan Area COUNCIL DISTRICT: 14 - Huizar PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: June 30, 2017 – July 31, 2017 SCOPING MEETING: 5:00 P.M.–7:00 P.M., July 25, 2017. See below for additional information. The City of Los Angeles (City) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Times Mirror Square Project (Project). In accordance with Section 15082 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the City has prepared this Notice of Preparation to provide the public, nearby residents and property owners, responsible agencies, and other interested parties with information regarding the Project and its potential environmental effects. The EIR will be prepared by outside consultants under the supervision of the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning.

The City requests your written comments as to the scope and contents of the EIR, including mitigation measures or project alternatives to reduce potential environmental impacts from the project. Comments must be submitted in writing according to directions below. If you represent a public agency, the City seeks written comments as to the scope and content of the environmental information in the EIR that are germane to your agency’s statutory responsibilities in connection with the project. Your agency may need to use the EIR prepared by the City when considering your permit or other approval for the project.

A Public Scoping Meeting will be held to receive input as to what environmental topics the EIR should study. No decisions about the project are made at the Public Scoping Meeting. Additional project details, meeting information, and instructions for public comment submittal are listed below.

PROJECT LOCATION AND EXISTING ON-SITE USES: The Project Site is located on an approximately 3.6-acre (five parcels totaling approximately 160,578 square feet [sf]) city block bounded by W. 1st Street, S. Spring Street, W. 2nd Street, and S. Broadway in the Center City/Historic Core District of Downtown Los Angeles. This district, which extends from W. 1st Street to W. 11th Street, between Los Angeles and Hill Streets, includes Los Angeles City Hall, Los Angeles County courts and law library, federal offices and courts, LAPD Headquarters, Caltrans Regional Offices, Grand Park, and other civic facilities. The Project Site is currently occupied by five structurally distinct, but internally connected buildings used by the Los Angeles Times, a bank, and other office uses. These include the 8-story Times Building, the 4-story Plant Building, the 10-story Mirror Building, the 6-story parking garage, and the 6-story Executive Building, resulting in a total of approximately 559,863 sf (See attached Project Location Map).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Project would retain and renovate the Times, Plant, and Mirror Buildings to provide approximately 376,105 sf of offices and/or other retail and commercial uses, including an approximately 50,000 sf grocery store. These three buildings are aligned along S. Spring Street, with frontages along both W. 1st Street and W. 2nd Street. The Project proposes to demolish the Parking Garage and Executive Building located on the western half of the Site and construct two mixed-use towers (North and South Towers).

Notice of Preparation OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING


The Project’s 37-story North Tower and 53-story South Tower mixed-use components would be constructed in the west sector of the Project Site in the areas currently occupied by the 6-story Executive Building at the corner of W. 1st Street and S. Broadway and the 6-story parking structure at the corner of W. 2nd Street and S. Broadway. The North Tower would contain 450 residential units and the South Tower would contain 677 residential units for a total of 1,127 residential units. The towers would include approximately 34,572 sf of retail uses, which would be located at ground level. With the addition of retail uses, total new construction would amount to 1,135,803 sf. Inclusive of the existing buildings to be retained and rehabilitated, the project would include a total of 1,511,908 sf of floor area for a resulting floor-area ratio (FAR) of approximately 9.42:1.

The Project would include a pedestrian paseo constructed along the east edge of the North and South Towers, passing from sidewalk to sidewalk between W. 1st Street to W. 2nd Street. Approximately 72,902 sf of common open space, including the approximately 15,708 sf paseo, would be provided as part of the North and South Towers component. With the addition of approximately 56,349 sf of private balconies, combined private and common open space would be approximately 129,477 sf.

Development of the Project would occur in one phase, with initiation of construction expected in 2019, followed by an approximate four-year construction period ending with buildout and occupancy in 2023.

Existing Uses

Existing Uses Existing Square-Footage

Commercial Land Uses Executive Building

Office* 176,258 sf Bank* 7,500 sf Executive Building Subtotal 183,758 sf

Times Building Office 116,113 sf Times Building Subtotal 116,113 sf

Mirror Building Office 169,402 sf Mirror Building Subtotal 169,402 sf

Plant Building Cafeteria 11,250 sf Office 79,340 sf Plant Building Subtotal 90,590 sf

Total 559,863 sf *Indicates uses to be removed. The existing Executive Building at the corner of W. 1st Street and S. Broadway and the parking structure at the corner of W. 2nd Street and S. Broadway would be demolished. The Times, Mirror, and Plant Building would be retained and rehabilitated, and would contain the mix of uses specified below in the Proposed Uses table.


Proposed Uses

Proposed Uses Maximum Size

North and South Towers Commercial Land Uses Retail 34,572 sf Total Commercial 34,572 sf Residential Land Uses 1,127 units Total Residential 1,127 units /1,101,231 sf Total Proposed Floor Area (New Construction)

1,135,803 sf

Times, Plant and Mirror Buildings Rehabilitation Commercial Uses Office 285,088 sf Ground-floor Restaurant 18,817 sf Upper-floor Restaurant 22,200 sf Grocery Store 50,000 sf Total Commercial (Times, Plant and Mirror Rehabilitation)

376,105 sf

Total Proposed Project Floor Area

1,511,908 sf

Open Space Level 1 – Paseo/Plaza 15,708 sf Level 1 – Lounge (North Tower) 1,270 sf Level 1 – Lounge (South Tower) 1,755 sf Level 6 – Amenity (North Tower)

13,331 sf

Level 6 – Amenity (South Tower)

12,287 sf

Level 6 – Garden Plaza 28,777 sf Private Balconies 56,349 sf Total Open Space 129,477 sf

REQUESTED PERMITS/APPROVALS: The project applicant is requesting the following entitlements from the City of Los Angeles:

(1) Transfer of Floor Area Rights (TFAR) greater than 50,000 square feet of floor area for the transfer of 548,440 square feet of floor area from the Los Angeles Convention Center (Donor Site) to the Project Site (Receiver Site);

(2) Vesting Conditional Use Permit to permit floor averaging within a unified development; (3) Master Conditional Use Permit (MCUB) to permit the on-site and off-site sale and consumption of alcoholic

beverages within the Project’s commercial retail spaces; (4) Vesting Tentative Tract Map for the merger and re-subdivision of the Project Site for condominium

purposes (LAMC Sec. 17.15). The Applicant is requesting to provide parking per LAMC requirements in lieu of the parking requirements under the Advisory Agency’s Parking Policy for Condominiums;

(5) Construction permits, including building, grading, excavation, foundation, and associated permits; (6) Haul Route Permit, as may be required; and


(7) Other approvals and permits as needed.

POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE PROJECT: Based on an Initial Study, the proposed project could have potentially significant environmental impacts in the following topic areas, which are to be addressed in the EIR: Air Quality, Cultural Resources, Geology and Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Land Use and Planning, Noise, Population and Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Transportation and Traffic, Tribal Cultural Resources, and Utilities and Service Systems.

PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING: A Public Scoping Meeting will be held in an open house format to share information regarding the proposed project and the environmental review process and to receive written public comments regarding the scope and content of the environmental analysis to be addressed in the EIR. City staff, environmental consultants, and project representatives will be available, but no formal presentation is scheduled. You may stop by at any time between 5:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. to view materials, ask questions, and provide written comments. The City encourages all interested individuals and organizations to attend this meeting. Written comments may be submitted, but there will be no verbal comments or public testimony taken at the Scoping Meeting. No decisions about the project will be made at the Scoping Meeting. A separate public hearing for Municipal Code entitlement requests, will be scheduled after the completion of the EIR. The date, time, and location of the public scoping meeting are as follows:

Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 Time: 5:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Location: Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium

LAPD Police Administration Building 100 W. 1st Street Los Angeles, CA 90012

Paid parking is available at: 200 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

FILE REVIEW AND COMMENTS: The enclosed materials reflect the scope of the project. The environmental file is available for public review at the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 750, Los Angeles, CA 90012, during office hours Monday - Friday, 9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. A copy of this notice and the Initial Study prepared for the project may be viewed with the environmental file or online at http://planning.lacity.org by clicking on the “Environmental Review” tab, then “Notice of Preparation & Public Scoping Meetings”.

The City will consider all written comments regarding the potential environmental impacts of the project and issues to be addressed in the EIR. Written comments must be submitted to this office by 4:00 pm, July 31, 2017. Written comments will also be accepted at the scoping meeting described above.

Please direct your comments to:

Mail: William Lamborn City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning 200 N. Spring Street, Room 750 Los Angeles, CA 90012

E-mail: [email protected]

ACCOMMODATIONS: As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability. The Public Scoping Meeting facility and its parking are wheelchair accessible. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. Other services, such as translation between English and other


languages, may also be provided upon written request submitted a minimum of seven (7) working days in advance to: [email protected]. Be sure to identify the language you need English to be translated into, and indicate if the request is for oral or written translation services. If translation of a written document is requested, please include the document to be translated as an attachment to your email. VINCENT P. BERTONI, AICP Director of Planning William Lamborn Major Projects Section Department of City Planning (213) 978-1470 Attachments: Project Location Map & Scoping Meeting Location Existing On-Site Uses Project Site Plan

Puede obtener información en Español acerca de esta junta llamando al (213) 978-1300.

PROJECTSITE

Available Paid Parking:220 S. Spring Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012(Parking Garage)

Ronald F. Deaton Civic AuditoriumLAPD Police Administration Building

100 W 1st StLos Angeles, CA 90012

BuildingEntrance

SOURCE: Open Street Map, 2016.

Project Site0 400

Feet

PROJECTSITE

Times Mirror Square ProjectExhibit 1

Project Location Map and Scoping Meeting Location

City of Los An geles First Street an d Broadway

Civic Cen ter Park

Future 30-Story Mixed Use an d Metro’s Future Broadway/2n d Street Subway Station

10-StoryFederal CourtBuildin g

10-Story LAPDHeadquartersBuildin g

S. Sprin

g Stre

et

S. Broa

dway

Street

W. 2nd Street

W. 1st Street

1

5

4

3

2

SOURCE: Google Maps, 2016 (Aerial), ESA PCR, 2017

Project SiteCommercial Design ation s

- 6-Story Executive Building (to be removed)1- 8-Story Times Building (to remain)2- 4-Story Plant Building (to remain)3- 10-Story Mirror Building (to remain)4- 6-Level Parking Structure (to be removed)5

0 200

Feet

Times Mirror Square Project Exhibit 2

Existing On Site Uses

Times Mirror Square Project Exhibit 3

Project Site Plan

SOURCE: AC Martin Partners, Inc, 2017

0 40

Feet

126' - 0"

115'

- 0"

28' -

0"19

' - 0"

31' -

0"34

' - 6"

2' - 6

"

S SPRING STREET

W 1

ST S

TRE

ET

W 2

ND

STR

EE

T

S. BROADWAY STREET

PROPERTY LINE

144' - 5"

128' - 5"

120'

- 0"

104'

- 0"

142' - 0"

131'

- 0"

115'

- 0"

TIMES BUILDINGPLANT BUILDING

GROUND FLOOR GROCERY STORE AND ROOF LEVEL GARDEN

5 LEVEL PARKING PODIUMWITH GROUND FLOOR RETAIL

AND ROOFTOP GARDEN, POOL DECK

NORTH TOWER OVER5 LEVEL PARKING PODIUM

AND GROUND FLOOR RETAIL

SOUTH TOWER OVER5 LEVEL PARKING PODIUM

AND GROUND FLOOR RETAIL

MIRRORBUILDING

191' - 6"

PODIUM BELOW

175' - 6"

PASEO

PASEOENTRANCE

PASEOENTRANCE

DRIVEWAY

DRIVEWAY

126' - 0"

144' - 5"

128' - 5"

142' - 0"

191' - 6"

PODIUM BELOWW

of environmental impact report and public scoping … · 2017-06-29 · street, w. 2nd street, and...

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