LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY WESTSIDE PURPLE LINE EXTENSION PROJECT, SECTION 3 ADVANCED PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING Contract No. PS-4350-2000
Land Use, Community and Neighborhoods, and Environmental Justice Technical Memorandum Task No. 62.04.010.03.09E
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777 South Figueroa Street, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, CA 90017
December 2018
Land Use, Community and Neighborhoods, and Environmental Justice Technical Memorandum Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 1-1 1.1 Project Overview ...... 1-1 1.2 Purpose of Technical Memorandum ...... 1-4
2.0 PROJECT REFINEMENTS ...... 2-1 2.1 Construction Staging Areas ...... 2-2 2.1.1 Western VA Construction Staging Area ...... 2-5 2.1.2 Lot 42 Construction Staging Area ...... 2-7 2.1.3 Construction Staging and Work Areas in Caltrans Infiltration Basins ...... 2-7 2.1.4 Construction Staging Area Located West of Bonsall Avenue ...... 2-7 2.1.5 Replacement Parking Structure ...... 2-7 2.2 Alignment at VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance ...... 2-8 2.3 Westwood/VA Hospital Station Access ...... 2-12 2.4 Murals ...... 2-15 2.5 Construction Method for Westwood/VA Hospital Station West Crossover ...... 2-18 2.6 Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances ...... 2-20 2.7 Tunnel Size ...... 2-23 2.8 Grouting ...... 2-23 2.9 Underground Conduits ...... 2-25
3.0 METHODOLOGY ...... 3-1 3.1 Change of Circumstances...... 3-1 3.2 Project Refinement Analysis ...... 3-1
4.0 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ...... 4-1 4.1 Land Use ...... 4-1 4.1.1 Regulatory Setting ...... 4-1 4.1.2 Affected Environment/Existing Conditions ...... 4-4 4.1.3 Environmental Impacts/Environmental Consequences ...... 4-11 4.2 Community and Neighborhoods ...... 4-25 4.2.1 Regulatory Setting ...... 4-25 4.2.2 Affected Environment/Existing Conditions ...... 4-26 4.2.3 Environmental Impacts/Environmental Consequences ...... 4-35 4.3 Environmental Justice...... 4-45 4.3.1 Regulatory Setting ...... 4-45 4.3.2 Affected Environment/Existing Conditions ...... 4-46 4.3.3 Environmental Impacts/Environmental Consequences ...... 4-51
5.0 REFERENCES ...... 5-1
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List of Figures Figure 1-1: Westside Purple Line Extension ...... 1-2 Figure 1-2: Communities in the Vicinity of Section 3 of the Westside Purple Line Extension ...... 1-4 Figure 2-1: Construction Schedule for Section 3 ...... 2-1 Figure 2-2: Construction Staging Areas – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed...... 2-3 Figure 2-3: Tower Crane and Vertical Conveyor Belt Storage Towers (Example) ...... 2-6 Figure 2-4: Tunnel and Crossover Alignment at VA Medical Center – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed ...... 2-10 Figure 2-5: Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance and Pedestrian Circulation Features – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed ...... 2-11 Figure 2-6: Bus and Passenger Drop-off Areas – Final EIS/EIR ...... 2-13 Figure 2-7: Bus and Passenger Drop-off Areas – Proposed...... 2-14 Figure 2-8: Murals ...... 2-16 Figure 2-9: Northeast Mural Wall ...... 2-17 Figure 2-10: Construction Method for Westwood/VA Hospital Station West Crossover ...... 2-19 Figure 2-11: Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances – Final EIS/EIR ...... 2-21 Figure 2-12: Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances – Proposed ...... 2-22 Figure 2-13: Tunnel Size – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed ...... 2-23 Figure 2-14: Ground Improvement Grouting for WPLE Section 3 at Westfield Mall ...... 2-24 Figure 2-15: Ground Improvement Grouting at Sepulveda Boulevard ...... 2-25 Figure 2-16: Temporary and Permanent Power ...... 2-26 Figure 4-1: Westside Purple Line Extension—Section 3 Land Use Map ...... 4-6 Figure 4-2: Land Use Distribution of the Communities in the Study Area ...... 4-7 Figure 4-3: Land Use Distribution One-Quarter Mile of the Station Areas in the Study Area ...... 4-7 Figure 4-4: VA WLA Campus Planning Zones...... 4-9 Figure 4-5: Simulated View 01 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from Los Angeles National Veterans Park (facing south) ...... 4-68 Figure 4-6: Simulated View 02 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from Los Angeles National Veterans Park (facing south) ...... 4-69 Figure 4-7: Simulated View 01 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from WLA VA Historic District (facing west) ...... 4-70 Figure 4-8: Simulated View 02 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from WLA VA Historic District (facing west) ...... 4-71
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List of Tables Table 4-1: 2016-2040 SCAG RTP/SCS Goals ...... 4-3 Table 4-2: Study Area Communities Percent of Population by Age (2000) ...... 4-28 Table 4-3: Study Area Communities Population by Race and Ethnicity (2000)...... 4-28 Table 4-4: Study Area Communities by Household Income (2000) ...... 4-29 Table 4-5: Study Area Communities by Population Density (2000) ...... 4-29 Table 4-6: Study Area Communities by Length of Tenancy (2000) ...... 4-29 Table 4-7: Study Area Communities Percent of Population by Age (2015) ...... 4-30 Table 4-8: Study Area Communities Population by Race and Ethnicity (2015)...... 4-31 Table 4-9: Study Area Communities by Household Income (2015) ...... 4-31 Table 4-10: Study Area Communities by Population Density (2015) ...... 4-32 Table 4-11: Study Area Communities by Length of Tenancy (2015) ...... 4-32 Table 4-12: EJ Characteristics of the Communities in the Study Area (2000) ...... 4-47 Table 4-13: EJ Characteristics of Communities in the Study Area (2015) ...... 4-48 Table 4-14: Communities in the Study Area Defined as EJ Populations Based on Ethnic/Racial Minority Populations ...... 4-50 Table 4-15: Communities in the Study Area Defined as EJ Populations Based on the Population Living Below Poverty Level ...... 4-50 Table 4-16: Construction Area Footprint1 – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed (in square feet) (excludes subsurface easements) ...... 4-62 Table 4-17: Temporary Subsurface Easements – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed (in square feet) ...... 4-63 Table 4-18: Permanent Surface Easements – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed (in square feet) (Excludes Subsurface Easements) ...... 4-65
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List of Acronyms ACS U.S. Census American Community Service BMP Best Management Practice CAAQS California Ambient Air Quality Standards Caltrans California Department of Transportation CEQA California Environmental Quality Act (PRC 21000-21177) CFR Code of Federal Regulations CO Carbon Monoxide dBA A-weighted decibels EIS/EIR environmental impact statement/environmental impact report EUL Enhanced-Lease Uses FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act FTA Federal Transit Administration GLA DMP Greater Los Angeles Campus Draft Master Plan GSA General Services Administration LEP Limited English Proficiency Leq Equivalent Noise Level Metro Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
NOx Nitrogen Oxides
PM2.5 Particulate matter smaller than or equal to 2.5 microns in size
PM10 Particulate matter smaller than or equal to 10 microns in size Project Westside Purple Line Extension PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ROD Record of Decision RTP/SCS Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy SCAG Southern California Association of Governments SCAQMD South Coast Air Quality Management District SCE Southern California Edison TBI Traumatic Brain Injury TBM tunnel boring machine UCLA University of California, Los Angeles VA Veterans Affairs WLA VA Historic District West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Historic District
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VA WLA Campus Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Campus WLA West Los Angeles WPLE Westside Purple Line Extension
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Since certification of the Westside Subway Extension Project Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR) in May 2012 (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority [Metro] 2012a) and issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD) in August 2012, efforts in support of Advanced Preliminary Engineering and stakeholder coordination have occurred within Section 3 of the Westside Purple Line Extension (WPLE) Project (the Project). As a result of these efforts, Metro has identified a limited number of refinements to project features and construction methods that are necessary to improve long-term operational efficiency, minimize previously identified impacts, and/or decrease the construction schedule and construction costs. Implementation of the project refinements provides benefits to the Project. The project refinements are described in Section 2.0. This memorandum assesses the potential land use, communities, and environmental justice (EJ) effects of the WPLE Section 3 project refinements during construction and operation. 1.1 Project Overview The Project is an approximately 9-mile heavy rail transit subway that will operate as an extension of the Metro Purple Line from its current western terminus at the Wilshire/Western Station to a new western terminus near the Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles (VA WLA) Campus (Figure 1-1). The Project will improve mobility and provide a fast, reliable, high-capacity, and environmentally sound transportation alternative for the Westside of Los Angeles. This improvement in public transit service will significantly increase east–west capacity and improve mobility by reducing transit travel times. On a county-wide level, the Project will strengthen regional access by connecting Metro bus, Metro rail, and Metrolink networks to a high-capacity transit solution serving the Project Area.
The overall Project Area is located in western Los Angeles County and encompasses approximately 38 square miles. The overall Project Area is east/west oriented and includes portions of the Cities of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, as well as unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. The Study Area boundaries generally extend north to the base of the Santa Monica Mountains along Hollywood, Sunset, and San Vicente Boulevards; east to the Metro Rail stations at Hollywood/Highland and Wilshire/Western Boulevards; south to Pico Boulevard; and west to the Pacific Ocean. The Project was planned to be constructed in three phases:
µ Section 1: 3.92-mile section from the existing Wilshire/Western Station to Wilshire/La Cienega with three new stations: Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega
µ Section 2: 2.59-mile section from Wilshire/La Cienega to Century City with two new stations: Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City Constellation
µ Section 3: 2.56-mile section from Century City to Westwood/VA Hospital with two new stations: Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Metro completed the Final EIS/EIR for the Project in March 2012 (Metro 2012a).
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Figure 1-1: Westside Purple Line Extension
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In April and again in May 2012, the Metro Board of Directors (Board) certified the Final EIS/EIR and adopted the Findings of Fact, Statement of Overriding Considerations, a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, and approved the first phase of the Project. In May 2012, the Metro Board approved the second and third phases of the Project. The ROD was issued by FTA for all three sections of the Project in August 2012 (note, in the Final EIS/EIR the “sections” of the Project were referred to as “phases”).1 The ROD issued by the FTA and the certification of the Final EIS/EIR by the Metro Board completed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the Project, respectively.
The Final EIS/EIR included two construction scenarios―concurrent and phased. The concurrent construction scenario assumed construction would begin in 2013 and the entire Project would be operational in 2022. The phased construction scenario assumed construction of Section 3 would begin in 2029 with operation beginning in 2036. The November 2016 Los Angeles County voter approval of Measure M, the one-half-cent sales tax, enables construction of Section 3 to occur sooner than originally planned. Construction of Section 3 would be largely concurrent with construction of Sections 1 and 2 of the Project, construction of which are already underway.
The ROD issued for the Project states that Metro must notify FTA of any changes to the Project and refrain from taking action on those changes until FTA has determined what, if any, additional environmental analysis is necessary and that the analysis has been completed and approved by FTA. The ROD additionally states that FTA will review changes in accordance with its environmental procedures (23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 771.130) on supplemental documentation.
23 CFR § 771.129 requires consultation with the FTA to establish whether the approved environmental document remains valid. Additionally, 40 CFR § 1502.9(c) and 23 CFR § 771.130 both state that an EIS must be supplemented whenever it is determined that “[c]hanges to the proposed action” or “[n]ew information or circumstances relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its impacts” would result in significant impacts that were not evaluated in the EIS. 23 CFR § 771.130(b) states that a supplemental EIS is not required when the changes in the proposed action or new information or circumstances result in a lessening of adverse environmental impacts evaluated in the Final EIS without resulting in other environmental impacts that are significant and were not evaluated in the Final EIS.
Consistent with 23 CFR § 771.130, Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of Regulations Section 15000 et seq.) states that after certification of an EIR, a subsequent EIR is not required unless the agency determines that there are substantial changes in the Project, substantial changes in the circumstances surrounding the Project, or new information that involves “new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects.” When the conditions described in Section 15162 are satisfied, a supplemental EIR containing only the information required to make the prior EIR adequate for the project may be prepared.
Metro has advanced the design of Section 3 of the Project and has had further coordination with stakeholders, including the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the VA, resulting in a number
1 In November 2017, the FTA issued a Supplemental ROD addressing Section 2 of the WPLE. Because the Supplemental ROD pertained to Section 2 only, it is not further discussed in this technical memorandum. None of the project refinements alter the conclusions of the Supplemental ROD.
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of refinements to the design of the Project. The description of the refinements is summarized in Section 2.0 of this technical memorandum. Metro evaluated these refinements in accordance with the aforementioned regulations pursuant to NEPA and CEQA. 1.2 Purpose of Technical Memorandum Information and analyses presented in this technical memorandum are focused on Section 3 of the Project (Study Area). As described in Section 1.1, the entire Project is a 9-mile heavy rail transit subway. The Study Area for Section 3 is a 2.56-mile segment between Century City and the proposed Westwood/VA Hospital Station. The Final EIS/EIR identified 22 communities located in the entire Project Area. Of these 22 communities, six are located within the Study Area for Section 3—Century City, Westwood, the VA WLA Campus, Rancho Park, West Los Angeles, and Brentwood—and are the focus of this analysis (Figure 1-2). As with the Final EIS/EIR, the Study Area is defined as a one-quarter-mile area around the Section 3 alignment.
Figure 1-2: Communities in the Vicinity of Section 3 of the Westside Purple Line Extension
This technical memorandum provides a focused summary of the findings of the Final EIS/EIR specific to the Study Area and provides an in-depth analysis of related project refinements. Due to the time that has passed since the Final EIS/EIR was published, this memorandum includes the most current land use, community and neighborhood characteristics, and EJ information for Section 3 and describes the growth that has occurred in the Study Area since publication of the Final EIS/EIR. The most current data are based on the 2010 U.S. Census and the 2015 American Community Service (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. The
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following analysis demonstrates that no substantial changes or growth have occurred in the Study Area and that with implementation of the project refinements, the conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged and no new impacts would occur.
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2.0 PROJECT REFINEMENTS
The following sections describe the project refinements identified during Advanced Preliminary Engineering and through stakeholder coordination. The methodology used for the evaluation of the project refinements is described in Section 3.0 of this technical memorandum, and the analysis and findings are presented in Section 4.0.
Final design and construction of the WPLE Project Section 3 will be procured by Metro primarily through two main design-build contracts, one for tunnel construction and the other for stations and systems construction. The descriptions of the project refinements, including construction means and methods, provided in this section are based on the Section 3 Construction Approach Plan dated March 2018. This plan updated the construction plan evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR issued in 2012. The plan describes how it is anticipated that the contractors, once they are selected, will complete the work; however, the final means and methods may differ from what is included in this analysis. Experience from previous phases of the WPLE Project indicate that similar sequencing and methods would largely be adopted by the Section 3 contractors. The design-build contractors will be required to comply with the criteria included in this analysis. It is anticipated that the ultimate design of the project refinements will be in substantial conformance with the descriptions provided in this section. A third contract for advance utility relocations will be procured for the Westwood/UCLA Station to relocate utilities ahead of construction in the street. It should be noted that utility relocations would also occur under the tunnel and stations and systems contractors described above.
The construction schedule for Section 3 is presented in Figure 2-1. This schedule is largely consistent with the construction sequencing and timeline presented in the Final EIS/EIR; however, Metro proposes advancing the construction schedule of Section 3 in order to have the system in operation by the 2028 Olympic Games that will be held in Los Angeles. To accomplish this goal, Metro must advance contracts concurrently and, therefore, anticipates that the tunnel and station contracts would overlap. In comparison, the Final EIS/EIR did not assume that there would be separate contracts which would overlap.
Figure 2-1: Construction Schedule for Section 3
Source: WSP 2018 Note: TBM = tunnel boring machine
Major construction activities begin with mobilization at the tail track exit shaft on the Western VA Construction Staging Area (the tail track exit shaft is defined in Section 2.1.1) for the tunnel contract, which is anticipated to begin in June 2019. In advance of tunneling, surface piling for the station end walls (excavation support walls at both ends of the station box), modifications to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) basin, surface instrumentation, and grouting at Sepulveda
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Boulevard and at Westfield Mall (see Section 2.8) are required as part of the work for the tunneling contractor. The tunneling operation, utilizing tunnel boring machines (TBMs), would progress from west to east, to the end of the tunnel reach (at Century City). Cross-passage construction commences below ground on completion of tunneling.
For the Westwood/VA Hospital Station, the piling of the side walls and appendages of the station box and partial, temporary decking of Bonsall Avenue and the I-405 ramp at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would be undertaken by the station contractor and are largely unchanged from the concepts described in the Final EIS/EIR. Other activities such as utility relocations, installation of dewatering and instrumentation wells, and removal of street pavement and subgrade would be undertaken to facilitate the excavation of the station. Areas of the station box that are off-street would not need to be decked. Following the installation of the piling and street decking, the station box can be excavated. This sequence is unchanged from the Final EIS/EIR. Following excavation and invert construction, the station walls, floors, and roof would be constructed, followed by architectural finishes along with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and rail systems installation. The station entrance and other site facilities would be constructed concurrently, or just following the station box construction.
The Westwood/UCLA Station would generally be constructed concurrently with the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. The Westwood/UCLA Station is located underneath Wilshire Boulevard and requires full street decking of that roadway, which would be installed over a series of weekends. The advance utility relocation would move utilities away from the pile corridor and lower them under the decking. This approach is consistent with the Final EIS/EIR. Once the decking is installed, excavation would commence. The sequence then is the same as described for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. The stations contractor would construct the station entrances at a similar time or just after the station boxes for each station. Changes to station entrances from the Final EIS/EIR are described in Sections 2.2 and 2.6 for the Westwood/VA Hospital and Westwood/UCLA Stations, respectively.
In addition to the station construction, the station contractor must install the concrete invert, track, wayside cabling and systems in the tunnels and stations. This work can commence after the train rooms at both stations are clear of obstructions. Once construction activities are complete, systems testing and integration for the power, communications, and signaling systems can be undertaken. On completion of systems testing and integration, test running and trial operations are undertaken ahead of revenue service. These activities are generally subsurface and are consistent with the Final EIS/EIR. 2.1 Construction Staging Areas The construction staging areas identified on or in proximity to the VA WLA Campus have been refined since issuance of the Final EIS/EIR (Metro 2012a). The locations of the construction staging areas in the Final EIS/EIR and the refined construction staging areas adjacent to and west of I-405 are shown in Figure 2-2. The following sections summarize the refinements to construction staging areas west of I-405.
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Figure 2-2: Construction Staging Areas – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed
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2.1.1 Western VA Construction Staging Area As stated in Chapter 2, Section 2.6.4 of the Final EIS/EIR under the heading “Westwood/VA Hospital South Station,” two options for the location of the construction staging area for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station were considered: within a parking lot located south of Wilshire Boulevard and east of Bonsall Avenue (referred to as Lot 42) and on the U.S. Army Reserve site located west of the VA WLA Campus. The construction staging area at the U.S. Army Reserve site would be approximately 3.3 acres, of which approximately 1.7 acres would be located on the western side of the VA WLA Campus and 1.6 acres would be on the U.S. Army Reserve site. According to the Final EIS/EIR, this staging area would be used if Lot 42 were unavailable at the time of project construction. In an effort to minimize construction- related impacts to the VA Main Hospital (Building 500, also identified as the James W. Wadsworth Building), Metro proposes to stage a substantial portion of major construction activities as far from the Main Hospital as feasible. (As described in Section 2.1.2, construction staging for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station box would continue to occur from Lot 42. Due to the overlap in the tunnel and station contracts described above, Metro requires larger construction staging areas to support construction of Section 3.) Based on coordination with the U.S. Army, locating a portion of the construction staging area on the U.S. Army Reserve site is no longer feasible. Therefore, Metro proposes a construction staging area located completely on the western portion of the VA WLA Campus. In the Final EIS/EIR, the portion of the alternate staging area on the VA WLA Campus was located in an area that has since been converted into a solar farm. The solar farm provides an alternative source of energy to the VA. The VA has also indicated that this site would be used to support construction of projects identified in the Greater Los Angeles Draft Master Plan (U.S. Department of VA 2016), for which the VA is preparing a Draft Programmatic EIS. Information provided by the VA also indicates that the solar farm may be the site of future construction. Therefore, to avoid impacts to the solar farm and future construction activities undertaken by the VA, Metro has reconfigured the portion of the construction staging area on the VA WLA Campus. The footprint of the construction staging area also seeks to minimize impacts to landscaping in the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Historic District (WLA VA Historic District), including the “Palm Grid,” which is identified as a contributing element to the historic district. The construction staging area would be approximately 3.1 acres, which is approximately 0.2 acre smaller than the footprint of the alternate site identified in the Final EIS/EIR.
Metro proposes to use this construction staging area to support the TBM (including launching the TBMs) and spoil removal activities, for construction field offices, to allow construction vehicle circulation, and to house temporary electrical power equipment. Metro also proposes to locate an electric tower crane adjacent to the tail track exit shaft that would be used to move materials in and out of the shaft. The tower crane would be approximately 120 feet high with a horizontal boom length of approximately 160 feet (Figure 2-3). Conveyors would be used in the tunnels to move excavated materials from the TBM to the access shaft and out to the storage piles. A vertical conveyor would move material from the bottom of the shaft, and transfer conveyors would move spoils from the top of the tail track exit shaft to the storage piles. The vertical conveyor would be approximately 30 feet above the ground surface, as would the transfer conveyors. Two vertical conveyor belt storage towers would be erected adjacent to the tail track exit shaft. These towers would be 90 to 100 feet high and approximately 10 feet wide by 20 feet in length. The vertical conveyor belt storage towers would be enclosed to control noise and dust. The tail track exit shaft is approximately 90 feet in internal diameter and is the location from which the TBMs would be launched. Storage silos approximately 40 to 50 feet in height would also be located on the site. These would be enclosed structures, storing grouting materials for the TBM.
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Figure 2-3: Tower Crane and Vertical Conveyor Belt Storage Towers (Example)
Source: Photo from presentation on Line A Extension Prague Metro by Ermin Stehlik – Gall Zeidler Consultants at BTS 2013 Conference
Utilization of this construction staging area would move a substantial portion of major construction activities away from the VA Main Hospital (Building 500), thereby reducing impacts to the hospital and its patrons, including veterans, compared to those described in the Final EIS/EIR for the option where all construction staging on the VA WLA Campus occurred in Lot 42. Specifically, the Lot 42 construction staging area is approximately 300 feet from the entrance to the VA Main Hospital while the tail track exit shaft on the Western VA Construction Staging Area is approximately 1,400 feet from the entrance. This reduction of impacts occurs even though the staging area on the VA WLA Campus has increased in size from 1.7 acres in the Final EIS/EIR to 3.1 acres. In particular, benefits associated with moving the staging area would include a reduction in noise, improved air quality, and reduced truck trips near the VA Main Hospital (Building 500).
This construction staging area would be accessed directly from Wilshire Boulevard via a new driveway to the staging area, thereby reducing construction vehicle activity elsewhere on the VA WLA Campus relative to the Final EIS/EIR, which assumed construction truck activity would occur on Bonsall Avenue and Dowlen Drive. Dowlen Drive would no longer be used to access the construction staging area except for emergency situations. At the request of the VA, the driveway within the Western VA construction staging area from Wilshire Boulevard and Dowlen Drive would also accommodate future traffic associated with construction activities undertaken by the VA on the south campus. The location and size of the construction staging area, as well as the construction activities that would occur there, have been coordinated with representatives of the VA. Refer to Section 2.2 for information on permanent aboveground features located in the western portion of the VA WLA Campus.
The Final EIS/EIR assumed that if construction were staged from Lot 42, support and launch of the TBM would occur at this location as well. The Final EIS/EIR assumed the tunnels located west of the station, known as tail tracks and used for storage of trains, would be mined structures (as shown on Drawing No.
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A-011 in Appendix B of the Final EIS/EIR), meaning that the structures would be almost entirely excavated with small excavators as opposed to TBMs. As the TBM would now be launched from the Western VA Construction Staging Area, the tail tracks would be constructed using the TBM instead, which provides benefits to schedule and reduced construction risk. The proposed use of the TBM rather than mining would allow for a more controlled excavation as the TBM operates with a shield under mechanically pressurized conditions.
2.1.2 Lot 42 Construction Staging Area The Final EIS/EIR included a construction staging area within the VA WLA Campus parking lot located south of Wilshire Boulevard and east of Bonsall Avenue (referred to as Lot 42). The size of this construction staging area remains largely unchanged; however, certain major construction activities, such as support for operation of the TBM, have been shifted to the construction staging area on the west side of the VA WLA Campus to minimize construction-related impacts to the VA Main Hospital (Building 500).
2.1.3 Construction Staging and Work Areas in Caltrans Infiltration Basins The Final EIS/EIR also included a construction staging area within a Caltrans infiltration basin (a stormwater Best Management Practice or BMP) located south of Wilshire Boulevard and bounded by the I-405 raised west embankment and the I-405 southbound off-ramp to Wilshire Boulevard (Figure 2-2). The size of this construction staging area has been reduced since issuance of the Final EIS/EIR from 1.7 acres to 1 acre as a result of a consolidated construction staging area and design refinement.
During the advancement of design, it was determined that the Caltrans infiltration basin located north of Wilshire Boulevard and bounded by I-405 and the on-ramp to southbound I-405 would require modifications to replace the volume of water displaced by construction within the south basin. Modifications include excavation and backfill with permeable material, as well as storm drain diversions. The approximately 1-acre site is shown in Figure 2-2. The basins are for the exclusive use of Caltrans and cannot be used by other agencies for drainage purposes, unless encroachment permits submitted by those agencies are approved by Caltrans. Metro’s contractor will be required to obtain permits for the handling and disposal of water in the construction staging areas.
2.1.4 Construction Staging Area Located West of Bonsall Avenue A construction staging area west of Bonsall Avenue is also required to construct the west crossover and west end of the station box (refer to Section 2.2 for a description of the change in location of the station box and Section 2.5 for a description of the construction method for the west crossover). Very limited construction traffic (approximately 20 vehicles per day) is proposed in this staging area; the contract documents require that the site not be used for storage of diesel engine equipment, for contractor parking, or for construction facilities such as trailers. The staging area is approximately 10 feet wider than the station piled walls and approximately 300 feet long. The approximately 1-acre site is shown in Figure 2-2.
2.1.5 Replacement Parking Structure The Final EIS/EIR identified the construction of a replacement parking structure within an existing doctors’ parking lot on the VA WLA Campus (Lot 43), located east of the VA Main Hospital (Building 500), to offset the permanent and temporary loss of parking that would occur in Lot 42 during construction of
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the station. Metro is coordinating with representatives of the VA regarding the location and capacity of the parking structure, but at present assumes the structure would be five stories in height plus a ground floor and would continue to be located in Lot 43. The northern half of the existing parking lot would be demolished to accommodate the parking structure. 2.2 Alignment at VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance Within proximity to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station, the alignment as evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR contained several smaller radius (tighter) curves and an east crossover structure (referred to as the GSA [General Services Administration] crossover) within the GSA property east of I-405 (a crossover is specialized trackwork that allows a train to reverse direction and use an adjacent track to continue operation). Metro Rail Criteria require that a terminal station include two crossovers, before and after the station; therefore, there is also a west crossover attached to the west end of the station platform. Through the advancement of design, the curves in the alignment have been minimized to improve operating conditions for a future transit extension from the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. The Final EIS/EIR and refined alignments are shown in Figure 2-4. In the Final EIS/EIR, the tail tracks were situated in tunnels directly beneath a contributing element to the WLA VA Historic District, referred to as Building 90: Duplex. As a result of the refinement to the alignment, the tail track tunnels are no longer situated beneath any building within the VA WLA Campus or the WLA VA Historic District (Figure 2-4).
The refinement to the alignment would accommodate an east crossover directly east of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station and partly within the Caltrans infiltration basin, which would be connected to the station platform (this crossover is referred to as the East Crossover at the VA Campus). This location for this crossover is operationally preferred by Metro compared to the GSA crossover because the crossover is located closer to the station platform and allows for a much more efficient turnaround of the trains. With this refinement, the GSA crossover would be eliminated and a cross passage within Caltrans right-of-way east of I-405 would be added (the project is constructed as two tunnels; a cross passage is a small passageway that connects those tunnels to provide egress in the case of fire or another emergency). Placement of the cross passage off-street in this location minimizes impacts to Wilshire Boulevard and the I-405 northbound ramps. The Final EIS/EIR included two construction staging areas for construction of the GSA crossover—one on GSA property and the other within Caltrans right-of-way in an area bounded by Wilshire Boulevard to the north and the I-405 northbound ramps (Figure 2-4). The construction staging area on the GSA property would be eliminated completely because all construction on the GSA property would occur from underground. The construction staging area within Caltrans right-of-way would no longer be required to support construction at the GSA property; however, this staging area would be used for construction of the cross passage, necessary grout injection to support utilities beneath Sepulveda Boulevard (refer to Section 2.8), and as a staging site for advance utility relocations. The overall size of this Caltrans staging area has been reduced from 1.72 acres to 0.94 acre (a 0.78-acre reduction) because these construction activities can be accommodated on a smaller staging area than what was required for the crossover. Minimizing construction on the GSA property would benefit the Project and the GSA, as there would be less disruption, noise and vibration, haul routes, and traffic in front of the building.
The tail tracks for the Final EIS/EIR alignment would terminate in a new access shaft, consisting of an exit stair and ventilation shaft, located subsurface within the WLA VA Historic District and in the sidewalk along Wilshire Boulevard for emergency exiting (the Final EIS/EIR referred to the access shaft as an “emergency exit”; this term will be used in this memorandum since the purpose of the shaft is to
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provide an emergency exit from the subway tunnels). As a result of the refinement to the alignment, relocation of the emergency exit was required to the westernmost part of the WLA VA Historic District. The tail track exit shaft described in Section 2.1.1 would be modified when construction is complete to accommodate a small permanent subsurface access shaft for emergency egress in the event of a fire and a ventilation shaft. Features at the surface would include ventilation grates and an access hatch, each of which would be terminated just above grade level, sufficiently high to prevent flooding. A path would connect the emergency exit to Wilshire Boulevard and a gate would be provided at the exterior. The path would help direct personnel exiting the shaft to the street rather than entering the WLA VA Historic District. The permanent aboveground features are shown in Figure 2-4.
As a result of the refinement to the alignment, the alignment and station box have been shifted south by approximately 150 feet away from Wilshire Boulevard. The alignment and station box would continue to be located beneath the existing parking lot on the VA WLA Campus. The station box has been moved west, beneath the WLA VA Historic District, by approximately an additional 150 feet as a result of the crossover being added to the east side of the platform. The station box and crossover cannot be moved east because open-cut construction would require closure of portions of I-405. Metro Operations does not favor a separated station box with portions moved east of the I-405. Additionally, this design would reduce the design headways and the ability of trains to turn around at the terminal station. It is not favorable to move the station to the west, as this pushes it farther into the WLA VA Historic District and closer to contributing elements within the district. The shift in the station box required refinements to the station entrance and pedestrian circulation features. With this refinement, the station entrance would be located approximately 100 feet closer to the VA Main Hospital (Building 500), benefiting transit passengers, including veterans and employees, with destinations at this facility. Additionally, the pedestrian circulation features between the station entrance and Wilshire Boulevard would be less circuitous than those included in the Final EIS/EIR design. New vertical circulation elements (elevators and escalators) would be included, thus improving passenger connectivity, particularly for patrons with disabilities (Figure 2-5).
The refinements to the station entrance and pedestrian circulation features would also eliminate the need to reconfigure the access ramps on both sides of Wilshire Boulevard and reduce the impact to the Bonsall Avenue and access ramps intersection. Reconfiguration of the access ramp on the east side of Bonsall Avenue is no longer required; therefore, the pedestrian ramp in the Final EIS/EIR has been replaced with a pedestrian bridge compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act to provide access from the Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance to the bus stop on eastbound Wilshire Boulevard (Figure 2-5). These refinements are being coordinated with representatives of the VA WLA Campus.
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Figure 2-4: Tunnel and Crossover Alignment at VA Medical Center – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed
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Figure 2-5: Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance and Pedestrian Circulation Features – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed
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2.3 Westwood/VA Hospital Station Access Refinements were made to the provision of passenger drop-off and bus access to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. The Final EIS/EIR included a passenger drop-off area on the westbound access ramp from Bonsall Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard (i.e., on the north side of Wilshire Boulevard) and the westbound bus turnout. The Westside Subway Extension Project Station Circulation Report (Metro 2011a) specified that a passenger drop-off area could not be accommodated on the eastbound bus turnout or access ramp because of space constraints; however, passenger drop-off activities were expected to occur informally in both locations. The locations of the potential drop-off areas are shown in Figure 2-6.
As a result of further design, it was determined that the westbound access ramp from Bonsall Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard was too short to accommodate a passenger drop-off area. Additionally, the slope of the ramp is not ADA compliant to accommodate drop offs without requiring substantial modifications. There was also concern that informal passenger drop off would occur from various locations on the VA WLA Campus. Therefore, through coordination with representatives of the VA WLA Campus, a formal passenger drop-off area is now proposed within the northern portion of the existing VA Hospital parking lot (referred to as Lot 42) just east of the proposed station plaza and entrance (Figure 2-7). The passenger drop-off area would have approximately 40 spaces for short-term parking (15 to 30 minutes) and include lighting, storm drain BMPs, and traffic islands. The provision of the dedicated passenger drop-off/pick-up area would benefit the VA WLA Campus and the veteran community as it is designed to prevent Metro passengers that are not associated with the VA from being dropped off or picked up within the VA WLA Campus. Signage (including “no stopping” signs) would be located to direct Metro passengers to the drop-off area and to ensure vehicles do not stop at other points on the campus to drop off passengers. Access to the drop-off area would be via Bonsall Avenue; the new intersection would be striped with a dedicated left-turn lane. Based on analyses completed in support of design, consistent with the California Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a traffic signal would be required at the following two locations on Bonsall Avenue: (1) at the intersection with the Wilshire Boulevard westbound on- and off-ramps and (2) at the intersection with the Wilshire Boulevard eastbound on- and off-ramps. These locations are currently all-way stop-sign controlled. The passenger drop-off area would be designed to accommodate bus service operated by the VA Medical Center; however, public transit provided by other operators (e.g., Metro) would not use the drop-off area.
A bus layover area located on Los Angeles County property has also been included along the westbound on-ramp from Bonsall Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard at the request of Metro’s Bus/Rail Interface group (Figure 2-7). This layover area would allow for the provision of additional future services to West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. To accommodate the bus layover area, the ramp would be widened, which would extend into the adjacent sloped lawn area. The widening would occur within Los Angeles County property.
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Figure 2-6: Bus and Passenger Drop-off Areas – Final EIS/EIR
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Figure 2-7: Bus and Passenger Drop-off Areas – Proposed
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2.4 Murals The Final EIS/EIR identified military-themed murals painted on the walls of the Bonsall Avenue underpass and access ramps to/from Wilshire Boulevard (Figure 2-8). These murals, located on Los Angeles County property, were painted in 1995 by Peter Stewart and other veteran volunteers known as “the crew” and are public art. The Final EIS/EIR assumed that the murals could be protected in place during construction of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. However, studies conducted since completion of the Final EIS/EIR indicate that removal of the northeast mural wall along the south side of the westbound Wilshire Boulevard off-ramp to Bonsall Avenue (Figure 2-9) would be required for construction of the station circulation elements at that location. Once the stairs and escalators are constructed, there would not be sufficient space to accommodate the mural in its original location. As such, Metro proposes removal of the entire northeast mural and conveying the story of that mural in a reduced-scale version using a more durable medium of mosaic tile in another location. The mosaic wall would be located across from the current location of the northeast mural into an embankment and retaining wall on Los Angeles County property. Metro is coordinating with the VA, veterans groups (e.g., the National Veterans Foundation), and other stakeholders (e.g., the LA County Arts Commission) regarding this proposal and has received support from stakeholders. Reconfiguration of the mural into a mosaic is subject to the approval of the LA County Arts Commission and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and agreement by Los Angeles County to maintain the mosaic in perpetuity.
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Figure 2-8: Murals
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Figure 2-9: Northeast Mural Wall
Source: Metro 2018
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2.5 Construction Method for Westwood/VA Hospital Station West Crossover The Project as defined in the Final EIS/EIR included a crossover located west of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station platform; the crossover structure would be approximately 300 feet long. The crossover was to be constructed adopting sequential excavation mining methods at its western end (approximately 50 feet) to reduce impacts to the lawn area within the WLA VA Historic District, which is located at the surface above a portion of the crossover. The adjacent platform, and most of the crossover, which was located underneath an existing VA WLA Campus parking lot (Lot 42), was to be constructed via the cut-and-cover method. The refined alignment would move approximately 250 feet of the crossover section west of Bonsall Avenue beneath the lawn area. With the refined alignment and schedule, the tunnels would be excavated in advance of the crossover from the tail track exit shaft, and the tunnel linings would then be removed during excavation of the crossover. Geotechnical investigations completed since publication of the Final EIS/EIR for the refined alignment confirmed that sands and clays of the Younger and Older Alluvium are present (Metro 2017c). These “soft ground” soils are less favorable for the sequential excavation mining methods, which require specialized construction techniques and monitoring to ensure a safe excavation. Multiple headings (a series of small sections within the cavern face) would need to be excavated for construction safety, slowing progress of the excavation. Therefore, sequential excavation mining methods for the crossover would increase construction risks, including schedule and worker safety. As such, Metro proposes constructing the crossover via the cut-and-cover method, similar to the rest of the station structure. The proposed cut- and-cover area and associated construction staging area are shown in Figure 2-10.
As stated in Section 2.2, the project is constructed as two tunnels, one tunnel for each direction of travel. At terminal stations, a crossover is required to allow trains arriving in one tunnel to cross over into the other tunnel to depart. Because a crossover allows a train to reverse direction, the crossover must connect trackwork located in one tunnel with that in the other tunnel. Typically, crossovers are constructed in a structure directly next to the station and extend for the full width of the station. The TBM tunnels are not normally sized to accommodate any portion of the crossover structure, meaning the width is insufficient to permit the movement of the train through the crossover trackwork. As stated in Section 2.7, the Section 3 tunnel diameter has increased from an outside diameter of 20 feet 10 inches to 22 feet 6 inches to permit 50 feet of the crossover trackwork to extend into the tunnels, which reduces the length of the cut-and-cover area required for the crossover within the WLA VA Historic District west of the station from 300 feet to 250 feet. The 250-foot cut-and-cover area west of Bonsall Avenue is in addition to the cut-and-cover area required for the station box east of Bonsall Avenue.
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Figure 2-10: Construction Method for Westwood/VA Hospital Station West Crossover
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2.6 Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances The Final EIS/EIR included two options for the location of the Westwood/UCLA Station, referred to as the on- or off-street station option (described in Chapter 2, Section 2.6.4 of the Final EIS/EIR). Since completion of the Final EIS/EIR, the on-street station option has been advanced because the off-street option would undermine several large buildings with very deep basements, resulting in high risk to construction of the Project. As stated in Section 2.6.4 of the Final EIS/EIR, the on-street option also had two scenarios for entrance locations: (1) two entrances would be provided, both of which would be north of Wilshire Boulevard, and (2) three entrances would be provided – two north of Wilshire Boulevard and one south of Wilshire Boulevard. Metro is advancing this second scenario.
Refinements of varying degrees are proposed at all three of the station entrances. The locations of station entrances as evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR are shown in Figure 2-11 and the proposed locations are shown in Figure 2-12. Through coordination with UCLA, the location of the main station entrance on the UCLA Campus within the area identified as Lot 36 has been shifted slightly to the east and closer to Gayley Avenue, and the plaza has been shifted south toward Wilshire Boulevard. This design moves the entrance closer to the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Gayley Avenue and reduces the station footprint in Lot 36, which increases the amount of land returned to UCLA after construction. This refinement would require relocation of a portion of a Los Angeles County storm drain; however, no other changes would be necessary.
The location of the east station half entrance on the north side of Wilshire Boulevard, adjacent to Westwood Boulevard, has also been refined. Through the advancement of design and coordination with the property owner, it was determined that the entrance as designed and located in the Final EIS/EIR would require substantial structural reframing to the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza located at 10921 Wilshire Boulevard. Other station entrance options were examined; however, the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation expressed concerns that these entrance options could result in additional pedestrian congestion at the corner of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards. Therefore, Metro is proposing to locate a full station entrance within the east portion of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza in a space currently occupied by Chase Bank, thereby displacing Chase Bank. The one-story building occupied by Chase Bank would be deconstructed to accommodate the full station entrance; the full station entrance would have two sets of escalators, stairs, and elevators. A full station entrance in this location would minimize impacts to the foundation and structural framing of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza building and the adjacent parking structure because mining under the building and parking structure would no longer be required. Instead, the deconstruction of the Chase Bank provides the space needed for the full entrance. This station location would also provide a larger area for pedestrian activity.
Currently, four planters are located within the landscaped plaza fronting the Chase Bank retail space; vegetation of various sizes and species, including a number of tall palms, are located within the planters. The planters are raised above the plaza. All four planters would be removed to support construction of the station. Metro does not propose to replace the planters when construction is complete as they present a tripping hazard and restrict pedestrian movement.
Minor refinements are proposed to the half entrance on the south side of Wilshire Boulevard. Metro proposes to replace the escalators presented in the Final EIS/EIR with up to two elevators to improve ADA accessibility. The addition of the elevators required shifting the stairs slightly closer to the intersection of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards in order to provide sufficient room for queueing.
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Figure 2-11: Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances – Final EIS/EIR
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Figure 2-12: Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances – Proposed
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2.7 Tunnel Size For Section 3 of the project alignment, the size of the tunnel has increased from an outside diameter of 20 feet 10 inches to 22 feet 6 inches to accommodate portions of the crossover at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station and thereby reduce the size of the cut-and-cover excavation, as described in Section 2.5. The change in diameter size is shown on Figure 2-13. The distance between the tunnels has been reduced to keep the tunnels within the subsurface easement areas identified in the Final EIS/EIR. The larger diameter would allow some of the special trackwork of the crossovers to start within the tunnels, and thereby reduce the length of the station box cut-and-cover excavation by approximately 50 feet at each crossover. As a result, the station would not extend into the I-405 off- ramp near the east end of the station, and the easement area required at the WLA VA Historic District on the west end of the station box would be reduced.
Figure 2-13: Tunnel Size – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed
2.8 Grouting Further geotechnical studies completed in support of the advancement of design have indicated that ground improvement (grouting) may be required beneath Westfield Mall to minimize ground settlement during tunneling of Section 3 of the project near the intersection of Century Park West and Constellation Boulevard (Metro 2017d). The grouting may be provided from several shafts, or trenches, located within Century Park West and/or Constellation Boulevard (Figure 2-14). In either or both locations, the shafts would be approximately 20 feet in diameter and 80 feet deep. The shafts may be in use for several months, requiring traffic lane closures. Trenches would be longer, however, they would not impact additional traffic lanes.
Ground improvement is also proposed at Sepulveda Boulevard from below the level of existing utilities to below the bottom of the tunnels, fully encompassing the tunnels, to protect the utilities as the tunnels pass beneath them (Figure 2-15). Several major utilities are in this location, some of which are deep. A 96-inch-diameter water main is the deepest utility, the bottom of which is 35 feet below the ground surface; the top of the tunnels is approximately 12 feet below this utility. Other utilities are as
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shallow as 4 feet below ground level. Grouting is therefore required to protect against excessive ground settlement effects. As stated in Section 2.2, grouting would be provided from a shaft located within Caltrans right-of-way and street closures would not be required.
Figure 2-14: Ground Improvement Grouting for WPLE Section 3 at Westfield Mall
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Figure 2-15: Ground Improvement Grouting at Sepulveda Boulevard
2.9 Underground Conduits Temporary power for construction, including power required to operate the TBMs and for station construction, would require installation of new power cables from the existing Southern California Edison (SCE) Sawtelle substation to the Western VA Construction Staging Area via Ohio Avenue, Federal Avenue, and Wilshire Boulevard (Figure 2-16); these cables were not identified in the Final EIS/EIR. The route would be a combination of new power lines on existing overhead lines and new underground conduits within public rights-of-way. SCE would install the new overhead lines, and construction of the new underground conduits would be performed by Metro. Some of these same conduits would be used for permanent primary power for the project and would be extended from the Western VA Construction Staging Area to the permanent Westwood/VA Hospital Station switchgear site along Wilshire Boulevard and the off-ramp to Bonsall Avenue. Other conduits are included as backup for Metro, which is a standard request from SCE when constructing new power routes.
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Figure 2-16: Temporary and Permanent Power
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In addition, a secondary (emergency) power source would be provided to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station from the existing SCE Colorado substation in the event that the Sawtelle substation fails, as Metro requires two independent power sources for reliability. Details of the new power line are still being determined, but the power line would be within the public rights-of-way and is expected to use existing SCE overhead infrastructure for the majority of the route as well as some new underground conduits constructed by Metro. The civil work would be carried out by the Metro contractor for the area. The conduits are expected to run underground and parallel with the Sawtelle route, from Texas Avenue to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station switchgear.
The provision of power is a minor action located within public rights-of-way. The primary power route would extend for approximately 0.8 mile from the Sawetelle substation to the Western VA Construction Staging Area and would pass through the jurisdictions of the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles. The work would require coordination with both the City and the County for traffic control during construction. The route would extend an additional 0.3 mile from the Western VA Construction Staging Area to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station switchgear. The secondary power route extends for approximately 4 miles, of which approximately 3.5 miles would use existing SCE infrastructure and would not require any civil construction work. The new underground portion of the secondary power route is the remaining approximate 0.5 mile, which is located within the jurisdiction of the County of Los Angeles, parallel to the primary power route.
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3.0 METHODOLOGY
This technical memorandum is focused on Section 3 of the Project and has been prepared to achieve two goals: (1) provide the most current land use, community and neighborhood characteristics, and EJ information with a discussion of forecasted growth within the Study Area (based on the current Southern California Association of Governments [SCAG] 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy [RTP/SCS] [SCAG, 2016]) and (2) provide an in-depth analysis of the project refinements to determine if the conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR related to land use, community and neighborhoods, and EJ are affected by the project refinements. 3.1 Change of Circumstances The methodology used to collect data for this technical memorandum is consistent with the methodology used in the Final EIS/EIR. However, several databases used in the Final EIS/EIR have been updated since completion of that document. The Final EIS/EIR used data from the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2008 ACS 5-Year Estimates. This technical memorandum uses the most current data from the 2010 U.S. Census, 2015 ACS 5-Year Estimates, and the SCAG 2016-2040 RTP/SCS (SCAG, 2016). Based on the latest data, the 2010 U.S. Census block groups have been redefined by the U.S. Census Bureau and do not completely align with the 2000 U.S. Census block group boundaries presented in the Final EIS/EIR. However, the 2010 U.S. Census block groups closely match with the communities in the Final EIS/EIR, with some block group boundaries extending beyond the Study Area. The information update also documents recent community growth since completion of the Final EIS/EIR. Based on the current updated information, the analysis will determine if changes to land use, the demographic characteristics of the community and neighborhoods, and EJ would result in conclusions not already identified in the Final EIS/EIR. 3.2 Project Refinement Analysis Impacts associated with the project refinements identified in Section 2.0 of this technical memorandum were evaluated using the same methodology as presented in the Final EIS/EIR, the Westside Subway Extension Project Community and Neighborhood Impacts Report (Metro 2010a), Westside Subway Extension Project Environmental Justice Technical Report (Metro 2010b), and the Westside Subway Extension Project Land Use and Development Opportunities Report (Metro 2010c).
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4.0 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
This section summarizes the affected environment/existing conditions of the Study Area, including updated demographic information based on newer data as they relate to land use, community and neighborhoods, and EJ. This section also includes the analysis of the Section 3 project refinements. Conclusions of the analysis compare the findings from the Final EIS/EIR with the findings associated with the refinements. 4.1 Land Use 4.1.1 Regulatory Setting 4.1.1.1 Federal The Study Area includes lands within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Government that are administered by the VA and the GSA. Lands administered by the VA includes the Los Angeles National Cemetery. Land east of the I- 405 and south of Wilshire Boulevard is administered by the GSA. The VA manages the land north of Wilshire Boulevard, including the Los Angeles National Cemetery located east of I-405, and land west of I-405 (north and south of Wilshire Boulevard), including the Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center/VA WLA Campus, dormitory residences, and other facilities. A federal building owned by GSA is located south of Wilshire Boulevard east of I-405. The U.S. Army Reserve site is adjacent to the Study Area. The site is administered by the U.S. Army and is located adjacent to the VA WLA Campus at Wilshire Boulevard and Federal Avenue. This property is headquarters for the 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and contains the Captain Nelson M. Holderman U.S. Army Reserve Center, which includes several buildings (i.e., Sadao Munemori Hall, U.S. Army recruitment building, and California National Guard recruitment building) and several parking lots.
Since preparation of the Final EIS/EIR, several regulatory changes and adoption of plans affecting the VA WLA Campus have resulted in regulatory implications that could affect conditions within the Study Area. These include the Los Angeles Homeless Veterans Leasing Act 2016, West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016, and the Greater Los Angeles Campus Master Plan (VA 2016) (GLA DMP) (approved January 2016 but being updated as part of the Programmatic EIS process that is currently underway by the VA).
Los Angeles Homeless Veterans Leasing Act of 2016. In September 2016, President Obama signed the Los Angeles Homeless Veterans Leasing Act (House Resolution 3484). This legislation, authored by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressmember Ted Lieu, authorizes the VA to implement the Master Plan for the Greater Los Angeles VA Campus. As this bill specifically relates to public transportation and land use, this bill authorizes the VA to carry out the following leases at the VA WLA Campus:
µ Any enhanced-use lease of real property for supportive housing that principally benefits veterans and their families
µ Any lease of real property for not to exceed 50 years to a third party for services that principally benefit veterans and their families and that are related to health and wellness, education, vocational training and employment, peer activities or recreation, legal and federal benefits assistance, volunteerism, family support services, and transportation
µ A lease of real property for not to exceed 10 years to the Regents of the University of California, on behalf of UCLA, if the lease is consistent with the VA Master Plan and the provision of veterans services is the predominant focus
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Under this bill, the VA may also grant easements or rights-of-way on, above, or under campus lands to “any local or regional public transportation authority to access, construct, use, operate, maintain, repair, or reconstruct public mass transit facilities, including, fixed guideway facilities and transportation centers”; and to California, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles, any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any public utility company for the purpose of providing public utilities.
West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016. The West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 was enacted in September 2016 and allows the VA to enter into Enhanced-Use Leases (EUL) with private-sector entities to provide permanent supportive housing on the VA WLA Campus. The Act prohibits the VA from entering into “land-sharing agreements” on the campus unless the agreements provide additional healthcare resources to the campus or other benefits to veterans. The Act also requires that all EULs and other land-use agreements are reported to Congress, and a Veterans and Community Oversight and Engagement Board is established to provide advice and recommendation to the Secretary of the VA for the implementation of the West Los Angeles Campus Master Plan.
Greater Los Angeles Campus Master Plan. The Los Angeles Homeless Veterans Leasing Act of 2016 authorized the preparation of a master plan for the VA. The GLA DMP was adopted in January 2016 and supports the revitalization of the VA WLA Campus (prior to its adoption the document was titled West Los Angeles Campus Draft Master Plan). The goal and vision of the GLA DMP are to revive the campus in a veteran-focused manner. This includes planning for significant and adequate levels of permanent supportive housing, time-limited “bridge” and transitional housing, in addition to short-term treatment services that provide state-of-the-art primary care, mental health, and addiction services to veterans, particularly for chronically homeless, severely disabled, female, and aging veterans. In addition, the GLA DMP identifies and considers the extension of the Metro Purple Line and its plan to terminate at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Bonsall Avenue. As of May 2018, the GLA DMP is being updated regarding the scale of veteran homelessness at the VA WLA Campus, the EUL program, land use and lease agreements, and future expansions and construction on the VA WLA Campus. More specifically, updates to the Draft Master Plan have included goals to revitalize the WLA VA Campus to include only veteran-focused land use agreements, resulting in additional healthcare, benefits, services, or resources provided directly to veterans and/or their families. These benefits would include the promotion of health and wellness; assistance for legal issues and federal benefits; vocational training, skills buildings, and employment training; peer activities socialization or physical recreation; family support services; education; volunteerism; and transportation. The VA is in the process of conducting environmental, historic, utilities, and traffic due diligence through a Programmatic EIS for the master plan per NEPA. Completion of this process is anticipated for fall 2019.
4.1.1.2 Regional The Final EIS/EIR presented the land use regulations from the SCAG 2008 RTP. Since the adoption of the Final EIS/EIR, the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS was adopted by SCAG in April 2016.
2016-2040 RTP/SCS. The RTP portion of the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS identifies priorities, goals and policies, and performance measures for transportation planning and improvements to ensure that future projects are consistent with other planning goals for the area. Transportation projects being constructed within the SCAG region must be listed in the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS. The SCS portion of the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS presents an overall land use concept for the region with an emphasis on long-term emission-reduction strategies for rail and trucks; expanding the region’s high-speed and commuter rail systems; expanding active transportation;
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leveraging technological advances for transportation; addressing further regional reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and making the region more resilient to climate change. The 2016-2040 RTP/SCS is intended to aid local jurisdictions in developing local plans and addressing local issues of regional significance. The Project is also identified as a transit initiative capital transit project in the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS that would expand that urban rail network. Table 4-1 identifies the applicable 2016-2040 RTP/SCS goals.
Table 4-1: 2016-2040 SCAG RTP/SCS Goals
Goal Goal Description 1 Align the plan investments and polices with improving regional economic development and competitiveness 2 Maximize mobility and accessibility for all people and goods in the region 3 Ensure travel safety and reliability for all people and goods in the region 4 Preserve and ensure a sustainable regional transportation system 5 Maximize the productivity of our transportation system 6 Protect the environment and health for our residents by improving air quality and encouraging active transportation (non-motorized transportation, such as bicycling and walking) 7 Actively encourage and create incentives for energy efficiency, where possible 8 Encourage land use and growth patterns that facilitate transit and non-motorized transportation 9 Maximize the security of the regional transportation system through improved system monitoring, rapid recovery planning, and coordination with other security agencies Source: SCAG, 2016
4.1.1.3 Local The Study Area is east-west oriented and includes portions of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated Los Angeles County around the VA WLA Campus. Applicable plans include the Los Angeles County General Plan, the City of Los Angles General Plan, and several community plans, including the Westwood Community Plan, West Los Angeles Community Plan, Brentwood-Pacific Palisades Community Plan, and West Los Angeles Community Plan. The Study Area also includes the following specific plans: West Los Angeles Transportation Improvement and Mitigation, Wilshire- Westwood Scenic Corridor, and Century City North. The community plans have not been updated since preparation of the Final EIS/EIR; however, the Los Angeles County General Plan and the City of Los Angeles Mobility Plan 2035 have been updated by the County and City, respectively. The University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan (University of California 2016) is also applicable to the future of the UCLA campus.
Los Angeles County General Plan 2035. The Los Angeles County General Plan 2035, adopted in October 2015, provides the policy framework and establishes the long-range vision for how and where the unincorporated areas of the County will grow. The General Plan establishes goals, policies, and programs to foster healthy, livable, and sustainable communities. The Los Angeles County General Plan 2035 includes the Land Use Element, Mobility Element, Air Quality Element, Conservation and Natural Resources Element, Parks and Recreation Element, Noise Element, Safety Element, Public Services and Facilities Element, Economic Development Element, and Housing Element.
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City of Los Angeles Mobility Plan 2035. The City of Los Angeles Mobility Plan 2035, adopted in August 2015 and re-adopted in January 2016, is the current Circulation Element of the General Plan. Mobility Plan 2035 establishes new street designations, classifies each of the City’s arterial streets, and incorporates a “complete street” policy framework, thus providing a foundation for future policies and principles related to resident interaction with their streets. The Mobility Plan 2035 re-designated Wilshire Boulevard as a Boulevard II and Ohio Avenue as a Collector.
University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan. The University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan (University of California 2016) presents proposed capital projects for each campus within the context of campus goals and needs, current economic conditions, and specific circumstances. Specifically, the capital plan framework for UCLA guides the campus in prioritizing capital investments in support of its mission and identifies facilities needs aligned with the 2002 Long-Range Development Plan (amended in March 2009) and the 2009 Physical Design Framework. The primary strategic goals of UCLA’s capital plan, since its inception in 2009, have been to complete the seismic correction of all remaining seismically deficient structures by 2019, and to transform the campus into a residential academic community. A total of 31 capital-funded programs and projects are planned through 2025 and include seismic building upgrade projects; campus infrastructure and expansion projects; student housing projects; and medical health center expansion, renovation, and structure improvements.
Refer to the Westside Subway Extension Final EIS/EIR, Section 4.1 Land Use (Metro 2012a), and the Westside Subway Extension Project Land Use and Development Opportunities Report, Section 3.0 Regulatory Framework (Metro 2010c), for a full discussion of the regulatory setting.
4.1.2 Affected Environment/Existing Conditions 4.1.2.1 Final EIS/EIR Existing Conditions The Final EIS/EIR characterized the Study Area as a dense urban environment with some of the highest employment and population densities in Los Angeles County. Existing land uses are varied and include a combination of residential, commercial, transportation and utilities, industrial, and public/institutional uses, as shown in Figures 4-2 through 4-4 in Section 4.1 of the Final EIS/EIR. Employment centers in Section 3 that were identified in the Final EIS/EIR include the areas surrounding the proposed Westwood/UCLA Station, which is surrounded primarily by commercial, multi-family residential, and institutional land uses, and the Westwood/VA Hospital Station, which is surrounded primarily by institutional land uses.
SCAG projections discussed in the Final EIS/EIR indicated that additional development would occur within the Study Area, resulting in employment and housing opportunities. As shown in Figure 4-5 in Section 4.1 of the Final EIS/EIR and based on SCAG growth projections for 2035, an increase of 12,080 new jobs and 1,870 new housing units is forecasted in the Study Area. The Final EIS/EIR provided aggregate growth for the individual project sections.
Commercial land uses account for 10 percent of the entire Project Area and concentrated along major roadways, such as Wilshire Boulevard, La Cienega Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Fairfax Avenue. Figure 4-4 in Section 4.1 of the Final EIS/EIR shows the land use distribution within one-quarter mile of the proposed Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital Stations. The dominant land use surrounding the Westwood/UCLA Station is government/institutional uses (UCLA Campus), followed by
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residential and commercial uses. The dominant use surrounding the Westwood/VA Hospital Station is government/institutional uses (VA WLA Campus) with minimal residential uses.
4.1.2.2 Section 3 Updated Existing Conditions Land Uses Communities located near Section 3 and within the Study Area have not changed from those presented in the Final EIS/EIR. Communities located near Section 3 and within the Study Area include Brentwood, Century City, Rancho Park, the VA WLA Campus, West Los Angeles, and Westwood. These communities are located entirely within the City of Los Angeles, with the exception of the VA WLA Campus, which is located in unincorporated Los Angeles County.
The communities have experienced predicted growth as identified in the Final EIS/EIR. In addition, land uses within these communities have generally remained the same and, therefore, the land use designations of the communities in the Final EIS/EIR remain valid (Figure 4-1). The percentage of land use distribution present in the communities demonstrates that the Study Area remains a dense urban environment with high employment and population densities. Major commercial, office, and institutional facilities are still located within the Study Area, including, but not limited to, Westwood Village and UCLA. The land use distributions of the communities are further described below and illustrated in Figure 4-2. The land use distributions surrounding the Westwood/UCLA and the Westwood/VA Hospital Stations are illustrated in Figure 4-3. No substantial changes to the land use characteristics of the communities have been identified since completion of the Final EIS/EIR.
Brentwood (City of Los Angeles). The Brentwood community is 1,430 acres. Land uses within Brentwood are comprised of 76 percent residential, 6.2 percent commercial and office, 0.3 percent industrial, 1.6 percent institutional, 13.7 percent open space, 1.1 percent public facilities, and 1.1 percent vacant and undeveloped land. The Brentwood community is not located within a quarter-mile of a proposed station but is located adjacent to the communities in which the alignment would pass through. Brentwood’s land use characterization has not substantially changed from the Final EIS/EIR and continues to have a high ratio of residential uses.
Century City (City of Los Angeles). The Century City community is 329 acres and is comprised primarily of commercial and office uses, residential uses, public facilities, and vacant undeveloped land. Land uses within Century City are comprised of 66.2 percent commercial and office, 30.5 percent multi-family residential, 2.7 percent public facilities, and 0.7 percent vacant undeveloped land. Century City’s land use characterization has not substantially changed from the Final EIS/EIR and continues to be characterized by high commercial and residential uses.
Rancho Park (City of Los Angeles). The Rancho Park community is 399 acres. Land uses within Rancho Park are comprised of approximately 75 percent residential, 17.8 percent commercial and office, 4.6 percent industrial, 0.9 percent institutional (i.e., religious schools and their affiliated churches), 1.1 percent public facilities, and 0.4 percent vacant and undeveloped land. The Rancho Park community is not located within a quarter-mile of a proposed station but is located adjacent to the communities in which the alignment would pass through. Rancho Park’s land use characterization has not substantially changed from the Final EIS/EIR and continues to have a high ratio of residential uses.
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Figure 4-1: Westside Purple Line Extension—Section 3 Land Use Map
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Figure 4-2: Land Use Distribution of the Communities in the Study Area
Figure 4-3: Land Use Distribution One-Quarter Mile of the Station Areas in the Study Area
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VA WLA Campus (Unincorporated County of Los Angeles)2. The Unincorporated County of Los Angeles area is approximately 795 acres and comprises the VA WLA Campus, the Wilshire Federal Building, the Los Angeles National Cemetery, and the U.S. Army Reserve Center and associated buildings. Of the795-acre area, the VA WLA Campus community comprises approximately 388 acres and includes public facilities, open space, and residential uses. Land uses within the VA WLA Campus consist of 99.1 percent public facilities and 0.9 percent residential uses (single-family residences north of the VA Hospital and multi- family residences south of the Wilshire Federal Building). The VA WLA Campus community includes the VA WLA Campus west of the I-405 and the Los Angeles National Cemetery east of the I-405. Land uses within the VA WLA Campus and the Unincorporated County of Los Angeles area have not changed since the adoption of the Final EIS/EIR and include areas dedicated to parks and recreation, medical facilities, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, assisted living, and maintenance areas.
The GLA DMP identifies five distinct planning areas or “zones” on the VA WLA Campus that apply design concepts to advance the vision and objectives to transform the campus into a veteran-focused community where veterans can access housing and supportive veteran resources and services as needed. These five conceptual planning zones are defined further below and illustrated in Figure 4-4. It should be noted that the WPLE Project and project refinements would be located primarily in Zone 1 and in the southern portion of Zone 5.
µ Zone 1: Health Care. Zone 1 is primarily located in the southern campus south of Wilshire Boulevard and includes the main hospital buildings (Building 500), acute care, ambulatory outpatient care and clinics, research facilities, hospitality for visitors and patients, potential housing for aging veterans or veterans with specialized needs, and other uses that support or are compatible with the health care programs as a newly organized health care neighborhood.
µ Zone 2: Care Coordination. Zone 2 is located north of Wilshire Boulevard and is planned to operate as a welcome and orientation hub that would direct veterans to the appropriate resources, services, and facilities. This zone may include a central facility for the Veterans Benefits Administration, administration offices, and offices and services for homeless and disadvantaged veterans that focus on trauma, mental health, traumatic brain injury, and addiction services.
µ Zone 3: Veteran Housing. Zone 3 is located in the north campus and primarily includes permanent supportive housing that may consist of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments for veterans, and housing tailored for families with children. The housing would be organized into smaller neighborhoods and be supported by basic and specialized services for their respective resident base.
µ Zone 4: Town Center. Zone 4 is located at the center of the north campus and would function as a “downtown” for the VA WLA Campus where veterans can socialize in public areas, participate in events in a public square, attend outdoor concerts, coordinate volunteer efforts, and develop employment opportunities.
2 The use of “VA Hospital Campus” to describe the VA West Los Angeles Hospital Campus in the Final EIS/EIR has been re-termed as the “VA WLA Campus” and is used throughout this report.
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Figure 4-4: VA WLA Campus Planning Zones
Source: VA 2016
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µ Zone 5: Outer Ring. Zone 5 surrounds most of the VA WLA Campus and provides the most direct access to the surrounding community. Zone 5 also encompasses the major open spaces of the campus, including the Grand Lawn, Wadsworth Park, all three arroyos, and open recreation fields to the north. The outer ring connects the chapel to other peaceful spaces and outdoor environments for reflection, relaxation, and appropriate veteran-focused events. In addition, a Veterans Vocational Enterprise and Cultural center is located at the southeast corner of the north campus, accessible from Sepulveda Boulevard.
West Los Angeles (City of Los Angeles). The West Los Angeles community is 1,093 acres. Land uses within the community are comprised of 54.2 percent residential, 5.1 percent institutional, 22.1 percent commercial and office, 8.1 percent industrial, 2.0 percent open space, 7.2 percent public facilities, and 0.8 percent vacant and undeveloped land. The West Los Angeles community is not located within a quarter-mile of a proposed station but is located adjacent to the communities in which the alignment would pass through. West Los Angeles’ land use characterization has not substantially changed from the Final EIS/EIR and continues to have a high ratio of residential uses.
Westwood (City of Los Angeles). The Westwood community is 3,354 acres and comprised of residential uses, commercial and office use, industrial uses, institutional uses, public facilities, and open space. Land uses within Westwood consist of approximately 55 percent residential, 7.1 percent commercial and office, 0.7 percent industrial, 16.8 percent educational institution (i.e., UCLA Campus), 4.5 percent public facilities, 15.4 percent open space (i.e., parks, recreation space, and cemeteries), and 0.5 percent vacant and undeveloped land. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, the majority of the commercial activity is still located in Westwood Village and along Westwood and Wilshire Boulevards. Westwood’s land use characterization has not substantially changed from the Final EIS/EIR and continues to have a high ratio of residential uses and educational and public facility uses.
Land use distributions around the Westwood/UCLA and the Westwood/VA Hospital Stations are illustrated in Figure 4-3. The distribution of land use a quarter-mile around the Westwood/UCLA Station consists of 34.3 percent public facilities, 28.6 percent commercial use, 15.3 percent residential, 15.6 percent open space, 1.5 percent industrial, and 0.56 percent vacant. The Westwood/VA Hospital Station land use distribution consist of approximately 95.0 percent public facilities (VA WLA Campus and Los Angeles National Cemetery), 5.0 percent open space, and less than 1 percent residential uses. Compared to the land use distribution of these two stations presented in the Final EIS/EIR, the land use distribution has not substantially changed.
Employment Centers and Corridors As discussed in the Final EIS/EIR, the Project is located in a dense urban environment with some of the highest employment and population densities in Los Angeles County. The Final EIS/EIR stated that major employment centers in the Study Area are located in proximity to educational institutions, public facilities, and commercial corridors, which include the UCLA Campus and the VA WLA Campus. Veteran- focused employment opportunities are also provided through the EUL agreements with the City of Los Angeles at the Veteran’s Barrington Park located in the north VA WLA Campus. Employment centers also encompass major commercial corridors including Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard, Westwood Boulevard, Sawtelle Boulevard, San Vicente Boulevard, and Avenue of the Stars. As presented in the Final EIS/EIR, these areas continue to represent major employment centers and corridors in the Study Area.
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4.1.3 Environmental Impacts/Environmental Consequences The following sections summarize the determinations from the Final EIS/EIR as well as those with implementation of the project refinements as they relate to land use.
4.1.3.1 Final EIS/EIR Operations Regional Land Use and Development The Final EIS/EIR stated that the Project would not result in adverse long-term impacts to regional land use and development. Construction of Section 3 would be consistent with SCAG regional policies and applicable goals and policies of the local jurisdictions along the alignment. It was stated that the Project could have an indirect role in the pattern of growth and development by making the areas around the stations attractive as transit-oriented development. It was also stated that the Project would provide alternative modes of transportation and future development in the Study Area in the form of transit- supportive land uses. No adverse effects associated with regional and local land use policies would occur because the Project would serve the Study Area by providing a link to the larger regional transportation network.
Division of an Established Community The Final EIS/EIR stated that the Project would adhere to local plans and zoning ordinances and would not introduce physical barriers, nor alter or divide the existing community. Planned development and redevelopment near station entrances were determined to adhere to local and zoning ordinances and would not introduce barriers that would later divide the existing community. The addition of stations in existing neighborhoods was expected to enhance community cohesion by encouraging increased pedestrian activity by community members. The proposed stations and adjacent station area development were expected to enhance pedestrian circulation patterns and connectivity to maximize ridership, resulting in a more unified community. Specifically, Section 3 would connect Westwood with West Los Angeles and Los Angeles County by providing a connection across the I-405 Freeway, an existing barrier within the community. No adverse effects related to the division of an established community were determined to occur.
Applicable Land Use Policies The Final EIS/EIR stated that the Project would be consistent with the goals and policies of the applicable jurisdictions along the alignment. The Project was determined to reduce automobile usage, provide opportunities for joint development and cooperation, enhance regional connectivity, minimize environmental impacts, and maximize ridership. No adverse effects related to applicable land use policies were determined to occur.
Adjacent or Surrounding Land Uses The Final EIS/EIR stated that the Project would not result in adverse direct or indirect effects associated with land use compatibility. The proposed stations were determined to be located in areas with existing bus transit service and would not introduce a new land use type into the area. Station entrances would also be integrated into current and future developments and would not be incompatible with the surrounding land uses. It was stated that Metro would acquire several parcels during construction and
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would be subject to the land use controls of the local jurisdiction. No adverse effects related to land use compatibility were determined to occur.
Construction The construction-related land use assessment in the Final EIS/EIR evaluated whether construction of the Project would physically divide an established community, be inconsistent with applicable land use plans or regulations, or be incompatible with surrounding land uses.
The Final EIS/EIR stated that construction of Section 3 would result in temporary adverse impacts related to the physical division of established communities due to temporary street and sidewalk closures and traffic detours. However, Mitigation Measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR would maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction. Therefore, it was determined that with implementation of the construction-related transportation mitigation measures, construction of Section 3 would not result in the physical division of established communities. Construction of Section 3 would not directly conflict with identified local land use plans, policies, and regulations of the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. The Final EIS/EIR also stated that construction staging areas are on parcels that are primarily commercial, vacant, or used for parking. Therefore, staging areas would not substantially alter land uses.
4.1.3.2 Section 3 Evaluation The following sections evaluate potential land use impacts associated with the project refinements described in Section 2.0 of this technical memorandum. The evaluation of operational impacts is presented first, followed by construction impacts, based on the impact criteria used in the Final EIS/EIR.
Operations The following project refinements do not have the potential to affect land uses in Section 3 of the WPLE Project: murals (Section 2.4), tunnel size (Section 2.7), grouting (Section 2.8), and underground conduits (Section 2.9). The project refinement to the tunnel size does not have the potential to result in adverse impacts to land uses because this refinement is underground and would not alter land uses above the tunnel. Furthermore, the refinements of the murals, including relocation, would not change existing land uses. The mural would be relocated to an existing embankment within Los Angeles County right-of- way, which would offer a better view by veterans and visitors traveling through sections of the VA WLA Campus; therefore, it would not introduce a new physical barrier. Grouting activities would be underground and would support and protect buildings and underground utilities. The underground conduits are either underground or on aboveground existing SCE infrastructure and therefore would not change land uses.
Additionally, the refinements to construction staging areas (Section 2.1) and the construction method for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover (Section 2.5) would only affect construction means and methods. Upon the completion of construction, the areas disturbed would be restored to existing conditions or as agreed to by the property owner.
The project refinements that may affect land uses during project operation are evaluated in the following sections.
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Regional Land Use and Development The following sections evaluate the refinements that have the potential to change impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR related to regional land use and development. The overall Project, including with implementation of the refinements, would be consistent with the regional development goals of the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS and GLA DMP. The Project, including with implementation of the refinements, would continue to be consistent with the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS as the Project would encourage land use and growth patterns that facilitate transit and active transportation and also maximize mobility and accessibility for all people in the region. The Project is also identified as a transit initiative capital transit project in the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS that would expand that urban rail network.
Alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance. As described in Section 2.2 of this technical memorandum, refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance would reduce the curve in the alignment to improve train operating conditions for a future extension from the Westwood/VA Hospital Station and shift the alignment south. The refinement would also shift the Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance south, 100 feet closer to the VA Hospital. This shift in the location of the station would benefit transit passengers with destinations at the VA Hospital, including veterans and employees, by reducing the travel distance between the subway station entrance and the Main Hospital (Building 500). Additionally, the refinements allow for the provision of less circuitous pedestrian circulation features between the existing bus stop on eastbound Wilshire Boulevard and the new subway station entrance compared to those included in the Final EIS/EIR design, thus improving passenger connectivity, particularly for patrons with disabilities, including veterans.
The property located north and south of Wilshire Boulevard is the VA WLA Campus. Refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance south of Wilshire Boulevard would be located entirely within the VA WLA Campus property and would be consistent with federal land use regulations as they pertain to the Project. These refinements are being coordinated with representatives of the VA in consideration of compatibility of the refinements with the GLA DMP (adopted in 2016 but being revised by the VA as part of the Programmatic EIS process) so that the Westwood/VA Hospital Station primarily benefits veterans. The GLA DMP identifies and considers the extension of the Metro Purple Line and its plan to terminate at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Bonsall Avenue. The GLA DMP identifies the Project as an opportunity for the VA WLA Campus because it would enhance campus connectivity to the rest of Los Angeles and beyond. The GLA DMP also stated that the Project would have a station entrance on the south campus where veterans, employees, and visitors can exit and easily access medical and other services provided on the campus. Metro anticipates that because the Westwood/VA Hospital Station was identified in the GLA DMP, land uses proposed as part of the master plan would be compatible and integrated with the station entrance. Therefore, no new adverse effects associated with regional land use policies would occur and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged. The permanent, aboveground station features have been located to minimize the Project’s footprint on the VA WLA Campus, thereby minimizing impacts on future development.
Refinements to the alignment and entrances would not affect the provision of alternative modes of transportation for those traveling to or from the VA WLA Campus. Therefore, the refinement to the alignment and station entrance would continue to serve the area by providing a linkage to the larger regional transportation network and improved pedestrian connections to the VA WLA Campus.
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Therefore, no new adverse effects associated with regional land use policies would occur and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Westwood/VA Hospital Station Access. As described in Section 2.3 of this technical memorandum, through coordination with representatives of the VA WLA Campus, the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would include a passenger drop-off area within the northern portion of the existing VA parking lot just east of the proposed station plaza and entrance (referred to as Lot 42). The provision of the dedicated passenger drop-off/pick-up area would benefit the VA WLA Campus and the veteran community, as it is designed to prevent Metro passengers that are not associated with the VA from being dropped off or picked up within the wider VA WLA Campus.
The new bus layover area along the westbound on-ramp from Bonsall Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard would be located within Los Angeles County property and would allow for the provision of future services to West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The bus layover area is being coordinated with representatives of Los Angeles County.
These refinements provide improved station access, enhanced pedestrian facilities (e.g., ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge, restriped crosswalks, pedestrian crossing signals), and a linkage to the larger regional transportation network. More specifically, the permanent, aboveground features associated with the Westwood/VA Hospital Station, including the passenger drop-off area, have been located to minimize the Project’s footprint on the VA WLA Campus, thereby reducing impacts on future development potential and limiting restrictions to other future VA planning efforts. The refinements are located on land owned and regulated by the VA or Los Angeles County and would not result in a change in land uses unless otherwise permitted by those property owners. Therefore, no new adverse effects associated with regional land use policies would occur and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances. As described in Section 2.6 of this technical memorandum, refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances would include a slight relocation of the station entrance and plaza on the UCLA Campus to the south and east, closer to Gayley Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. The northeast station entrance would also be refined and located within the east portion of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza in a space currently occupied by Chase Bank. As a result, Chase Bank would be displaced; however, coordination with the property owner indicates Chase Bank may relocate to an existing vacant space within the medical plaza. Project refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances would continue to be consistent with regional land use planning goals and policies identified in the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS (Table 4-1). Additionally, the refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances would not affect the provision of transit and therefore would continue to serve the area by providing a linkage to the larger regional transportation network.
The Project, including the refinements, would also be consistent with future development plans identified for the UCLA campus in the University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan (University of California 2014). Capital-funded projects identified in the plan include seismic building upgrades; campus infrastructure and expansion; student housing; and medical health center expansion, renovation, and structure improvements. The capital-funded projects would be located primarily in UCLA’s core campus, health sciences zone, and southwest campus. The nearest capital-funded project would be the Margan Apartments Redevelopment approximately 0.36 mile north of the Westwood/UCLA Station entrance in Lot 36. Based on its distance away from the proposed capital-funded projects, project refinements to
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the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances (located on UCLA’s southern campus and at the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza) would not be affected by future programmed projects.
Metro is coordinating with the VA and Regents of the University of California to ensure that the location and design of the refinements are compatible with the applicable policies and future development on these parcels. As the capital-funded projects would be located primarily in UCLA’s north campus and at the UCLA Medical Center, refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances (located on UCLA’s south campus) would not be incompatible with future programmed development in the University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan. As such, no new adverse effects associated with regional land use planning policies would occur and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Division of an Established Community The following sections evaluate the refinements that have the potential to change impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR related to division of an established community.
Alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance. Refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center, as described in Section 2.2 of this technical memorandum, would not introduce new permanent physical barriers or alter or create a division of an established community as the alignment would be entirely underground and would continue to serve the VA WLA Campus. Refinements to the location of the station entrance would maintain connections with the north and south campus and would not divide the VA WLA Campus. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, station vertical circulation elements would continue to be provided on both sides of Bonsall Avenue thereby allowing transit patrons to safely access Wilshire Boulevard bus stops on both sides of the campus. Improved lighting, traffic signals, and crosswalks and Metro elements of continuity including signage would provide a travel path at the Bonsall Avenue underpass, connecting the north campus to the south campus and the main entrance to the station. The refinements to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would shift the station entrance 100 feet closer to the VA Hospital, but this shift would not introduce a new permanent physical barrier or alter or create a division of an established community beyond. Specifically, the project refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital station entrance would not affect connectivity between the north and south campus because they would not introduce new barriers that would make traveling on the campus or between the north and south campus more difficult. Specifically, the refinement to the alignment is entirely underground. The aboveground station entrance would remain adjacent to Bonsall Avenue and the on-ramp to eastbound Wilshire Boulevard and would not introduce a barrier to current pedestrian routes of travel. Additionally, the design of the pedestrian circulation features is less circuitous than that in the Final EIS/EIR, thereby providing a benefit for individuals traveling between the station and the bus stop along eastbound Wilshire Boulevard. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur associated with division of an established community and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Westwood /VA Hospital Station Access. Refinements to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station access, as described in Section 2.3 of this technical memorandum, would not introduce new permanent physical barriers or alter or create a division of an established community. Specifically, the passenger drop-off area is located within an existing parking lot immediately south of Wilshire Boulevard. The provision of the dedicated passenger drop-off/pick-up area would benefit the VA WLA Campus and the veteran community, as it is designed to prevent Metro passengers that are not associated with the VA from being dropped off or picked up within the VA WLA Campus. As previously discussed, project refinements
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on the VA WLA Campus would not introduce new barriers that would make traveling on the campus or between the north and south campus more difficult. The passenger drop-off area would be located adjacent to an existing VA parking lot and south of the on-ramp to eastbound Wilshire Boulevard and therefore would not be a barrier to travel between the north and south sides of the VA WLA Campus. The drop-off area also would not divide the community because it would be located adjacent to existing transportation infrastructure, including Wilshire Boulevard which separates the north and south campus. The project refinement would benefit individuals traveling between the south and north campus through the provision of two new traffic signals on Bonsall Avenue provided in support of the dedicated passenger drop-off area. The new traffic signals would include pedestrian crossing signals and restriped crosswalks, improving the safety of crossing in this area. These crossings would be compliant with ADA requirements.
Additionally, the new bus layover area on the westbound on-ramp from Bonsall Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard would only require construction of infrastructure needed for the provision of bus service (e.g., benches, signage). No streets or sidewalks would be closed or rerouted as a result of either refinement. Therefore, no adverse effects would occur associated with division of an established community and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Murals. Metro proposes removal of the entire northeast mural and the creation of a mosaic that would be installed across from the current location and placed on a wall surface along an existing embankment on Los Angeles County property (Section 2.4). The mosaic would not divide the VA community because it would be on an existing embankment and would not encroach into sidewalks or other areas of pedestrian activity. The mosaic would also not encroach into bicycle facilities or hinder vehicular movement. Thus, the mosaic would not introduce a new physical barrier nor alter or divide the existing community.
Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances. As discussed in Section 2.6, refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances would include a slight relocation of the station entrance on the UCLA Campus within the area identified as Lot 36 to an area east and south, closer to Gayley Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, but still on UCLA property. The shift in the entrance is minor and would not create a new barrier.
The northeast station entrance would also be refined and located within the east portion of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza in a space currently occupied by Chase Bank. The Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza is an existing building, and the Chase Bank retail space would be deconstructed to allow construction of the station entrance. Relocating the station entrance would not create a new barrier; rather four planters in the landscaped plaza adjacent to Chase Bank would be removed to provide a larger area for pedestrian activity, which would have a beneficial effect of the Project in this location. Therefore, no adverse effects would occur associated with division of an established community and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Applicable Land Use Policies The following sections evaluate the refinements that have the potential to change impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR related to applicable local land use policies. Elements of the refinements located on the VA WLA Campus (alignment and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance (Section 2.2) and Westwood/VA Hospital Station access (Section 2.3)) are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Planning consistency will be achieved through active coordination of Metro with the VA, which is underway in regard to the design and location of the refinements.
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Alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Access. As described in Section 2.3 of this technical memorandum, a bus layover area has been added in Los Angeles County property on the Wilshire Boulevard westbound on-ramp from Bonsall Avenue for future bus service and a passenger drop-off area has been added adjacent to an existing VA parking lot (Lot 42) and the on-ramp to eastbound Wilshire Boulevard. These refinements would not change automobile usage from what was identified in the Final EIS/EIR. The refinement to the alignment and station entrance (Section 2.2) would be consistent with the goals of the 2016-2040 SCAG RTP/SCS in which the Project, including with the refinements, would continue to enhance regional connectivity, minimize environmental impacts, and maximize ridership. These project refinements on the VA WLA Campus would also be consistent with the vision and goals of the GLA DMP to revive the campus in a veteran-focused manner because the Project would provide better accessibility for veterans and their families to and from the campus via transit. Space would be provided at the passenger drop-off area to accommodate bus services operated by the VA WLA Campus, which would benefit those visiting the VA WLA Campus who do not have access to vehicles or have difficulty traveling, including veterans with disabilities. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur associated with applicable land use policies and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances. As discussed in Section 4.1.3.2 under the heading “Division of an Established Community,” refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station northeast entrance would provide a larger area for pedestrian activity and would continue to serve the area by providing a linkage to the larger regional transportation network. Project refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station northeast entrance and the entrance on the UCLA Campus would continue to be consistent with local goals, policies, and plans, and would continue to have an indirect role in the pattern of growth and development. The relocation of the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances would not require new discretionary actions related to land use beyond what was approved in the Final EIS/EIR, and the surrounding areas would continue to function as commercial, multi-family residential and institutional uses. Furthermore, the capital-funded projects would be located primarily in UCLA’s core campus, health sciences zone, and southwest campus. The nearest capital-funded project would be the Margan Apartments Redevelopment located approximately 0.36 mile north of the Westwood/UCLA Station entrance in Lot 36. Based on its distance away from the proposed capital-funded projects, project refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances (located on UCLA’s south campus and at the Westwood Linde Medical Building) would not be affected by future programmed projects. The refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances (located on UCLA’s south campus) would not preempt or be incompatible with future programmed development in the University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan (University of California 2014). Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur associated with applicable land use policies and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Adjacent or Surrounding Land Uses The following sections evaluate the refinements that have the potential to change impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR related to adjacent or surrounding land uses.
Land uses around the Westwood/UCLA Station include commercial; education; multi-family residential; public facilities; and transportation land uses such as Wilshire Boulevard, Gayley Avenue, Westwood Boulevard, bus stops, and sidewalks. Land uses around the Westwood/VA Hospital Station include public facilities associated with the VA WLA Campus, including medical uses, open space, and community
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assets such as Wadsworth Chapel and transportation land uses, including Wilshire Boulevard, I-405, Bonsall Avenue, bus stops, parking lots, and sidewalks. The Project, including with implementation of the refinements, is a transit infrastructure project that would result in a transportation land use.
Alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance. Refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance (Section 2.2) would be consistent with the applicable adopted land use planning goals and policies. In addition, the project refinements would not introduce a new land use because the entrances would be adjacent to other transportation land uses (e.g., Wilshire Boulevard, Bonsall Avenue, sidewalks, and an existing VA parking lot).
The refinements would also be compatible with adjacent and surrounding land uses (e.g., institutional, open space, residential, Wadsworth Chapel, and the historic governor’s mansion) and would not result in adverse impacts to these land uses. The Project, including with implementation of the refinements, is a transit infrastructure project that is considered a transportation land use. The station would increase pedestrian connectivity to the immediate area and allow better connections to serve all land uses, including residential, open space, and governmental facility uses on the VA WLA Campus.
The refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance would reduce the curve in the alignment to improve train operating conditions for a future extension from the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. The refinement would also shift the Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance south, 100 feet closer to the VA Hospital, thereby benefiting transit passengers with destinations at the VA Hospital, including veterans. The station entrance would also be in proximity to the bus stops located on Wilshire Boulevard and serve other public transit riders. Therefore, refinements to the alignment and station entrance would benefit those with destinations at the VA WLA Campus, such as veterans, as well as other public transit riders transferring from Wilshire Boulevard bus stops. Therefore, refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance would be compatible with future development of the adjacent and surrounding land uses. No new adverse effects would occur associated with adjacent or surrounding land uses and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
These refinements are being coordinated with representatives of the VA, and these coordination efforts are considering compatibility of the refinements with the GLA DMP (adopted 2016 but being revised as part of the Programmatic EIS process). The GLA DMP identified the WPLE Project, including the station entrance on the south campus, as an opportunity to enhance connectivity between the campus and Los Angeles and beyond, as well as providing veterans, employees, and visitors access to medical and other services provided on the campus. Metro anticipates that because the Westwood/VA Hospital Station was identified in the GLA DMP, land uses proposed as part of the master plan would be compatible and integrated with the station entrance.
Westwood/VA Hospital Station Access. Refinements to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station access (Section 2.3) are being coordinated with representatives of the VA, and these coordination efforts are considering compatibility of the refinements with the GLA DMP. The passenger drop-off area would be located within the northern portion of an existing parking lot (Lot 42) immediately south of Wilshire Boulevard, while the bus layover area for future transit service would be located adjacent to existing roadway infrastructure in Los Angeles County right-of-way. Therefore, as the passenger drop-off and bus layover areas are located adjacent to existing transportation infrastructure, these refinements would not introduce new land uses to the surrounding area and would be compatible with the surrounding
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land uses. As a result, no new adverse effects would occur associated with adjacent or surrounding land uses and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Project refinements at the VA WLA Campus would continue to support the future projects and master planning on the VA WLA Campus, as well as the goal and vision of the GLA DMP to revive the VA WLA Campus in a veteran-focused manner and provide adequate facilities and services to veterans. The plan identifies the extension of the Metro Purple Line and its plan to terminate at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Bonsall Avenue. The Project and implementation of the refinements would benefit veterans by providing improved connectivity between the surrounding cities to existing and future veteran housing, services, and facilities at the VA WLA Campus.
Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances. Refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances (Section 2.6) would be compatible with surrounding land uses. As previously discussed, the Project, including with implementation of the refinements, is a transit infrastructure project that is considered a transportation land use. The Westwood/UCLA Station entrances and the implementation of the refinements would not introduce a new land use because the entrances would be located adjacent to other transportation land uses, including sidewalks, Westwood Boulevard, and Gayley Avenue. The stations would increase pedestrian connectivity to the immediate area and allow better connections to the area and serve all land uses, including residential, office, commercial, and educational facility uses.
The shift in the station entrance on the UCLA Campus in Lot 36 is minor and would continue to be consistent with surrounding land uses. The refinement to the northeast entrance adjacent to the northwest corner of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards would displace a Chase Bank, but the station entrance would be consistent with the surroundings. Specifically, the station would be of similar dimensions and massing to the footprint currently occupied by the Chase Bank. Based on coordination with the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza property owner, Chase Bank is interested in relocating to a vacant space within the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza that was previously occupied by a bank. Furthermore, the displacement of Chase Bank to accommodate the Westwood/UCLA Station entrance is not anticipated to result in a loss of jobs or economic impacts. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur associated with adjacent or surrounding land uses and the impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Conclusion Overall, project refinements would continue to be consistent with the goals of the 2016-2040 SCAG RTP/SCS as the Project would reduce automobile usage, provide opportunities for joint development and cooperation, enhance regional connectivity, minimize environmental impacts, and maximize ridership. The Project, including with implementation of the refinements, also would be consistent with the goals and vision of the GLA DMP and the University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan (University of California 2014). The Project and the refinements are a transit infrastructure project that is considered a transportation land use and would not introduce a new land use. The project refinements would also be compatible with future development of the adjacent and surrounding land uses. Implementation of the project refinements would not result in new adverse impacts or increase the severity of previously identified impacts related to land use. Therefore, the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
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Construction The project refinements that may result in construction-related land use impacts are evaluated in the following sections.
Construction Staging Areas. As described in Section 2.1 of this technical memorandum, Metro proposes to stage major construction activities at the area south of Wilshire Boulevard on the western side of the VA WLA Campus in order to minimize impacts to the VA Main Hospital (Building 500). Construction staging areas are also identified:
µ On the VA WLA Campus in Parking Lot 42 to support construction of the station
µ In a grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue to support construction of the station box and west crossover
µ Within Caltrans infiltration basins between the VA WLA Campus and I-405, both north and south of Wilshire Boulevard
µ On the VA WLA Campus in Lot 43 for construction of a replacement parking structure that was included as a Final EIS/EIR commitment
The construction staging areas would not result in adverse impacts to the immediate surrounding land uses, which on the VA WLA Campus consist of parking lots, Wilshire Boulevard, I-405, Bonsall Avenue, the U.S. Army Reserve site, and the grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue. Metro would acquire temporary easements for construction areas. The construction staging areas would not result in adverse impacts to adjacent sensitive uses such as open space or residences. Specifically, while a portion of the grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue would be unavailable during construction due to the Western VA Construction Staging Area and the staging area for construction of the west crossover, a majority of the grassy area would remain open and available for use by those utilizing the VA WLA Campus, including veterans. Metro acknowledges that this open grass space is an important resource to the VA WLA Campus and veteran community and construction of the Project would have temporary affects but would not result in long- term adverse impacts to this area. Noise barrier walls (consistent with Final EIS/EIR Mitigation Measure CON-27 (Noise Barrier Walls for Nighttime Construction)) would be installed around the perimeter of the construction staging areas located within the grassy area on both the western side of the VA WLA Campus and immediately west of Bonsall Avenue. The noise barrier walls would reduce construction-related noise to adjacent areas, including the grassy area that would remain accessible during construction, to the extent feasible. Furthermore, other mitigation measures from the Final EIS/EIR would minimize potential impacts to these sensitive land uses. These mitigation measures include, but are not limited to, CON-4 (Construction Lighting) and CON-5 (Screening of Construction Staging Areas). Furthermore, impacts would end with the completion of construction and potential adverse impacts to surrounding land uses would only occur during the construction phase. Potential adverse impacts would be minimized to the extent feasible with the implementation of mitigation measures. Upon the completion of construction, areas not required for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station or appendages (i.e., ventilation shafts, emergency exit hatch, and emergency path) would be restored to existing conditions or as agreed to with the property owner and returned to the property owner.
Noise impacts to adjacent sensitive receptors, including residences, during construction are evaluated in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Construction and Operation Noise and Vibration Assessment for Section 3 Project Refinements (Metro, 2018b). As shown in that memorandum,
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construction would not result in adverse noise impacts to these uses with implementation of mitigation. Additionally, as shown in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Air Quality Technical Memorandum (Metro, 2018c), construction would not result in adverse air quality impacts to sensitive receptors. Adverse, unmitigated impacts under the other disciplines (e.g., traffic) were not identified, as discussed in further detail in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, 130(c) Technical Memorandum (Metro 2018d).
The Final EIS/EIR assumed major construction activities would occur on a construction staging area in Parking Lot 42. With implementation of the project refinements, many of these activities would be relocated to the Western VA Construction Staging Area, which would move construction activities as far away from the VA Main Hospital (Building 500) as feasible. This would reduce impacts to the hospital and its patrons, including veterans, particularly in terms of reducing noise and dust. The refinements to the construction staging area would also provide a benefit in terms of land use compatibility as impacts related to construction would be minimized at the hospital. This construction staging area would be accessed directly from Wilshire Boulevard resulting in less construction vehicle activity elsewhere on the VA WLA Campus relative to the Final EIS/EIR, which assumed construction truck activity would occur on Bonsall Avenue and Dowlen Drive. Dowlen Drive would not be used for access to the construction staging area and would only be used for emergency situations. Therefore, this refinement would minimize potential impacts associated with land use compatibility during construction, specifically to the VA Hospital.
Metro would obtain temporary easements from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Caltrans for the construction staging areas shown in Figure 2-2. It is anticipated that specific construction stipulations on those properties will be determined through coordination with each property owner/jurisdiction prior to the start of construction. Therefore, the construction staging areas would be compatible with applicable land use plans, policies, and regulations.
The refinements also would not introduce new physical barriers or alter or create a division of an established community. Specifically, the staging areas have been located to avoid closure of roads or sidewalks. It should also be noted that the Western VA Construction Staging Area is already separated from Wilshire Boulevard by a fence. Nonetheless, Mitigation Measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR would maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction to the extent feasible and safe. Metro is also committed to maintaining access and connectivity between the north and south campus. With these measures, veterans would continue to have adequate and safe access to veteran resources, services, and facilities on both the north and south sides of the VA WLA Campus. Construction of the refinements on the VA WLA Campus would be temporary and would not result in impacts to regional or land use policies or result in incompatible uses on the VA WLA Campus. Consistent with Mitigation Measure CON-1 (Signage), signage would be installed during construction. For the VA WLA Campus, this signage would include an electronic management board system to provide information on construction activities occurring on the campus. This signage would assist with wayfinding during construction. Therefore, no new adverse land use effects would occur and the impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance. Construction of the refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance (Section 2.2) would not substantially change the construction methods discussed in the Final EIS/EIR for
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these project elements. Construction would be phased such that Bonsall Avenue and the sidewalks on both sides of Bonsall Avenue would remain open at all times during construction, thereby maintaining access between the north and south sides of the VA WLA Campus for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, the construction specifications for the Project require that a portion of Bonsall Avenue and sidewalks on both sides of Bonsall Avenue remain open at all times, thereby maintaining access between the north and south sides of the VA WLA Campus for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Mitigation measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR would maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction to the extent feasible and safe. Therefore, no new adverse construction effects associated with land use would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
This refinement also eliminated the GSA crossover, which required construction activities in front of the Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard east of I-405. The Final EIS/EIR identified noise impacts associated with construction of the GSA crossover. Eliminating this crossover and associated construction activity would provide a benefit for the Federal Building, thereby minimizing potential impacts associated with land use compatibility during construction at this location.
Westwood/VA Hospital Station Access. Construction of the passenger drop-off area and new bus layover area (Section 2.3) would not require new construction methods or introduce construction activities into areas that were not already evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR. Mitigation measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR would maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction to the extent feasible and safe. Therefore, no new adverse construction effects associated with land use would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Murals. The northeast mural would be removed and a mosaic would be added to an existing embankment across from the current location of the mural (Section 2.4). This site is adjacent to the construction activities associated with the station circulation elements on the north side of Wilshire Boulevard and therefore would not introduce new construction activities in an area not previously evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR. As a result, no new adverse construction effects associated with land use would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Construction Method for Westwood/VA Hospital Station West Crossover. As stated in Section 2.5 of this technical memorandum, the Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover would be constructed via a cut-and-cover method rather than sequential mined excavation. The construction area associated with the west crossover is in an existing grassy area on the WLA VA Historic District and would result in a loss of up to 11 trees and a shrub in this area. While this refinement would introduce new aboveground construction activities on this area of the VA WLA Campus, construction would not create a new permanent barrier or physically divide the north and south side of the VA WLA Campus. Specifically, the majority of the grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue would remain open and available during construction. Bonsall Avenue would remain open for vehicular and pedestrian use, thereby continuing to provide a connection between the north and south VA WLA Campus during construction. Metro is coordinating with representatives of the VA to obtain the necessary temporary easements and would abide by stipulations of the Memorandum of Understanding as it pertains to construction of this
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feature. As such, construction of the west crossover would not be inconsistent with applicable land use plans and regulations.
Based on results of the construction-related noise assessment, as detailed in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3 Construction and Operation Noise and Vibration Assessment for Section 3 Project Refinements (Metro 2018b), an approximately 20-foot-high noise barrier would be placed along the perimeter of the construction area to minimize noise impacts to the surrounding noise-sensitive receivers. Upon completion of construction, the area would be restored to existing conditions or as determined through coordination with the VA. Therefore, this refinement would not degrade the surrounding land use.
Refinement to the construction of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover would result in temporary construction activities, but would not result in new direct impacts to regional or local land use policies; would not introduce any new physical barriers or alter or create a division of an established community; would not permanently acquire new properties; and would not result in incompatibility within the surrounding land uses beyond what was identified in the Final EIS/EIR. Furthermore, with the refinement to the construction method from excavation mining to a cut-and-cover method, surface impacts would be minimized, and a large grassy area would be maintained during construction. Mitigation measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR would maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction. Therefore, no new adverse effects associated with land use would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances. Construction of the refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances (Section 2.6) would be similar to the construction methods discussed in the Final EIS/EIR. Therefore, the refinements would be compatible with applicable land use plans and regulations; would not introduce new physical barriers or alter or create a division of an established community; and would not result in incompatibility within the surrounding land uses beyond what was identified in the Final EIS/EIR. It is anticipated that specific construction stipulations on the UCLA campus and Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza properties, as needed, will be determined through Metro coordination. Additionally, Mitigation Measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR would maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction to the extent feasible and safe. Therefore, no new adverse construction effects associated with land use would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Tunnel Size. The refinement to the size of the tunnel (Section 2.7) does not have the potential to effect land uses during construction. The aboveground activities associated with this refinement relate to changes in the amount of muck excavated during construction. Muck would be removed from the Western VA Construction Staging Area. As stated above, this construction staging area would not result in land use impacts during construction and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged.
Grouting. Grouting activities described in Section 2.8 do not have the potential to effect land use during construction. Grouting at Sepulveda Boulevard would occur from a Caltrans parking lot and would not require street closures. The means and methods for grouting beneath Westfield Mall would be determined by the contractor; however, the contractor would comply with Mitigation Measures TCON-1
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(Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR to maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction to the extent feasible and safe. Therefore, no new adverse construction effects associated with land use would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Underground Conduit. Installation of underground conduits described in Section 2.9 do not have the potential to affect land use during construction. Temporary power for construction, including power required to operate the TBMs and for station construction, would require installation of new underground conduits from the existing SCE Sawtelle substation to the Western VA Construction Staging Area via Ohio Avenue, Federal Avenue, and Wilshire Boulevard. The route would be a combination of new power lines on existing overhead lines and new underground conduits within public rights-of-way. Construction would require short-term closures of the far right travel lane on Wilshire Boulevard and the parking lane on Ohio and Federal Avenues. Access would be maintained to properties during construction. Therefore, no new adverse construction effects associated with land use would occur.
Conclusion Refinements to construction activities, equipment, and methods described in Section 2.0 are consistent with the Project as evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR and would not introduce new physical barriers or alter or create a division of an established community; would not permanently acquire new properties; and would not result in incompatibility within the surrounding land uses during construction beyond what was identified in the Final EIS/EIR. Mitigation measures identified in the Final EIS/EIR would continue to apply to construction of the project refinements. A substantial amount of heavy construction activities, such as support of the TBM, have been shifted from the construction staging area in Lot 42 located in front of the Main Hospital (Building 500), to a construction staging area located on the western portion of the VA WLA Campus (Section 2.1). This staging area has been located to avoid sidewalk and lane closures on Wilshire Boulevard. The construction specifications for the Project also require that Bonsall Avenue, including the sidewalk, remain open at all times for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, thereby maintaining access between the north and south VA WLA Campus. Metro would obtain temporary easements from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Caltrans for the construction staging areas described in Section 2.1 and from UCLA for construction within Lot 36 on the UCLA campus. It is anticipated that specific construction stipulations on those properties will be determined through coordination with each property owner/jurisdiction prior to the start of construction. Refinements would benefit the Federal Building (through elimination of a staging area associated with the GSA crossover) and VA Main Hospital (Building 500) and would minimize potential impacts associated with land use compatibility during construction at both locations. Mitigation Measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) from the Final EIS/EIR would continue to apply to construction of the refinements. Therefore, no new adverse construction effects associated with land use would occur and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
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4.2 Community and Neighborhoods 4.2.1 Regulatory Setting 4.2.1.1 Federal Since adoption of the Final EIS/EIR, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act was signed and passed.
FAST Act. The FAST Act, signed in December 2015 by President Obama, is dedicated to providing long- term funding certainty for surface transportation infrastructure planning and investment. The FAST Act authorizes $305 billion over Fiscal Year 2015 through 2020 for highways, highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail and research, technology, and statistics programs. The FAST Act maintains focus on safety, keeps intact the established structure of the various highway-related programs managed by the Federal Highway Administration, continues efforts to streamline project delivery, and provides a dedicated source of federal dollars for freight projects.
4.2.1.2 Regional As identified under Section 4.1.1.2, since the adoption of the Final EIS/EIR, SCAG adopted the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS in April 2016. A full description of the 2016-2040 RTP/SCS is provided in Section 4.1.1.2.
4.2.1.3 Local The Study Area is east-west oriented and includes portions of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated Los Angeles County around the VA WLA Campus. Applicable plans include the Los Angeles County General Plan, the City of Los Angles General Plan and several community plans identified within the Study Area, including the Westwood Community Plan, West Los Angeles Community Plan, Brentwood-Pacific Palisades Community Plan, and West Los Angeles Community Plan. The Study Area also includes the following specific plans: West Los Angeles Transportation Improvement and Mitigation, Wilshire-Westwood Scenic Corridor, and Century City North. Since preparation of the Final EIS/EIR, the community plans have not been updated; however, the Los Angeles County General Plan and the Mobility Plan 2035 have been updated and adopted, as discussed in Section 4.1.1.3.
Refer to Section 3.0, Regulatory Framework, of the Westside Subway Extension Community and Neighborhood Impacts Report (Metro 2010a), for a full discussion of the regulatory setting.
Since adoption of the Final EIS/EIR, Metro has adopted its Transit Homeless Action Plan (Metro 2017a) and approved the Metro Equity Platform Framework (Metro 2018e).
Metro Transit Homeless Action Plan. In February 2017, Metro created the Transit Homeless Action Plan to develop a coordinated and comprehensive approach that maintains a safe and clean environment for patrons, while connecting homeless persons in the transit system to services and resources. The Action Plan includes an investment in transit homeless outreach teams specifically assigned to Metro in addition to partnership and coordination with the County of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles. Metro’s Homeless Task Force works with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to respond to homelessness by working with homeless individuals and families and connecting them to resources and services.
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Metro Equity Platform Framework. In March 2018, Metro board approved the Equity Platform Framework in which Metro will use a community-centered approach to develop an equity framework that shapes the spending priorities in the Long-Range Transportation Plan Update and future Metro plans to address disparities in access to opportunity. The Equity Platform Framework is a “multi-point equity platform” that includes four pillars:
1. Define and Measure a shared definition of equity that considers racial and socioeconomic historical and structural inequities, and seeks to preemptively consider impacts by defining metrics to evaluate outcomes 2. Listen and Learn from Angelenos by establishing forums for the community to meaningfully shape, define, and measure equitable outcomes 3. Focus and Deliver through the Long Range Transportation Plan on Metro’s direct impacts (transportation plans, operations, and maintenance and investments) and indirect impacts (land use and displacement) 4. Train and Grow Metro agency staff to evaluate equity and effectively communicate and collaborate with communities
4.2.2 Affected Environment/Existing Conditions 4.2.2.1 Final EIS/EIR Existing Conditions The Final EIS/EIR describes a neighborhood or community as an area in which the predominant land use is residential, although residents may also reside in primarily non-residential areas such as commercial corridors. A sense of cohesion within a residential area may or may not exist depending on factors such as how long residents have lived in the area, whether friends and family live nearby, and the extent of shared activities within the area. It is probable that a cohesive sense of neighborhood exists within areas that are engaged in the neighborhood planning process, have organized a neighborhood association, or have a well-known and long-established identity as a place.
The following summarizes characteristics of the community and neighborhoods located within the Study Area as presented in the Final EIS/EIR and the Westside Subway Extension Project Community and Neighborhood Technical Report (Metro 2010a) and the Westside Subway Extension Project Addendum to the Community and Neighborhood Technical Report (Metro 2011b).
Brentwood (City of Los Angeles). The Brentwood community is generally bounded by Wilshire Boulevard to the south, I-405 Freeway/Sepulveda Boulevard on the east, the City of Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades on the west, and Mulholland Drive on the north. Brentwood is comprised largely of White residents and is known as one of the wealthiest areas in Los Angeles. Brentwood’s northern portion consists primarily of single-family residences, and areas south of San Vicente Boulevard include mostly multi-family residences. Brentwood has a low population density and high median household income. The low population density reflects the most affluent portion of the Brentwood community. Brentwood also has a high number of residents who have lived at their current address for less than five years (61.3 percent). The Tenth Church of Christ Scientist located at 1133 South Bundy Drive is a community asset within the Study Area.
Century City (City of Los Angeles). The Century City community is generally bounded by the City of Beverly Hills on the east, Pico Boulevard on the south, Century Park West on the west, and Santa Monica
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Boulevard on the north. The Century City community includes several high-density office buildings and serves as an important commercial and residential center. Several medium to low-density residential areas are located beyond the high-rise commercial frontages. Century City also has less than half its residents who have lived at their current address for less than five years (43.8 percent). Century City is comprised largely of White residents. The Jews for Judaism located at 1801 Avenue of the Stars is a community asset within the Study Area.
Rancho Park (City of Los Angeles). The Rancho Park community is generally bounded by Olympic Boulevard on the north, I-10 on the south, Century Park West on the east, and I-405 Freeway or Sepulveda Boulevard on the west. Rancho Park also has a less than half of its residents who have lived at their current address for less than five years (47.7 percent). Rancho Park is comprised largely of White residents.
VA WLA Campus (Unincorporated County of Los Angeles). The VA WLA Campus community includes the VA Main Hospital (Wadsworth Hospital) south of Wilshire Boulevard. The Los Angeles National Cemetery, located between Sepulveda Boulevard and Veteran Avenue, is the final resting place for 85,000 veterans and family members from the Mexican War to the present. The VA WLA Campus also has 100 percent of its residents who have lived at their current address for less than five years. The VA WLA Campus is comprised of a high number of White and African-Americans. Community assets within and adjacent to the VA WLA Campus include Westwood Park located at 1350 Sepulveda Boulevard.
West Los Angeles (City of Los Angeles). The West Los Angeles community is generally bounded by I-405 Freeway on the east, I-10 Freeway on the south, Centinela Avenue on the west, and Wilshire Boulevard on the north. West Los Angeles also has a high number of residents who have lived at their current address for less than five years (68.2 percent). Approximately half of West Los Angeles residents are White. A small portion of the proposed alignment extends through the northeast boundary of the West Los Angeles community and no community assets are located within this portion.
Westwood (City of Los Angeles). The Westwood community is bounded by Olympic Boulevard on the south, the City of Beverly Hills on the northeast, and Sunset Boulevard on the north; its southwestern boundary is the I-405 Freeway between Olympic Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard, and Veteran Avenue between Wilshire Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. Westwood is the home to UCLA and includes residential high-rise buildings along Wilshire Boulevard in addition to commercial areas, such as “Westwood Village.” Single-family residences are located east and southeast of UCLA in the Holmby Hills community, in addition to low- to medium-density apartments. Due to its proximity to UCLA, the Westwood community includes a large student population, evidenced by one of the highest percentages of residents living within the area for less than five years (64.4 percent). Westwood is comprised largely of White residents. Community assets in the Westwood community include UCLA and the Christian Science Churches Reading Rooms and Office located at 1125 Glendon Avenue.
Table 4-2 through Table 4-6 summarize the Final EIS/EIR demographic and socioeconomic data of the Study Area, as provided in Tables 4-5 through 4-9 in the Westside Subway Extension Project Community and Neighborhood Impacts Report (Metro 2010a) and Addendum (Metro 2011b) and visualized in Figures 4-8 through 4-13 of the Final EIS/EIR.
Table 4-2 shows that Rancho Park (12.1 percent) has the largest population under the age of 18, and Century City (40.4 percent) has the highest population over the age of 65.
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Table 4-2: Study Area Communities Percent of Population by Age (2000)
Age Geography Under 18 Years 18 to 44 years 45 to 64 years 65 years + Brentwood 10.0% 54.6% 21.0% 14.4% Century City 7.9% 28.1% 23.6% 40.4% Rancho Park 12.1% 35.6% 24.7% 27.6% VA WLA Campus 8.0% 32.9% 40.7% 18.5% West Los Angeles 10.6% 62.7% 16.7% 10.0% Westwood 8.1% 64.1% 15.4% 12.4% Source: U.S. Census, 2000; Metro 2010a
Table 4-3 shows the race and ethnicity of the communities within the Study Area. The VA WLA Campus has the largest percentage of African-Americans (44.0 percent). The Westwood community has the largest percentage of Asians (20.8 percent), and the West Los Angeles community has the largest percentage of Hispanic Latinos (22.3 percent). The White population is the most predominant race and ethnicity throughout the Study Area.
Table 4-3: Study Area Communities Population by Race and Ethnicity (2000)
Geography White African American Alaska Native Asian Hispanic Latino Brentwood 84.3% 1.3% 0.3% 6.4% 4.5% Century City 85.2% 2.3% 0.0% 8.3% 2.5% Rancho Park 80.6% 1.7% 0.1% 9.4% 5.1% VA WLA Campus 45.6% 44.0% 0.9% 0.0% 6.9% West Los Angeles 49.9% 2.5% 0.0% 19.7% 22.3% Westwood 65.4% 2.1% 0.2% 20.8% 6.8% Source: U.S. Census, 2000; Metro 2010a
The Final EIS/EIR states that several indicators can help predict how or if a neighborhood might change. This includes household incomes that can be used as a proxy for housing prices. Often neighborhoods with lower housing prices that are considered undesirable will gentrify due to limited housing options elsewhere in the City.
Table 4-4 shows the median household incomes for the Study Area communities. The community with the lowest median household income is West Los Angeles ($40,748), and the highest median household income is Century City ($93,353).
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Table 4-4: Study Area Communities by Household Income (2000)
Geography Median Household Income Brentwood $88,263 Century City $93,353 Rancho Park $74,859 VA WLA Campus $42,391 West Los Angeles $40,748 Westwood $66,356 Source: U.S. Census, 2000; Metro 2010a
Table 4-5 shows the population density for communities within the Study Area. The Final EIS/EIR states that high population density can demonstrate not just the need for expanded transit services, but also the potential effects that service might have in relation to higher density development. West Los Angeles has the highest population density in the Study Area and the VA WLA Campus is the least dense.
Table 4-5: Study Area Communities by Population Density (2000)
Geography Persons Per Square Mile Brentwood 9,287 Century City 8,870 Rancho Park 12,032 VA WLA Campus 2,003 West Los Angeles 14,987 Westwood 12,771 Source: U.S. Census, 2000; Metro 2010a
Table 4-6 shows the years of tenancy for communities within the Study Area. The Final EIS/EIR states that the stability of a community can be identified by how long residents have lived at their current address. Communities that experience frequent turnover would be expected to be less cohesive than those that include a large population that is aging in place.
Table 4-6: Study Area Communities by Length of Tenancy (2000)
Percent of Population Living in a Geography by Years Geography Less than 5 Years 5 to 10 Years Over 10 Years Brentwood 61.3% 14.2% 24.5% Century City 43.8% 15.1% 41.1% Rancho Park 47.7% 13.8% 38.5% VA WLA Campus 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% West Los Angeles 68.2% 15.7% 16.1% Westwood 64.4% 12.3% 23.3% Source: U.S. Census, 2000; Metro 2010a
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4.2.2.2 Section 3 Updated Existing Conditions To further address and identify the distinct communities and cohesive nature of the veterans on the VA WLA Campus, further definition of what constitutes a community, community asset, and the strength of a community was required. A community is defined in part by behavior patterns that individuals or groups of individuals hold in common. These behavior patterns are expressed through daily social interactions, the use of local facilities, participation in local organizations, and involvement in activities that satisfy the population’s economic and social needs. A community is also defined by shared perceptions or attitudes, typically expressed through individuals’ identification with a particular identifiable area. A community is typically grouped by its geographical area. In urban areas, a community would be supported by community facilities (e.g., schools, senior centers, city halls, parks, churches, post office) as well as supporting commercial uses (e.g. grocery stores, cleaners, and restaurants). The strength or the cohesion of a community or neighborhood to successfully adapt to change is a function of many factors, including homogeneity and/or the diversity of the population, similarities in income, as well as shared cultural or ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, the stability of a community is reflected by the number of long-time residents who reside in the community.
Communities located in Section 3 include Brentwood, Century City, Rancho Park, the VA WLA Campus, West Los Angeles, and Westwood. The communities are located entirely within the City of Los Angeles, with the exception of the VA WLA Campus, which is located in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Communities located within Section 3 have not changed from those presented in the Final EIS/EIR. Since the adoption of the Final EIS/EIR, the general makeup of the community and neighborhoods in the Study Area has remained proportionally similar and the community assets identified near the station areas have not changed. Growth in the Study Area communities is also consistent with predicted growth as identified in the Final EIS/EIR. Thus, characteristics of the community and neighborhoods have remained relatively the same as described in the Final EIS/EIR. Table 4-7 through Table 4-11 provide updated demographic and socioeconomic data of the communities located in the Study Area.
As shown in Table 4-7, the community with the largest population under the age of 18 is Rancho Park (19.1 percent). The community with the highest percentage of population over the age of 65 is Century City (44.7 percent). These characteristics of Rancho Park and Century City are similar to those presented in the Final EIS/EIR and have not substantially changed.
Table 4-7: Study Area Communities Percent of Population by Age (2015)
Age Geography Under 18 Years 18 to 44 years 45 to 64 years 65 years + Brentwood 12.0% 48.3% 22.5% 17.3% Century City 11.5% 24.6% 19.2% 44.7% Rancho Park 19.1% 32.9% 27.7% 20.4% VA WLA Campus 5.3% 28.3% 49.2% 17.2% West Los Angeles 10.4% 60.9% 18.8% 9.8% Westwood 8.7% 63.3% 15.7% 12.4% Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2015; TAHA, 2017
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Table 4-8 shows the race and ethnicity of the communities within the Study Area. The VA WLA Campus has the largest percentage of African-Americans (43.4 percent). The Westwood community has the largest percentage of Asians (27.1 percent), and the West Los Angeles community has the largest percentage of Hispanic Latinos (21.0 percent). The White population is the most predominant race and ethnicity throughout the Study Area. These characteristics of Westwood and West Los Angeles are similar to those presented in the Final EIS/EIR and have not substantially changed.
Table 4-8: Study Area Communities Population by Race and Ethnicity (2015)
Geography White African-American Other Asian Hispanic Latino Brentwood 79.7% 1.4% 3.1% 9.7% 6.1% Century City 76.0% 0.0% 2.4% 20.9% 0.7% Rancho Park 73.4% 2.8% 3.7% 14.9% 5.2% VA WLA Campus 31.8% 43.4% 3.0% 6.6% 15.2% West Los Angeles 49.0% 2.4% 4.6% 23.1% 21.0% Westwood 56.4% 2.1% 4.6% 27.1% 9.8% Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2015; TAHA, 2017
Table 4-9 shows the median household incomes for the communities within the Study Area. The community with the lowest median household income is West Los Angeles ($67,221) and the highest median household income is Brentwood ($124,788). The median household income for the VA WLA Campus is not available. Household income for the VA WLA Campus is not available through the U.S Census Bureau 2011-2015 ACS data. However, it should be noted that approximately 44 percent of veterans receiving services at the VA Hospital have an income of less than $30,000 (VA 2017c). Nonetheless, Brentwood, Century City, and Rancho Park have the highest median household incomes in the Study Area and that has not substantially changed compared to what was presented in the Final EIS/EIR.
Table 4-9: Study Area Communities by Household Income (2015)
Geography Median Household Income Brentwood $124,788 Century City $104,242 Rancho Park $107,073 VA WLA Campus N/A West Los Angeles $67,221 Westwood $87,872 Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2015; TAHA, 2017
Table 4-10 shows the population density for the communities within the Study Area. West Los Angeles has the highest population density in the Study Area and the VA WLA Campus is the least dense. These characteristics of West Los Angeles and the VA WLA Campus are similar to those presented in the Final EIS/EIR and have not substantially changed.
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Table 4-10: Study Area Communities by Population Density (2015)
Geography Persons Per Square Mile Brentwood 6,996 Century City 3,690 Rancho Park 6,418 VA WLA Campus 692 West Los Angeles 12,889 Westwood 10,003 Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2015; TAHA, 2017
Table 4-11 shows the years of tenancy for the communities within the Study Area. The ACS 2011-2015 5-Year Estimates no longer provide years of tenancy at the increments presented in the Final EIS/EIR (i.e., less than 5 years, 5 to 10 years, over 10 years). However, the stability of a community can still be identified by how long residents have lived at their current address. Century City (86.5 percent) has the highest percentage of residents residing in the same household after one year. The VA WLA Campus provides various housing types specific to veteran needs and includes private rental housing, permanent supportive housing, transitional/bridge housing, domiciliary housing, assisted living, and nursing homes. Representative of the VA WLA Campus housing model, this community has the lowest percentage of residents residing in the same household after one year. This trend is similar as presented in the Final EIS/EIR and has not substantially changed.
Table 4-11: Study Area Communities by Length of Tenancy (2015)
Percent of Population Living in a Geography by Years Geography Same House 1 Year Ago Different House 1 Year Ago Brentwood 77.3% 21.1% Century City 86.5% 13.1% Rancho Park 79.4% 17.9% VA WLA Campus 38.7% 61.3% West Los Angeles 74.6% 22.9% Westwood 60.9% 34.9% Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2015; TAHA, 2017
Since the adoption of the Final EIS/EIR, coordination has been ongoing between Metro and the VA regarding the design and construction phasing of the Project within the VA WLA Campus. This outreach and coordination has resulted in a more comprehensive characterization of the unique VA WLA Campus community and an understanding of the complexity, sensitivities, vulnerabilities, and needs of the community that may be affected by Metro activities. The following presents an updated characterization of the VA WLA Campus community.
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VA WLA Campus. The VA WLA Campus community consists primarily of veterans, including chronically homeless veterans, severely disabled veterans, veterans with physical and mental disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injuries (TBI), substance abusers, veteran families, female veterans, elderly veterans, and patient visitors and staff of the VA Medical Center. It should also be noted that VA Medical Center staff may also include veterans that also share similar sensitivities as the veteran patients. In the case of the veterans community, these individuals generally share similar experiences and events linked to the armed forces and may have undergone similar stressful events during their times of service.
As of May 2017, employment at the VA Medical Center was 3,842 individuals. Between 2015 and 2016, the VA Medical Center provided services to 80,195 patients. More specifically, of all the patients treated at the VA Medical Center, 6,102 patients were treated for mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopment disorders (PTSD, TBI, etc.) and 9,268 patients were treated for disease of the respiratory system. Of the veterans being served at the VA Medical Center, approximately 44 percent identified as low-income patients, 66 percent are older than 55 years old (primarily veterans from the Korean and Vietnam Wars), and 90 percent are male (VA 2017c).
Implementing the goals of the GLA DMP to revitalize the campus to include veteran-focused land use agreements resulted in the termination of several land use agreements between the VA and entities, including Westside Services (parking services), American Red Cross, and The Salvation Army. Nonetheless, the American Red Cross will continue to provide in-kind services to the VA and veterans and disaster response services on the campus. The VA plans to repurpose the American Red Cross district headquarters facility for veteran-focused use. The Salvation Army also continues to work with the VA without disrupting its services and care provided to veterans within its programs.
Homeless Veterans. Homeless veterans are a diverse and complex group of individuals with significant mental health and other healthcare concerns. Los Angeles has among of the highest numbers of homeless veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, female veterans, and chronically homeless veterans in the nation (Homeless Registry data, 2014). Chronic homelessness is defined by the VA as having both a disability and having experienced homelessness for at least a year, or four or more episodes of homelessness in the last three years (VA 2017b).
As previously discussed, the VA WLA Campus provides various housing types specific to veteran needs, including private rental housing, permanent supportive housing, transitional/bridge housing, domiciliary housing, assisted living, and nursing homes. The VA continues to work with non-profits and partners to provide veterans with a safe place to stay while they work with VA and community partners to identify a permanent home with services and access to healthcare, benefits, and employment services to help sustain the home and prevent a relapse back into homelessness. New Directions and the VA continue to work together to operate a transitional housing program in Building 116 and continue to provide homelessness support and resources to the VA in the Welcome Center on the north campus.
From 2016-2017, approximately 281,700 persons identified as veterans reside in the Greater Los Angeles area (including Los Angeles, Kern, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties (VA 2018a). According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, approximately 5,000 homeless veterans were identified living in the Greater Los Angeles Area (VA 2017c). The Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team is the largest in the nation and provides primary care to approximately 3,800 homeless veterans (20 percent of the nation’s Homeless Patient
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Aligned Care Team) (VA 2018a). The Welcome Center of the VA Medical Center, which provides same- day assessment and access and housing services, generally serves approximately 60 to 80 veterans a day. The domiciliary offers specialty residential substance abuse treatment for veterans for up to 14 months and served approximately 786 veterans as of March 2017. In addition, the Veterans Homes of California – West Los Angeles located in the VA WLA Campus is a 396-bed, long-term healthcare facility for veterans that housed approximately 200 veterans as of March 2017 (VA 2017c). However, veteran homelessness has been identified on the VA WLA Campus with informal homeless camps observed near the Japanese Gardens and just outside of the gates located on Bringham Avenue. These homeless veterans are often taken to the Welcome Center for processing during operational hours (7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to help enroll them in programs and services. This practice has decreased the number of homeless veterans from going to the hospital’s emergency room. However, after hours, the veteran homeless are generally asked to leave the VA WLA Campus.
In an effort to end veterans homelessness in Los Angeles, the GLA DMP and updates to the plan have resulted in planning strategies to transform the campus into a vibrant community where veterans can receive housing, healthcare, benefits, and other supportive services with a specific focus on chronically and aging homeless veterans, female veterans with dependents, and other underserved veteran populations. The GLA DMP has identified goals to provide 1,200 units of permanent supportive housing in Zone 3 on the north campus; facilitate services promoting health, vocational training, recreation, and family and child care; rehabilitation of historic resources; and the development of a town center and amphitheater. In June 2017, Building 209 opened, which is the first EUL on the VA WLA Campus and provides 54 units of permanent supportive housing in the north campus. Additional veterans housing projects on the VA WLA Campus are currently in the planning stages and would result in the build out of approximately 1,200 units of permanent supporting housing on the VA WLA Campus in the next 10 years in the north campus. These future projects include the following:
µ 121 units of permanent supportive housing in Buildings 205 and 208
µ 330 units of permanent supportive housing in Buildings 156, 157, 158, and Macarthur Field
µ 280 units of permanent supportive housing in Buildings 206, 207, 210, 256, and 257
µ 440 units of permanent supportive housing in Buildings 205 and 208
With the development of new housing units for veterans on the VA WLA Campus, the GLA DMP also proposes the creation of new distinct neighborhoods with active community centers, open space, parking and wayfinding, and improved vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian circulations. This would also result in a strengthened veterans community that resides on the VA WLA Campus. Future projects in the south campus would primarily consist of expansions to the medical center and a new parking structure.
Community assets within the VA WLA Campus include the following:
µ Murals along Bonsall Avenue underpass and ramps
µ Westwood Park located at 1350 Sepulveda Boulevard
µ Los Angeles National Cemetery located at 950 S. Sepulveda Boulevard
µ Los Angeles National Veterans Park located in the north campus at the northern intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard
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µ Jackie Robinson Stadium located at 100 Constitution Avenue, north campus
µ MacArthur Field located at 10 Bonsall Avenue, north campus
µ Veterans Barrington Park located at 333 S. Barrington Avenue, north campus
µ United States Post Office – Barrington Station located at 200 S. Barrington Avenue, north campus
µ Wadsworth Theatre located at 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Building 226, north campus
µ Wadsworth Chapel located at 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, north campus
µ Gardens located primarily in the north campus (including Healing Garden, Arcadia’s Garden, Japanese Garden, and Memorial (Rose) Garden)
µ Hero’s Golf Course in the north campus
Additional community assets for the VA WLA Campus community include the building facilities that provide veteran services and resources, such as the Welcome Center (Building 257) and the Administrative Buildings (Building 401).
The U.S. Army Reserve Center, administered by the U.S. Army, is located adjacent to the VA WLA Campus at corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Federal Avenue. This property is the headquarters for the 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and contains the Captain Nelson M. Holderman U.S. Army Reserve Center, which includes several buildings (i.e., Sadao Munemori Hall, U.S. Army recruitment building, and California National Guard recruitment building) and several parking lots. For purposes of the communities and neighborhoods analysis, the U.S. Census block groups analyzed for the VA WLA Campus also includes the U.S. Army Reserve site. No permanent residents are housed on the U.S. Army Reserve site and, therefore, it is not considered a defined community.
4.2.3 Environmental Impacts/Environmental Consequences 4.2.3.1 Final EIS/EIR Operations The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project would not affect existing pedestrian or vehicle traffic. However, the Project is expected to enhance pedestrian circulation patterns and connectivity to maximize ridership, resulting in a more unified community. Construction of the new stations would comply with the American with Disabilities Act and would be designed to ensure accessibility to all persons. The stations would be wheelchair and stroller accessible with ramps and/or elevators, and several seats on each train would have dedicated seating for people with disabilities. The Final EIS/EIR determined that most businesses along the alignment and around the stations would be expected to benefit from the Project as mobility would be increased throughout the Westside and greater Los Angeles area. Therefore, the Project would not disrupt access and no adverse effect would occur.
Westwood. The Westwood/UCLA Station would be located in the Westwood community, near several community assets, including medical facilities, the Hammer Museum, and the UCLA Campus. The Final EIS/EIR determined that none of the community assets would be displaced. The proposed station would be located underground and would not disrupt access to nearby schools, churches, and other community facilities. The Final EIS/EIR also determined the Westwood community has a large student population and a large percentage of residents that have been in their current home for less than five years (64.4 percent). The Westwood/UCLA Station would not change the character of the community as
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a result of the station. The area would continue to draw students, and the increased mobility and decreased traffic congestion would likely reinforce the trend. Therefore, the Project would not adversely affect community cohesion and no adverse impacts would occur.
VA WLA Campus. The Final EIS/EIR stated that the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would be developed entirely within the VA WLA Campus and would not have direct or indirect impacts to community cohesion.
Construction The Final EIS/EIR stated that construction would result in temporary adverse impacts related to the physical division of established communities due to temporary street and sidewalk closures and traffic detours. However, Mitigation Measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access) and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR would maintain traffic and pedestrian circulation and access throughout construction to the extent feasible and safe. Therefore, implementation of the construction-related transportation mitigation measures would ensure construction-related activities during construction of Section 3 would not result in the physical division of established communities. Construction-related activities would also not result in the social or psychological division of an established community. The Project would implement Mitigation Measure CON-1 (Signage) to provide signage to indicate accessibility to businesses in the vicinity, as identified in Section 4.15 of the Final EIS/EIR. It was also stated that Metro would develop and implement a community outreach plan to notify local communities of construction schedules, road and sidewalk closures, and detours.
Access to hospitals and medical care facilities would also be maintained during lane closures and detours associated with construction activities. Mitigation measures CON-83 (Work with Transportation, Police, Public Works, and Community Service Departments), CON-85 (Informational Program to Enhance Safety), and CON-86 (Traffic Control), as identified in Section 4.15 of the Final EIS/EIR, would reduce construction-related adverse effects to community facilities. With implementation of mitigation measures, construction would not affect access to community facilities and would not result in adverse effects to community and neighborhoods.
4.2.3.2 Section 3 Evaluation The following sections evaluate potential community and neighborhood impacts associated with the project refinements described in Section 2.0 of this technical memorandum. The evaluation of operational impacts is presented first, followed by construction impacts, based on the impact criteria used in the Final EIS/EIR.
Operations The following project refinements do not have the potential to affect community and neighborhoods in Section 3 of the Project: tunnel size (Section 2.7), grouting (Section 2.8), and underground conduits (Section 2.9). The project refinement to the tunnel size does not have the potential to result in adverse impacts to community and neighborhoods because this refinement is underground and would not alter community or neighborhoods above. Ground improvement (grouting) activities would occur underground and would support and protect buildings and underground utilities. Underground conduits
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would be underground or on existing aboveground SCE infrastructure and would not result in changes to community or neighborhoods during operation of the Project.
Additionally, the refinements to construction staging areas (Section 2.1) and the construction method for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover (Section 2.5) would only affect construction means and methods. Upon the completion of construction, the areas disturbed would be restored to existing conditions or as agreed to by the property owner.
Project refinements related to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance (Section 2.2), Westwood/VA Hospital Station access (Section 2.3), relocation of the murals (Section 2.4), and Westwood/UCLA entrances (Section 2.6) may result in operational impacts to community and neighborhoods and are evaluated below.
The community and neighborhood analysis summarized in the Final EIS/EIR and the Westside Subway Extension Project Community and Neighborhood Impacts Report (Metro 2010a) considered whether the Project would result in physical, social, or psychological barriers within an established community or neighborhood. The creation of barriers was also evaluated as part of the land use analysis. Refer to Section 4.1.3.2 of this technical memorandum for the assessment of whether the project refinements would result in barriers. The conclusions in that section remain valid for the community and neighborhood evaluation.
The Final EIS/EIR and the Westside Subway Extension Project Community and Neighborhood Impacts Report (Metro 2010a) also evaluated whether the Project would disrupt access to community assets or displace such assets. The following sections evaluate the project refinements consistent with that criteria.
Alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance. The alignment at the VA Medical Center (described in Section 2.2) is underground and, therefore, refinements to the alignment would not displace community assets or affect access to any such assets.
The refinements to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance would shift the entrance 100 feet closer to the VA Hospital. This station entrance is located in an existing parking lot and would not displace identified community assets associated with the VA WLA Campus. The refinement also would not affect access to any community assets, but rather shifting the station entrance south and closer to the VA Main Hospital (Building 500) would benefit transit passengers, including veterans and employees, with destinations at this location. Further, the pedestrian circulation features between the station and an existing bus stop on eastbound Wilshire Boulevard are less circuitous than the design in the Final EIS/EIR, which would improve pedestrian access, particularly for patrons with disabilities and veterans. As the alignment is underground, it would not affect access to community assets or create a barrier within the community. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR design, the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would displace a portion of the VA Parking Lot 42, which is currently used by patients and visitors. Parking lots may be considered community assets if they benefit or improve community life. However, a new parking structure is proposed within Lot 43 to offset both the temporary and permanent parking spaces lost as a result of the Project. The walking distances between the replacement parking structure and the main entrance to the hospital would be comparable to those from Lot 42 (approximately 625 feet from the parking structure to the main entrance compared to 585 feet from Lot 42). Additionally, the parking structure would be closer to the east hospital entrance, which accommodates
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“Emergency/Admissions and Outpatient” compared to Lot 42. Therefore, no adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Westwood /VA Hospital Station Access. Refinements to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station access would include a passenger drop-off area within the northern portion of the existing VA parking lot just east of the proposed station plaza and entrance. The provision of the dedicated passenger drop- off/pick-up area, including two new traffic signals on Bonsall Avenue, would benefit the VA WLA Campus and the veteran community, as it is designed to prevent Metro passengers that are not associated with the VA from being dropped off or picked up within the VA WLA Campus. The traffic signals would also include pedestrian crossing signals, and the crosswalks at these intersections would be restriped, improving the safety of crossing in this area. These refinements are being coordinated with representatives of the VA and in consideration of the compatibility of the refinements with the GLA DMP. Therefore, the improved station access would be beneficial to the VA WLA Campus community, even for individuals who are not using the Project. As a result, no adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Murals. The removal of the northeast mural and provision of a mosaic on Los Angeles County property (Section 2.4) are being coordinated with the VA, veterans groups (e.g., the National Veterans Foundation), and other stakeholders (e.g., the Los Angeles County Arts Commission) and would not introduce new permanent physical, social, or psychological barriers or disrupt access to community facilities. The murals are an important community asset to the veteran community and VA WLA Campus. They were painted in 1995 by Peter Stewart, a Vietnam War veteran, and illustrate the insignias of various branches of the armed forces. The Final EIS/EIR stated that the murals are not a historic property or a historical resource protected by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act or CEQA. However, these murals are a work of public art protected by state and federal laws (California Art Preservation Act [CIV § 987] and the federal Visual Artists Rights Act [17 USC § 106A). The California Art Preservation Act protects works of fine art against any alteration or destruction and recognizes the public interest in preserving the integrity of cultural and artistic creations. The Visual Arts Rights Act is a U.S. law that grants certain rights to artists.
These murals are public art and are culturally and socially important to members of the veteran community and the VA WLA Campus. However, a portion of the northeast mural would need to be relocated to support construction of the station circulation features in this location. Once construction is complete, there would not be sufficient room to restore the mural at that location. Additionally, the station circulation features would block views of that mural wall. Therefore, Metro proposes removal of the entire northeast mural and the creation of a mosaic that would be installed across from the current location and placed on a wall surface along an existing embankment on Los Angeles County property. The proposed location of the mosaic would provide better visibility for veterans and visitors traveling through sections of the VA WLA Campus.
In compliance with the aforementioned laws and in recognition of the importance of these murals to the veteran community, Metro is making every effort to preserve the integrity of the murals. In that regard, Metro is coordinating with the VA, veterans groups, and other stakeholders regarding relocation of the mural and replicating it in a mosaic. Re-creating the mural in another medium would be consistent with both the California Art Preservation Act and the Visual Arts Rights Act. Additionally, re-creating the mural in mosaic, which is more tolerant to weather, would ensure that this portion of the community
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asset is maintained. Therefore, no adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances. Refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances would include a slight relocation of the station entrance on the UCLA Campus within the area identified as Lot 36 to an area east and south, closer to Gayley Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard but still on UCLA property (Section 2.6). This refinement is minor and would not affect access to community assets or displace any such assets.
The northeast station entrance would also be refined and located within the east portion of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza in a space currently occupied by Chase Bank. The Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza is a historical and culturally significant building to the Westwood community as the building is designed by African-American architect Paul Revere William. The Chase Bank retail space would be deconstructed to allow construction of the station entrance and the Chase Bank would be displaced. Although the Chase Bank is located in the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza, a historically and culturally significant building, the bank is a place of business and is not identified as an important community asset to the surrounding community. It is anticipated that Chase Bank would be relocated within the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza in a vacant area that was previously occupied by a bank. Based on coordination with the property owner, Chase Bank is interested in relocating to this space and the property owner has already begun discussions with Chase Bank regarding this relocation. In addition, the next nearest Chase Bank branch is located approximately 0.5 mile south of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza and would continue to serve the Westwood and West Los Angeles community. Therefore, the displacement of Chase Bank would not result in an adverse impact as it relates to the displacement of community assets. During operation of the Project, the station entrance would be of similar dimensions and massing to the footprint currently occupied by the Chase Bank. Additionally, the design would replicate pertinent features of when the building was first opened, therefore restoring the character of this portion of the building compared to what exists today. The refinement to this station entrance would also provide a substantially larger area for pedestrian activity. As a result, the project refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances would not displace a community asset or affect access to any such assets. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Conclusion Implementation of the project refinements would not result in new adverse impacts or increase the severity of previously identified impacts as related to community and neighborhoods. Specifically, over the long term, the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would yield accessibility benefits to the veterans community and their families, employees, and patients to the VA Hospital and other important community assets on the VA WLA Campus. In addition, Metro will continue to implement the Transit Homeless Action Plan and Equity Platform Framework in concert with Metro’s Homeless Task Force throughout its transit system, including the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. The Homeless Task Force will work with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to respond to homelessness and work with homeless individuals and families and connect them to resources and services. Therefore, the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged.
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Construction As described in Section 4.2.3.1, the Final EIS/EIR stated that construction would result in temporary adverse impacts related to the physical division of established communities due to temporary street and sidewalk closures and traffic detours. The creation of temporary barriers was also evaluated as part of the land use analysis. Refer to Section 4.1.3.2 of this technical memorandum for the assessment of whether construction of the project refinements would result in barriers. The conclusions in that section remain valid for the community and neighborhood evaluation.
The Final EIS/EIR and the Westside Subway Extension Project Community and Neighborhood Impacts Report (Metro 2010a) also evaluated whether construction of the Project would disrupt access to community assets, including through the temporary reduction in on- or off-street parking. The following sections evaluate the project refinements consistent with that criteria.
The following project refinements do not have the potential to affect community and neighborhoods during construction: Westwood/VA Hospital Station Access (Section 2.3), murals (Section 2.4), tunnel size (Section 2.7), grouting (Section 2.8), and underground conduits (Section 2.9). Construction of these refinements would not require displacement of community assets. Additionally, construction of these refinements would not require temporary loss of on- or off-street parking. While construction of these refinements could affect access to community assets in terms of roadway or sidewalk closures, consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-1 (Signage), TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) would be implemented to maintain vehicular and pedestrian access during construction to the extent feasible and safe.
The Final EIS/EIR also stated that Mitigation Measure CON-1 (Signage) would be implemented during construction, which requires the provision of signage to indicate accessibility to businesses in the vicinity. The Final EIS/EIR committed Metro to develop and implement a community outreach plan to notify local communities of construction schedules, road and sidewalk closures, and detours. Access to hospitals and medical care facilities would be maintained during lane closures and detours associated with construction activities. Specifically, Mitigation Measure TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access) would ensure safe pedestrian routes and access, including temporary pedestrian facilities, would comply with the ADA and would be properly signed and lighted. In addition to compliance with the ADA, the Project would also implement special pedestrian facilities, such as handrails, fences, and walkways, to serve all pedestrians, including those with mobility problems. As identified in Chapter 4, Section 4.15.3 of the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-83 (Work with Transportation, Police, Public Works, and Community Service Departments), CON-85 (Informational Program to Enhance Safety), and CON-86 (Traffic Control) would reduce construction-related adverse impacts to community facilities. With implementation of mitigation measures, construction would not affect access to community facilities and would not result in adverse impacts to the community and neighborhoods. Therefore, construction of these refinements would not result in temporary construction-related adverse effects to adjacent community and neighborhoods and assets.
The project refinements that may result in construction-related community and neighborhood impacts are evaluated in the following sections.
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Construction Staging Areas. Refinements to the construction staging areas (Section 2.1) would not affect access to community assets. Specifically, the staging areas have been located to avoid closure of roads or sidewalks. The Western VA Construction Staging Area would also shift construction-related truck activity away from VA WLA Campus roads to Wilshire Boulevard, improving access within the campus during construction. Furthermore, the construction staging areas would not divide the north and south areas of the VA WLA Campus as vehicular and pedestrian access would be maintained during these portions of the campus during construction. The Western VA Construction Staging Area is adjacent to the U.S. Army Reserve site, which consists of several buildings significant to the site, including the Sadao Munemori Hall, U.S. Army recruitment building, and the California National Guard recruitment building. Access to the U.S. Army Reserve site and its assets would be maintained during construction. Furthermore, the U.S. Army Reserve employs active military personnel that have been medically cleared to serve. As such, this population is not anticipated to be as severely affected by construction activities in proximity to the site that may result in negative reactions or “triggers” that the most sensitive veteran population may be affected by (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries).
Refinements to staging areas would not displace on- or off-street parking. The Final EIS/EIR identified the construction of a replacement parking structure within an existing doctors’ parking lot on the VA WLA Campus (Lot 43), located east of the VA Hospital, to offset the temporary loss of parking that would occur in Lot 42 during construction of the station. However, the existing handicapped parking in Lot 42 would remain in that lot during construction. If construction of the parking structure is not complete prior to construction in Lot 42, Metro will coordinate with the VA to identify other means to offset parking loss (e.g., provision of a shuttle from a parking lot with available parking capacity). Therefore, the loss of parking would be minimized and offset through the construction of new parking and provision of shuttle service. Therefore, access to community assets at the VA WLA Campus would not be adversely affected during construction as a result of the loss of parking.
Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-1 (Signage), TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) would continue to be implemented during construction and temporary construction-related adverse effects would be reduced for adjacent community and neighborhoods and assets. For the VA WLA Campus, this signage would include an electronic management board system to provide information on construction activities occurring on the campus. This signage would assist with wayfinding during construction. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station Entrance. Construction of the refinements to the alignment at the VA Medical Center and Westwood/VA Hospital Station entrance (Section 2.2) would be similar to the construction methods discussed in the Final EIS/EIR and would not introduce construction activities into areas that were not already evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR. Construction would be staged such that Bonsall Avenue, including the sidewalks, would remain open, thus maintaining pedestrian and vehicular access between the north and south campus and to the community assets on those portions of the campus. Construction of the refinements to the alignment and station entrance would not displace previously identified community assets. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-1 (Signage), TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-7
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(Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) would be implemented and temporary construction-related adverse effects would be reduced for adjacent community and neighborhoods and assets. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Construction Method for Westwood/VA Hospital Station West Crossover. The Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover (Section 2.5) would be constructed via a cut-and-cover method rather than mined sequential excavation. The change in construction method would not disrupt access to community facilities on the VA WLA Campus. While this refinement would introduce new aboveground construction activities on an existing grassy area of the WLA VA Historic District of the VA WLA Campus, the majority of the grassy area would remain open and available for use by those utilizing the VA WLA Campus, including veterans. As stated in Section 4.1.3.2, Metro acknowledges that this open grass space is an important resource to the VA WLA Campus and veteran community and construction of the Project would have temporary effects but would not result in long-term adverse impacts to this area. In addition, the area would be restored upon the completion of construction, as determined through coordination with the VA. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-1 (Signage), TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) would be implemented and temporary construction-related adverse effects would be reduced for adjacent community and neighborhoods and assets. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Summary of Construction-related Impacts at the VA WLA Campus Since the adoption of the Final EIS/EIR, Metro continues to work with representatives of the VA to address various issues related to construction of the Project and potential impacts to the VA WLA Campus community, specifically segments of the veteran population with physical and mental disabilities. Although construction activities would be similar to those analyzed in the Final EIS/EIR and would not result in adverse construction-related effects to the community with the implementation of mitigation measures, construction activities may result in negative reactions or “triggers” to the most sensitive veteran population. Construction activities that may result in triggers include, but are not limited to, the following:
µ Loss of familiar parking locations
µ Changes to familiar pedestrian access routes
µ Changes to sidewalk and roadway grades affecting Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility
µ Presence of heavy equipment
µ Truck hauling activities
µ Construction equipment noise
µ Single event accidental construction noise (crashes, bangs, etc.)
µ Construction site lighting levels
µ Construction noise and light levels during nighttime construction
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µ Diesel fumes from construction equipment
µ Temporary loss of open space areas of serenity and refuge
It should also be noted that Metro proposes to stage several large construction activities (e.g., support of the TBM operations) at the Western VA Construction Staging Area rather than at a staging area in the existing VA Parking Lot 42 located between the VA Hospital and Wilshire Boulevard. The Western VA Construction Staging Area is farther from the VA Main Hospital (Building 500) than the staging area previously analyzed in the Final EIS/EIR (Lot 42 is approximately 300 feet from the VA Main Hospital whereas the Western VA Construction Staging Area is approximately 1,000 feet from the hospital), and shifting major construction activities to this more westerly location would reduce impacts to the hospital and its patrons, including veterans and caregivers, particularly in terms of reducing noise, dust, and spillover lighting. Construction contract specifications would require that access to this construction staging area occur via Wilshire Boulevard, therefore reducing truck trips on roads within the VA WLA Campus.
In addition, Mitigation Measures CON-1 (Signage), TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in the Final EIS/EIR would be implemented with the project refinements to minimize potential adverse construction-related effects to the VA WLA Campus as well as the surrounding community. Mitigation measures CON-85 (Informational Program to Enhance Safety) and CON-86 (Traffic Control), as identified in Section 4.15 of the Final EIS/EIR, would also continue to reduce construction-related adverse effects to community facilities. These mitigation measures would minimize construction impacts to the degree possible, provide safe pedestrian routes and access on the VA WLA Campus in compliance with ADA requirements, and maintain bicycle traffic safety in the vicinity of construction work areas. The mitigation measures would also maintain access to and connectivity between the north and south campus so that veterans continue to have adequate access to services, resources, facilities, and identified community assets on the VA WLA Campus during construction. Construction contract specifications also require the contractor develop a VA Hospital Access Plan that considers patient, employee, and vendor access, and includes the means by which access by streets and sidewalks is maintained to the hospital at all hours of the day, at all times, along Bonsall Avenue. It is anticipated that the VA will participate in the preparation and review of this document. Further, the construction contract specifications would prohibit parking of construction vehicles on Bonsall Avenue. The specifications would also limit the use of the construction staging area within the VA Historic District, preventing storage of diesel equipment and vehicles during the tunneling contract.
Based on coordination with representatives of the VA, Metro is aware that success in minimizing adverse impacts to the VA WLA Campus population is to actively engage and inform the population, including the type and nature of construction, location of construction activities (including haul routes), duration, alternate parking, and access routes/paths, etc. To achieve this end, and consistent with Mitigation Measure CON-83 (Work with Transportation, Police, Public Works, and Community Service Departments) from the Final EIS/EIR, Metro will implement a community outreach plan to provide notification prior to construction; such notifications will be provided to those persons associated with the VA WLA Campus and the veteran community and will include information regarding construction schedules, road and sidewalk closures, and detours. This notification would seek to target patients, caregivers, staff, service providers, and campus clinicians as a minimum, as well as veteran advocacy
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groups and organizations on and off campus. This outreach would seek to provide sufficient information to maximize awareness of the construction activities throughout the VA campus community.
The cohesiveness and strength of the veteran community lies in shared experience and events linked to the armed forces. Service in the military can influence a person’s values, beliefs, expectations, and behaviors. Their experiences, values, and aspects of identity acquired while serving continue to be an important part of their lives and community and may include the overarching values of military culture: teamwork, selflessness, shared goals, and service to others. Through these shared values, the cohesiveness of the veterans creates a strong community that may rely on that shared experience. Thus, it is not anticipated that construction of the Project would break down the veteran community’s cohesiveness or change the community’s values and beliefs.
Construction activities would be temporary, primarily throughout the day. Construction on the VA WLA Campus may trigger stresses to veterans, especially those affected by PTS or TBIs. However, refinements to construction and implementation of mitigation measures discussed above would reduce potential construction impacts at the VA WLA Campus to the extent feasible. In addition, Metro’s implementation of a community outreach plan for the veterans would also inform and provide awareness during the construction process. Therefore, in addition to the project refinements and mitigation measures, Metro’s coordination with the VA, patients, and caregivers would minimize potential direct impacts to the veteran community. The cohesiveness and stability of the community are not anticipated to be adversely affected.
Westwood/UCLA Station Entrances. As discussed in Section 2.6, the refinement to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrance located on the UCLA Campus is minor and would not displace a community asset or affect access to any such assets. Therefore, this refinement would not result in adverse impacts to community and neighborhoods during construction.
The refinement to the northeast station entrance would require construction activities in an area currently occupied by a landscaped plaza associated with the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza. Construction activities would not displace a community asset. Further, consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-1 (Signage), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) would be implemented to maintain access in this location to nearby community assets during construction to the extent feasible and safe. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Conclusion With implementation of the construction-related Mitigation Measures CON-1 (Signage), TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access), TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access), CON-83 (Work with Transportation, Police, Public Works, and Community Service Departments), CON-85 (Informational Program to Enhance Safety), and CON-86 (Traffic Control) identified in the Final EIS/EIR and continued coordination between Metro and the VA, construction-related adverse effects to community and neighborhoods would be minimized. No new adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
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4.3 Environmental Justice 4.3.1 Regulatory Setting Refer to Section 4.2.6, Environmental Justice Considerations, in the Westside Subway Extension Project Final EIS/EIR (Metro 2012a) and Section 3.0, Regulatory Framework, of the Westside Subway Extension Project Analysis of Environmental Justice Technical Memorandum (Metro 2012b) for a full discussion of the regulatory setting.
4.3.1.1 Federal Since completion of the Final EIS/EIR, FTA Circular 47032.1A, Title VI and Title VI-Dependent Guidelines for Federal Transit Administration Recipients and FTA Circular 4703.1, Environmental Justice Policy Guidance for FTA Recipients, have been developed by FTA.
FTA Circular 4702.1A, Title VI and Title VI-Dependent Guidelines for Federal Transit Administration Recipients. FTA Circular 4702.1A, a revision of FTA Title VI Circular 4702.1, was published in May 2007 and supersedes Title VI Circular 4702.1 “Title VI Program Guidelines for Urban Mass Transit Administration Recipients.” This circular provides recipients and subrecipients of FTA financial assistance with guidance and instructions necessary to carry out the U.S. Department of Transportation Title VI regulations and to integrate into their programs and activities considerations expressed in the Environmental Justice (Order 5610.2), and Policy Guidance Concerning Recipients' Responsibilities to Limited English Proficient (LEP). Objectives of FTA Circular 4702.1A are to help FTA federal funding recipients to:
µ Ensure that the level and quality of transportation service are provided without regard to race, color, or national origin
µ Identify and address, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects of programs and activities on minority populations and low-income populations
µ Promote the full and fair participation of all affected populations in transportation decision-making
µ Prevent the denial, reduction, or delay in benefits related to programs and activities that benefit minority populations or low-income populations
µ Ensure meaningful access to programs and activities by persons with LEP
FTA Circular 4703.1, Environmental Justice Policy Guidance for FTA Recipients. In August 2012, the FTA made available FTA Circular 4703.1, which provides recommendations to State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, public transportation providers, and other recipients of FTA funds on how to fully engage EJ populations in the decision-making process; how to analyze or determine whether EJ populations would be subjected to disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects as a result of a transportation project; and how to avoid, minimize, or mitigate such effects. The circular does not contain new requirements, policies, or directives, but instead provides more detailed discussions of public outreach strategies, includes advice on how to develop and gather meaningful demographic information, and provides guidance to promote environmental justice and ensure nondiscrimination as a way of achieving the overarching objective of environmental justice. FTA Circular 4701.1 defines a minority population as any readily identifiable group or groups of minority persons who live in geographic proximity, and if circumstances warrant,
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geographically dispersed or transient persons such as migrant workers or Native Americans who will be similarly affected by a proposed DOT program, policy or activity. Minority includes persons who are American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.
FTA Circular 4701.1 defines low-income as a person whose median household income is at or below the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines. However, you are encouraged to use a locally developed threshold, such as that used for FTA’s grant program, or a percentage of median income for the area, provided that the threshold is at least as inclusive as the HHS poverty guidelines. A low-income population means any readily identifiable group of low-income persons who live in geographic proximity, and, if circumstances warrant, geographically dispersed/transient persons (such as migrant workers or Native Americans) who will be similarly affected by a proposed FTA program, policy or activity.
4.3.1.2 Regional No new applicable local plans or policies have been enacted or updated since the preparation of the Final EIS/EIR.
4.3.1.3 Local No new applicable local plans have been enacted or updated since the preparation of the Final EIS/EIR.
4.3.2 Affected Environment/Existing Conditions 4.3.2.1 Final EIS/EIR Existing Conditions Following the methodology proscribed in FTA Circular 4702.1B and based on the Federal Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Environmental Justice Guidance (CEQ 1997), the Final EIS/EIR identified EJ populations based on the following criteria:
µ A higher proportion of the population is below the poverty level in comparison to the County of Los Angeles, which is 15 percent below poverty
µ The aggregate minority race/ethnicity exceeds 50 percent of the community population or is meaningfully greater when compared to the general population of the County of Los Angeles, which is 71 percent minority
µ The Hispanic or Latino population exceeds 50 percent of the population or is meaningfully greater when compared to the Hispanic or Latino population of the County of Los Angeles, which is 47 percent Hispanic or Latino
The Final EIS/EIR identified three EJ populations located in the Study Area: VA Hospital Campus (now referred to as the VA WLA Campus) (54.4 percent total minority and 53.7 percent below poverty), West Los Angeles (50.1 percent total minority and 18.2 percent below poverty), and Westwood (22.4 percent below poverty). The Final EIS/EIR determined that Brentwood, Century City, and Rancho Park are not considered to have EJ populations or communities of concern. Table 4-12 summarizes the demographic and socioeconomic data used to determine if a community has an EJ population.
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Brentwood (City of Los Angeles). The Brentwood population is characterized as 15.7 percent minority with 4.5 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 6.5 percent of the households in Brentwood live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 1.9 percent. Brentwood is not an EJ population or community of concern.
Century City (City of Los Angeles). The Century City population is characterized as 14.8 percent minority with 2.5 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 8.7 percent of the households in Century City live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 2.3 percent. Century City is not an EJ population or community of concern.
Rancho Park (City of Los Angeles). The Ranch Park population is characterized as 19.4 percent minority, with 5.1 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 7.1 percent of the households in Rancho Park live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 2.4 percent. Rancho Park is not an EJ population or community of concern.
Table 4-12: EJ Characteristics of the Communities in the Study Area (2000)
Percent Population Percent Limited EJ Population or Percent Median Living Below English Proficiency Community of Percent Hispanic or Household Poverty Population Over Community Concern Minority1 Latino Income2 Level3,4 5 Years Old4 County of Los Angeles Basis of Comparison 71.0% 47.3% $55,192 15.0% 27.0% VA WLA Campus6,7,8 EJ Population 54.4% 6.9% $42,391 53.7% 0.8% City of Los Angeles City 71.0% 48.0% $48,610 19.0% 31.0% Brentwood No 15.7% 4.5% $88,263 6.5% 1.9% Century City5 No 14.8% 2.5% $93,353 8.7% 2.3% Rancho Park No 19.4% 5.1% $74,859 7.1% 2.4% West Los Angeles7 EJ Population 50.1% 22.3% $40,748 18.2% 12.0% Westwood5,6 EJ Population 34.6% 6.8% $66,356 22.4% 36.8% Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2000, 2016; American Community Survey 2008, 2015; Metro 2010b. Numbers in bold indicate criteria that qualify a community as an EJ population. 1 Persons who identify as another ethnic/race other than “only Non-Hispanic white.” 2 Median income was determined by averaging the median income of Census Blocks Groups that were one-quarter mile away from each station area. 3 Persons whose income was below the poverty level at the time of the survey. 4 Persons who do not live in institutional group quarters, college dormitories, military barracks, or unconventional housing. Does not include persons under the age of 15 who are not related to survey respondents because their income cannot be determined. 5 LEP populations are those over the age of 5 who speak a non-English language at home and fall into the Census English speaking ability categories of “Speak English Not Well” or “Speak English Not at All.” 6 Project traverses through the community. 7 Defined as an EJ Community based on the impoverished share of population whose poverty status is known. 8 Defined as an EJ Community based on the ethnic/racial minority share of population.
VA WLA Campus (Unincorporated County of Los Angeles). The VA WLA Campus population is characterized as 54.4 percent minority with 6.9 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 53.7 percent of the households in the VA WLA Campus live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 0.8 percent. VA WLA Campus is an EJ population.
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West Los Angeles (City of Los Angeles). The West Los Angeles population is characterized as 50.1 percent minority with 22.3 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 18.2 percent of the households in West Los Angeles live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 12.0 percent. West Los Angeles is an EJ population.
Westwood (City of Los Angeles). The Westwood population is characterized as 34.6 percent minority with 6.8 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 22.4 percent of the households in Westwood live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 36.8 percent. Westwood is an EJ population.
4.3.2.2 Section 3 Updated Existing Conditions Using the same criteria to determine EJ populations as defined in the Final EIS/EIR, the communities of the VA WLA Campus (68.2 percent minority and 58.9 percent below poverty), West Los Angeles (51.0 percent minority, and Westwood (26.2 percent below poverty) are EJ populations. Table 4-13 summarizes the demographic and socioeconomic data used to determine if a community has an EJ population. The EJ populations identified in the Final EIS/EIR has not changed and remains the same.
Table 4-13: EJ Characteristics of Communities in the Study Area (2015)
Percent Population Percent Limited EJ Population or Percent Median Living Below English Proficiency Community of Percent Hispanic or Household Poverty Population Over Community Concern Minority1 Latino Income2 Level3,4 5 Years Old4 County of Los Angeles Basis of Comparison 73.1% 48.2% $56,317 18.2% 14.7% VA WLA Campus5,6,7 EJ Population 68.2% 15.2% N/A 58.9% 6.5% City of Los Angeles City 71.6% 48.7% $50,205 22.1% 16.6% Brentwood No 20.3% 6.1% $124,788 7.6% 3.1% Century City5 No 24.0% 0.7% $104,242 6.7% 5.7% Rancho Park No 26.6% 5.2% $107,073 7.1% 3.9% West Los Angeles7 EJ Population 51.0% 21.0% $67,221 13.9% 6.3% Westwood5,6 EJ Population 43.6% 9.8% $87,872 26.2% 4.0% Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2000, 2016; American Community Survey 2008, 2015; Westside Subway Extension Project Draft EIS/EIR, 2010 Numbers in bold indicate criteria that qualify a community as an EJ population. 1 Persons who identify as another ethnic/race other than “only Non-Hispanic white.” 2 Median income was determined by averaging the median income of Census Blocks Groups that were one-quarter mile away from each station area. 3 Persons whose income was below the poverty level at the time of the survey. 4 Persons who do not live in institutional group quarters, college dormitories, military barracks, or unconventional housing. Does not include persons under the age of 15 who are not related to survey respondents because their income cannot be determined. 5 LEP populations are those over the age of 5 who speak a non-English language at home and fall into the Census English speaking ability categories of “Speak English Not Well” or “Speak English Not at All.” 6 Project traverses through the community. 7 Defined as an EJ Community based on the impoverished share of population whose poverty status is known. 8 Defined as an EJ Community based on the ethnic/racial minority share of population.
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Brentwood (City of Los Angeles). The Brentwood population is characterized as 20.3 percent minority with 6.1 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 7.6 percent of the households in Brentwood live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 3.1 percent. Brentwood is not an EJ population or community of concern.
Century City (City of Los Angeles). The Century City population is characterized as 24.0 percent minority with 0.7 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 6.7 percent of the households in Century City live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 5.7 percent. Century City is not an EJ population or community of concern.
Rancho Park (City of Los Angeles). The Rancho Park population is characterized as 26.6 percent minority with 5.2 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 7.1 percent of the households in Rancho Park live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 3.9 percent. Rancho Park is not an EJ population or community of concern.
VA WLA Campus (Unincorporated County of Los Angeles). The VA WLA Campus population is characterized as 68.2 percent minority with 15.2 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 58.9 percent of the households in VA WLA Campus live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 6.5 percent. In addition, as previously discussed, the U.S. Census block groups analyzed for the VA WLA Campus includes the adjacent U.S. Army Reserve site. No permanent residents are housed on the U.S. Army Reserve site. The VA WLA Campus is an EJ population.
West Los Angeles (City of Los Angeles). The West Los Angeles population is characterized as 51.0 percent minority with approximately 21.0 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 13.9 percent of the households in West Los Angeles live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 6.3 percent. West Los Angeles is an EJ population.
Westwood (City of Los Angeles). The Westwood population is characterized as 43.6 percent minority with 9.8 percent identifying as Hispanic or Latino. 26.2 percent of the households in Westwood live below the poverty level, and the LEP population is 4.0 percent. Westwood is an EJ population.
Ethnic/Racial Minority Population Table 4-14 presents the ethnic and racial distribution of the EJ populations identified in Table 4-13. Using the same criteria to determine an EJ population provided in the Final EIS/EIR, the communities of West Los Angeles and the VA WLA Campus are identified as EJ populations as the aggregate minority race/ethnicity exceeds 50 percent of the community population or is meaningfully greater when compared to the general population of Los Angeles County.
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Table 4-14: Communities in the Study Area Defined as EJ Populations Based on Ethnic/Racial Minority Populations
Percent of Total Population (2015) 2000 to 2015 Percent Non- Change in Total Minority Total Non-Hispanic Non-Hispanic Hispanic Hispanic (of Minority Share of Community (2000) Minority Black Only Asian Only Others Any Race) Total Population County of Los Angeles 71.0% 73.1% +2.1 VA WLA Campus 54.6% 68.2% 43.4% 6.6% 3.0% 15.2% +13.6 City of Los Angeles 71.0% 71.6% +2.1 West Los Angeles 50.1% 51.0% 2.4% 23.1% 4.6% 21.0% +0.9 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016, 2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Metro 2012a and 2012b.
Based on the 2015 ACS 5-Year Estimates, the West Los Angeles and VA WLA Campus populations have an ethnic/racial minority makeup of 51.0 percent and 68.2 percent, relatively. Comparatively, the ethnic/racial minority population makeup of the County of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles is 73.1 percent and 71.6 percent, respectively. Non-Hispanic Blacks are the largest ethnic/racial minority group in the VA WLA Campus community, and Non-Hispanic Asians are the largest ethnic/racial minority group in the West Los Angeles community. The change in demographics of the communities over time is not substantial, although an increase in a minority population in the VA WLA Campus is shown. Based on the updated information, the VA WLA Campus and West Los Angeles communities are EJ populations as similarly defined in the Final EIS/EIR.
Low-Income Population Table 4-15 provides details of the low-income population of the EJ populations identified in Table 4-13. Using the same criteria to determine an EJ population provided in the Final EIS/EIR, the communities of West Los Angeles and the VA WLA Campus are identified as EJ populations as the aggregate minority race/ethnicity exceeds 50 percent of the community population or is meaningfully greater when compared to the general population of Los Angeles County.
Table 4-15: Communities in the Study Area Defined as EJ Populations Based on the Population Living Below Poverty Level
Percent Population Living Below Poverty Level 1, 2 Community 2000 2015 Change (in %) County of Los Angeles 15.0% 18.2% +3.2% VA WLA Campus 53.7% 58.9% +5.2% City of Los Angeles 19.0% 22.1% +3.1% Westwood 22.4% 26.2% +3.8% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016, 2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Metro 2012a and 2012b. 1 Persons whose income was below the poverty level at the time of the survey. 2 Persons who do not live in institutional group quarters, college dormitories, military barracks, or unconventional housing. Does not include persons under the age of 15 who are not related to survey respondents because their income cannot be determined.
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Based on the 2015 ACS 5-Year Estimates, 58.9 percent of the VA WLA Campus population and 26.2 percent of the Westwood population currently live below the poverty line. Comparatively, 18.2 percent of the Los Angeles County population and 22.1 percent of the City of Los Angeles population live below the poverty line. As detailed in Table 4-15, the VA WLA Campus and Westwood populations exceeds 50 percent of the community. The change in socioeconomics of the communities over time is not substantial, although an increase in those living below the poverty line in the VA WLA Campus and Westwood communities is noted. Based on the updated information, the characterization of the VA WLA Campus and Westwood communities as an EJ population remains unchanged from the Final EIS/EIR.
Identification of Environmental Justice and Communities of Concern Based on the updated data, the VA WLA Campus, West Los Angeles, and Westwood communities are still identified as EJ populations. No new Communities of Concern are identified in the Study Area. No new EJ populations were determined, and EJ populations remain the same as defined in the Final EIS/EIR.
4.3.3 Environmental Impacts/Environmental Consequences 4.3.3.1 Final EIS/EIR The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project would not result in adverse impacts to minority or low- income communities as it relates to geology and soils; hazardous waste and materials; water quality; energy; historic, archaeological, and paleontological resources; parklands, community facilities, and other Section 4(f) properties; and safety and security. The Final EIS/EIR also determined that the Project would provide beneficial direct impacts for minority and low-income communities that are typically transit-dependent and would provide increased mobility and regional connectivity throughout the region.
The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project would be entirely grade-separated and located below ground; as a result, impacts would occur primarily during construction and would be concentrated within 500 feet (construction impact zone) of the proposed station locations and staging areas. The Final EIS/EIR stated that no adverse effects to EJ communities would occur.
Transportation, Circulation, and Parking Construction Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts The Final EIS/EIR determined that although construction traffic effects would be temporary, adverse effects would be substantial to the surrounding communities. Emergency vehicle access in and around construction work sites may also be affected by lane closures or temporary street closures and would occur at both EJ and non-EJ communities. Bus service would be impacted by temporary street closures and would require temporary rerouting of bus lines and bus locations.
Existing on-street parking and loading zones would be temporarily removed where traffic lanes are closed or eliminated temporarily during construction. Off-street parking spaces would also be removed during construction of the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital Stations, located in the EJ communities of Westwood and the VA WLA Campus.
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The Project would implement Mitigation Measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designed Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-5 (Coordination with Planned Roadway), TCON-6 (Temporary Bus Stops and Route Diversions), TCON-7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), and TCON-9 (Construction Worker Parking) to minimize potential affects to construction-related traffic, circulation, and parking. Mitigation measures would be implemented uniformly throughout the Project to EJ and non-EJ communities. The Final EIS/EIR determined Mitigation Measure TCON-2 would reduce impacts of haul truck traffic on surrounding communities. The Final EIS/EIR determined Mitigation Measures TCON- 1, TCON-3, TCON-4, and TCON-5 would reduce impacts of street closures during construction. The Final EIS/EIR determined Mitigation Measure TCON-6 would reduce impacts to public transit during construction, while Mitigation Measures TCON-7 through TCON-9 would reduce parking impacts.
Although construction impacts identified on traffic, circulation, parking, and transit would be temporary, impacts and residual impacts would remain adverse during construction. No additional feasible mitigation measures are proposed that would reduce the effects on EJ communities.
Construction Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts to EJ Communities As stated in the prior section, construction-related impacts on traffic, circulation, and parking impacts would occur uniformly throughout the Project to both EJ and non-EJ communities.
Construction Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Remaining after Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR determined that mitigation measures would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. With the implementation of mitigation measures, construction-related adverse effects on transportation and parking would be reduced for adjacent commercial areas and residential neighborhoods. However, at major intersections, traffic-related impacts would remain adverse and effects would be substantial for construction of the Westwood/UCLA Station due to four to six months of lane closures and detours to install piles and decking in the street. Substantial adverse construction traffic effects would affect the EJ community of Westwood in addition to non-EJ communities, including Century City.
The Final EIS/EIR determined that although construction impacts identified on traffic circulation, parking, and transit would be temporary, impacts and residual impacts would remain adverse during construction. No additional feasible mitigation measures are available to reduce effects on the EJ community. As impacts would occur uniformly throughout the Project Area, impacts to EJ communities are not disproportionate.
Operational Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project would have a beneficial effect on the regional transportation network by reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT), vehicle hours traveled (VHT), and peak-hour trips in comparison to both future year and existing conditions. In general, the intersection level-of-service results indicate that the Project would not impact any analyzed intersection compared to both existing and future No Build Alternative conditions. The Project would be constructed below grade, but long-term impacts to parking would occur at the Westwood/UCLA Station with the loss of existing off-street parking at UCLA Lot 36. The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project could result in neighborhood spillover parking impacts at Westwood/UCLA Station and Westwood/VA Hospital Station.
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Operational Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Specific to EJ Communities The Final EIS/EIR determined that operational traffic impacts would not occur within EJ communities. Spillover parking impacts could occur at the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital Stations that would impact the EJ communities of Westwood and the VA WLA Campus. However, spillover parking impacts could also occur at other stations and affect non-EJ communities. Therefore, spillover parking impacts could occur throughout the project corridor and would not be limited to EJ communities. Permanent parking loss would occur at the Westwood/UCLA Station and in the EJ community of Westwood. The Final EIS/EIR determined that implementation of Mitigation Measures T-1 (Coordination with Property Owners), T-2 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), T-3 (Residential Permit Parking Districts), and T-4 (Consideration of Shared Parking Program) would minimize parking impacts due to permanent parking loss or neighborhood spillover parking.
Operational Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Remaining after Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR determined that mitigation measures would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. With implementation of mitigation measures, no adverse effects regarding parking would remain in EJ or non-EJ communities.
Displacement and Relocation Construction Displacement and Relocation Impacts The Final EIS/EIR determined while acquisitions and permanent and construction easements would be required for the Project, these acquisitions and easements would not result in adverse impacts.
Construction Displacement and Relocation Impacts Specific to EJ Communities The Final EIS/EIR stated that full acquisitions would not be required within Section 3 of the Project and, therefore, there would be no adverse effects to an EJ community. Nonetheless, Mitigation Measures CN-1 (Relocation Assistance and Compensation), CN-2 (Propose Joint-use Agreements), and CN-3 (Compensation for Easements) would be implemented to reduce potential impacts associated with displacement and relocations.
Construction Displacement and Relocation Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The mitigation measures would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities, and with implementation of these measures, there would be no adverse displacement or relocation impacts during construction or operation in EJ or non-EJ communities.
Visual Resources and Aesthetics Construction Visual and Aesthetics Impacts The Final EIS/EIR determined that the heavy construction equipment, stockpiled construction-related materials, erosion devices, excavated materials, and the removal of trees in primary commercial and residential areas would conflict with the existing visual character and would change visual quality. Visual effects would also occur from lighting of construction staging areas at night. The Final EIS/EIR determined that this would result in adverse visual effects during construction.
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Construction Visual and Aesthetics Impacts to Specific Environmental Justice Communities As stated previously, construction of the Project would result in temporary visual effects, including the lighting of construction staging areas at night. Lighting would be required at the construction staging areas in the Westwood and VA WLA Campus communities. However, construction staging areas are also located in non-EJ communities and would similarly require nighttime lighting. Mitigation measures CON- 2 (Timely Removal of Erosion-Control Devices), CON-3 (Location of Construction Materials), CON-4 (construction lighting), and CON-5 (Screening of Construction Staging Areas) would be implemented to reduce visual effects.
Construction Visual and Aesthetics Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR determined that mitigation measures would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. With implementation of mitigation measures, there would be no adverse effects to visual resources during construction to EJ or non-EJ communities.
Operational Visual and Aesthetics Impacts The Final EIS/EIR states that station entrance designs and ancillary facilities may enhance the visual quality of the neighborhoods where they would be located. In addition, landscaping and design elements would ensure there are no adverse effects to EJ and non-EJ communities. The Final EIS/EIR determined that although there are no adverse effects related to visual quality or aesthetics, implementation of Mitigation Measures VIS-1 (Minimize Visual Clutter), VIS-2 (Replacement for Tree Removal), VIS-3 (Source Shielding in Exterior Lighting), and VIS-4 (Integrate Station Designs with Area Redevelopment Plans) would ensure impacts related to conflicts between scale and visual character, building removal and right-of-way acquisition, removal of mature vegetation, location of ancillary facilities, and introduction of new sources of light and glare are avoided or minimized.
Operational Visual and Aesthetics Impacts to Specific Environmental Justice Communities The Final EIS/EIR determined no adverse effects to visual resources would occur to EJ or non-EJ communities during operation.
Operational Visual and Aesthetics Impacts Remaining After Mitigation As stated previously, there are no adverse effects to visual resources.
Air Quality and Climate Change Construction Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts The Final EIS/EIR determined that the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) thresholds would be exceeded for all pollutants when the total project emissions over the duration of the construction period are accounted for, thereby resulting in adverse effects. In addition, nitrous oxides (NOX) thresholds would be exceeded from all construction elements, also partially due to the proposed use of diesel locomotives to extract soil during the tunnel boring process.
Construction Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts to Specific EJ Communities The Final EIS/EIR determined that adverse air quality effects would occur near station areas and staging areas throughout the corridor and would be expected to occur in the Westwood and VA WLA Campus EJ communities, as well as non-EJ communities. Adverse air quality affects during construction would be
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substantial at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station where mined dirt from the TBM is exported for a period of four to six years, resulting in an increase in NOX emissions that would substantially exceed SCAQMD thresholds. However, mined dirt from the TBM would also be exported from other locations throughout the Project; therefore, this impact is not disproportionate to an EJ community. The Final EIS/EIR states that the Mitigation Measures CON-6 (Meet Mine Safety Standards), CON-7 (Meet SCAQMD Standards), CON-8 (Monitoring and Recording of Hazardous Gases at Worksites), CON-9 (No Idling of Heavy Equipment), CON- 10 (Maintenance of Construction Equipment), CON-11 (Prohibit Tampering of Equipment), CON-12 (Use of Best Available Emissions Control Technologies), and CON-13 (Placement of Construction Equipment) would be implemented to minimize air quality emissions during construction. Additionally, Mitigation Measures CON-14 (Measures to Reduce the Predicted PM10 Levels), CON-15 (Reduce Street Debris), CON-16 (Dust Control During Transport), CON-17 (Fugitive Dust Control), CON-18 (Street Watering), CON-19 (Spillage Prevention for Non-earth Moving-Equipment), CON-20 (Spillage Prevention for Earth-Moving Equipment), and CON-21 (Additional Controls to Reduce Emissions) would be implemented to reduce air quality particulate matter during construction.
Construction Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR determined that mitigation measures would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. With the implementation of mitigation measures, emissions and NOX air quality impacts would remain adverse during construction for the EJ population in the Westwood and VA WLA Campus communities. However, impacts would also remain adverse for non-EJ communities along the Project and, therefore, impacts would not be disproportionate to EJ communities. No additional feasible mitigation measures to reduce air quality impacts to EJ communities during construction are available.
Operational Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and regional criteria pollutant emissions compared to the No Build Alternative. Therefore, the Project would not result in adverse air quality effects.
Operational Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts to Specific EJ Communities The Final EIS/EIR determined that operation of the Project would not result in air quality effects to EJ or non-EJ communities.
Operational Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project would result in beneficial operational air quality effects to EJ and non-EJ communities and mitigation is not required.
Noise and Vibration Construction Noise and Vibration Impacts The Final EIS/EIR determined that the greatest noise impacts would occur near stations, tunnel access portals and construction laydown areas where construction activities are concentrated. With the exception of these, all other construction would occur below-grade. If a slurry plant is required within Section 3 of the Project, it would be located at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. Slurry plant locations were also identified elsewhere along the overall Project.
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During construction, impact pile driving at the station boxes would result in adverse vibration impacts. Perceptible vibration levels could be experienced within 200 feet of pile-driving operations. Equipment used for underground construction could also generate vibration levels that could result in audible ground-borne noise levels in buildings at the surface, depending on the depth of the tunnel and soil conditions. Operation of mine trains could contribute to underground construction vibration as they would operate continuously during the excavation, mining, and finishing of the tunnel.
Construction Noise and Vibration Impacts to Specific EJ Communities The Final EIS/EIR determined that adverse construction noise effects would occur to sensitive uses within 500 feet of EJ communities near the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital station areas. However, adverse construction noise effects are also anticipated within 500 feet of non-EJ communities; therefore, impacts are not disproportionate to EJ communities. Mitigation measures CON-22 (Hire or Retain the Services of an Acoustical Engineer), CON-23 (Prepare a Noise Control Plan), CON-24 (Comply with the Provisions of the Nighttime Noise Variance), CON-25 (Noise Monitoring), CON-26 (Use of Specific Construction Equipment at Night), CON-27 (Noise Barrier Walls for Nighttime Construction), CON-28 (Comply with Local Noise Ordinances), CON-29 (Signage), CON-30 (Use of Noise Control Devices), CON-31 (Use of Fixed Noise-producing Equipment for Compliance), CON-32 (Use of Mobile or Fixed Noise-producing Equipment), CON-33 (Use of Electrically Powered Equipment), CON-34 (Use of Temporary Noise Barriers and Sound-control Curtains), CON-35 (Distance from Noise-sensitive Receivers), CON-36 (Limited Use of Horns, Whistles, Alarms, and Bells), CON-37 (Requirements on Project Equipment), CON-38 (Limited Audibility of Project-related Public Addresses or Music), CON-39 (Use of Haul Routes with the Least Overall Noise Impact), CON-40 (Designated Parking Areas for Construction-related Traffic), CON-41 (Enclosures for Fixed Equipment), and TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes) apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities to minimize noise impacts. With implementation of mitigation measures, noise impacts would remain adverse for EJ and non-EJ communities during construction.
Regarding vibration, the Final EIS/EIR stated that adverse construction vibration effects would occur to sensitive uses within 500 feet of EJ communities near the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital station areas. However, adverse construction vibration effects are also anticipated within 500 feet of non-EJ communities; therefore, impacts are not disproportionate to EJ communities. Mitigation measures CON-42 (Phasing of Ground-impacting Operations), CON-43 (Alternatives to Impact Pile Driving), CON-44 (Alternative Demolition Methods), CON-45 (Restriction on Use of Vibratory Rollers and Packers), and CON-46 (Metro Ground-borne Noise and Ground-borne Vibration Limits) would minimize vibration impacts during construction and would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities.
Construction Noise and Vibration Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR stated that mitigation measures would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. With implementation of mitigation measures, noise would remain an adverse impact for EJ and non-EJ communities during construction, but vibration impacts would be mitigated through the measures listed above. Although these residual noise effects would be adverse during construction, they would occur in an urban environment along a high-density commercial corridor and would not be substantial. There are no feasible mitigation measures to reduce noise impacts to EJ and non-EJ communities during construction.
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Operational Noise and Vibration Impacts The Final EIS/EIR stated that station and emergency ventilation system fans would generate potential audible noise at the surface level. However, these components are subject to periodic testing and would adhere to Metro design levels and would not exceed FTA Noise Impact Criteria. Other noise from rail operation would occur below ground. The Final EIS/EIR determined that no adverse effects related to operational noise would occur.
The Final EIS/EIR determined that ground-borne vibration during operation would not exceed FTA criteria at any vibration-sensitive receivers in Phase 3 construction.
Operational Noise and Vibration Impacts to Specific EJ Communities The Final EIS/EIR determined that no sensitive receptors located in EJ communities would experience adverse effects from operational noise or ground-borne vibrations. Thus, no adverse operational noise or ground-borne vibration impacts to EJ or non-EJ communities are anticipated.
Operational Noise and Vibration Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR determined that the Project would not result in adverse noise or vibration impacts to EJ or non-EJ communities and, therefore, mitigation is not required.
Summary and Proportionality of Impact after Mitigation The Final EIS/EIR determined that no minority of low-income communities were identified to have disproportionally high and adverse operational or construction effects as a result of the Project. No disproportionately high and adverse effects would occur to EJ communities as a result of the Project. The Final EIS/EIR determined that based on the benefits of the Project, no additional special measures are required by the U.S. Department of Transportation Order on Environmental Justice.
4.3.3.2 Section 3 Evaluation As discussed previously, the communities of the VA WLA Campus, West Los Angeles, and Westwood have been identified as EJ populations. The VA WLA Campus is a unique case because some of these individuals may have increased sensitivity to permanent changes within the VA WLA Campus area, particularly transient homeless veterans; veterans with physical disabilities, post-traumatic stress disorder, or traumatic brain injury; mental health concerns, including substance abuse; veteran families; and patient visitors and staff of the VA WLA Campus. The VA WLA Campus provides services and facilities to the EJ population. Accordingly, impacts that affect the VA WLA Campus’ ability to provide services to this EJ population may constitute a disproportionate adverse impact. The Westwood/UCLA Station and the Westwood/VA Hospital Station are both located in EJ communities. To identify and analyze the potential for disproportionate impacts between a non-EJ community and an EJ community, a comparative analysis was conducted between the non-EJ community of Century City (Constellation Station) in Segment 2 of the WPLE Project and the EJ communities of the VA WLA Campus (Westwood/VA Hospital Station) and Westwood (Westwood/UCLA Station).
For additional information on Segment 2 of the Purple Line analysis, refer to the Westside Purple Line Extension Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Evaluation: Appendix D: Traffic Study, Appendix E, Noise Report, and Appendix F: Air Quality Construction Impacts Memorandum (Metro 2017b).
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Transportation, Circulation, and Parking Construction Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Construction of the project refinements would result in similar construction traffic impacts as those identified in the Final EIS/EIR and summarized above. Based on the additional information known on construction means and methods, as well as the refinements described in Section 2.0 of this memorandum, haul truck trips at the Westwood/UCLA Station would increase by up to 40 trips per day compared to the Final EIS/EIR. This increase is related to changes in schedule and an increase in station excavation but is minor compared to traffic on Wilshire Boulevard and would not change impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR.
Additional construction traffic would occur near the U.S. Army Reserve site compared to the Final EIS/EIR as a result of shifting major construction activities to the Western VA Construction Staging Area from the staging area in Lot 42. As stated previously, these trips would occur on Wilshire Boulevard rather than roads within the VA WLA Campus. Shifting trips off the VA WLA Campus would provide a benefit for the campus. Specifically, the Final EIS/EIR identified up to 140 trips per day associated with the TBM activity at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station. These trips would instead occur via Wilshire Boulevard to the designated driveway at the Western VA Construction Staging Area, eliminating up to 140 trucks per day from VA WLA Campus roads (note: up to 160 trips per day are anticipated on Wilshire Boulevard due to the increase in volume of excavation associated with the increase in tunnel diameter). Shifting trips off the VA WLA Campus would provide a benefit for the campus as well as the veterans, staff, and other visitors who travel through the campus.
While trips associated with the TBM activity have been shifted from the Westwood/VA Hospital Station construction staging area to the Western VA Construction Staging Area, the number of construction truck trips associated with the station have increased since the Final EIS/EIR. This increase is a result of the cut-and-cover construction method identified for the west crossover located west of the station platform. Trips would increase from a maximum of 60 trips per day in the Final EIS/EIR to a maximum of 100 trips per day with the refinement, representing up to 40 additional trips.
As a result of the elimination of the GSA crossover (described in Section 2.2), the 60 to 100 truck trips associated with that work have been eliminated, providing a benefit for the GSA and those traveling on Wilshire Boulevard in this location.
The Final EIS/EIR also identified a loss of off-street parking at Lot 36 associated with the Westwood/UCLA Station. The Final EIS/EIR did not quantify the number of spaces that would be temporarily lost during construction at this location. Based on current construction staging, a total of 274 parking spaces would be temporarily displaced during construction activities. Coordination is occurring with UCLA regarding construction activities on the campus and the associated impacts and Metro is committed to minimizing impacts to the extent feasible.
The project refinements would not affect the sidewalk and bicycle impact conclusions presented in the Final EIS/EIR or increase the severity of the impacts identified in the Final EIS/EIR. The refinements would not require sidewalk or bicycle facility closures that were not previously identified in the Final EIS/EIR. Access to businesses would continue to be maintained during essential business hours, including to the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza, UCLA, and VA WLA Campus.
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The Project would continue to implement Mitigation Measures TCON-1 (Traffic Control Plans), TCON-2 (Designated Haul Routes), TCON-3 (Emergency Vehicle Access), TCON-4 (Transportation Management Plan), TCON-5 (Coordination with Planned Roadways), TCON-6 (Temporary Bus Stops and Route Diversions), TCON- 7 (Parking Management), TCON-8 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), TCON-9 (Construction Worker Parking), TCON-10 (Pedestrian Routes and Access) and TCON-11 (Bicycle Paths and Access) identified in Chapter 3 of the Final EIS/EIR to minimize potential affects to construction-related traffic, circulation, and parking. As discussed in the Final EIS/EIR, construction impacts identified on traffic, circulation, parking, and transit would be temporary impacts and residual impacts would remain adverse during construction. Nonetheless, no new adverse effects or increases in the severity of impacts related to traffic, circulation, and parking would occur beyond what was presented in the Final EIS/EIR as a result of the project refinements and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Construction Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Specific to EJ Communities As stated above, construction-related traffic, circulation, and parking impacts associated with the project refinements would not result in new adverse effects beyond what was presented in the Final EIS/EIR or increase the severity of previously identified impacts. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, traffic impacts during construction would affect both EJ and non-EJ communities. However, shifting major construction activities from the Westwood/VA Hospital Station to the Western VA Construction Staging Area would provide a reduce the potential construction disruptions to the VA WLA Campus and improve the VA’s ability to provide services to the EJ populations that use the VA facilities. In comparison, traffic impacts in the Century City non-EJ community would occur at three intersections along Santa Monica Boulevard; however, these impacts would be minimal. Construction of the Constellation Station would occur in Constellation Boulevard and would require phased lane closures consisting of sequenced partial and full street closures. Construction of the Westwood/UCLA Station in the Westwood EJ community may require temporary partial street closures and detour routes, but no full street closures are anticipated to occur unless approved by the City of Los Angeles. Construction of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station in the VA WLA Campus EJ community would be staged such that access is maintained along Bonsall Avenue at all times. Traffic control zones would also be established within the vicinity of the Westwood/VA Hospital and Westwood/UCLA construction sites to minimize construction traffic impacts. The level of impact related to construction traffic would be borne by EJ populations residing in the vicinity of the Westwood and VA WLA Campus EJ communities but would largely be the same for as the impacts identified for the Century City non-EJ community. Therefore, a disproportionate effect on EJ communities would not occur related to construction traffic.
Furthermore, consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Metro would construct a new parking structure to replace temporary and permanent parking that would be lost as a result of the construction staging area within Parking Lot 42 on the VA WLA Campus. Metro is coordinating with the VA to determine the location and capacity of this structure, but at present assumes the structure would continue to be in Lot 43 consistent with the Final EIS/EIR. The Western VA Construction Staging Area on the VA WLA Campus adjacent to the U.S. Army Reserve site is not in an area that would displace parking. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, there would also be a temporary loss of parking in UCLA Lot 36 in the Westwood EJ Community. In comparison, temporary on- and off-street parking loss would occur in the Century City non-EJ community, but mitigation measures, including a parking management program (TCON-7) and construction worker parking (TCON-9), would be implemented to minimize impacts. These measures would also be applied within the Section 3 EJ communities.
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Therefore, temporary parking impacts would occur in both the EJ and non-EJ communities and impacts would not be disproportionate to EJ communities.
Construction Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Project would continue to apply mitigation measures uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. Within Section 3 of the Project, the Final EIS/EIR identified adverse impacts associated with the lane closures and detours required for the Westwood/UCLA Station construction. Implementation of the project refinements would not increase the severity of those impacts as the refinements would not increase the duration of lane closures. Therefore, no new adverse effects related to traffic, circulation, and parking, or increases in severity of those impacts, would occur in EJ communities beyond what was presented in the Final EIS/EIR and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Operational Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts The refinements to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station access, specifically the provision of a new dedicated passenger drop-off facility, was the only refinement that had the potential to change traffic, circulation, or parking impacts during construction. A detailed traffic analysis was conducted for the passenger drop-off area and is detailed in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Westwood/VA Hospital Station Passenger Drop-off Facility Traffic Impact Study (Metro 2018a). This refinement is located within the VA WLA Campus EJ community. A summary of the impacts is presented below.
The proposed drop-off facility provides a net benefit in terms of delay in the surrounding area by signalizing two locations on Bonsall Avenue at the intersection with the Wilshire Boulevard westbound on- and off-ramps and at the intersection with the Wilshire Boulevard eastbound on- and off-ramps. These locations are currently all-way stop controlled. The traffic signals would decrease delay during the AM and PM peak hour at both locations compared to conditions without the traffic signal. Additionally, the drop-off facility would require a new driveway from Bonsall Avenue. The proposed project driveway is projected to operate at level of service B in both the AM and PM peak hour. Additionally, there are no significant impacts at the other study area intersections or freeway ramps per the significance impact criteria. Additionally, the provision of a passenger drop-off facility would benefit the VA WLA Campus and the veteran community, as it is designed to prevent Metro passengers that are not associated with the VA from being dropped off or picked up within the VA Campus, thereby improving circulation on the campus. As a result, there are no significant traffic impacts from this project refinement.
The project refinements would not change the overall operations of the Project in a manner that would change long-term parking demand at the project stations. Therefore, neighborhood spillover parking impacts at the Westwood/UCLA Station in Westwood and at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station in the VA WLA Campus EJ communities would remain unchanged from those identified in the Final EIS/EIR because the refinements would not increase the demand for parking at stations or result in the permanent removal of on- or off-street parking spaces that are open to the public. The Project would continue to implement Mitigation Measures T-1 (Coordination with Property Owners), T-2 (Parking Monitoring and Community Outreach), T-3 (Residential Permit Parking Districts), and T-4 (Consideration of Shared Parking Program) to minimize parking impacts due to permanent parking loss or neighborhood spillover parking.
The refinements would not affect transit reliability, ridership, transit expandability, or passenger comfort and convenience because the service provided on the WPLE Project in terms of travel times and
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the number of stations would remain unchanged with implementation of the project refinements compared to the Final EIS/EIR.
Therefore, no new adverse effects to operational traffic, circulation, and parking, or increases in the severity of impacts, would occur with implementation of the project refinements, and the impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Operational Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Specific to EJ Communities As stated above, no new adverse operational traffic, circulation, or parking impacts are anticipated to be borne by EJ communities with implementation of the project refinements. The project refinements would not increase the severity of previously identified impacts. The new traffic signals included in the refinements to the passenger drop-off facility at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would benefit passengers and visitors to the VA WLA Campus and to the surrounding area traffic. Additionally, the provision of a passenger drop-off area would be beneficial to circulation on the VA WLA Campus by preventing Metro passengers who are not associated with the VA from being dropped off or picked up within the VA Campus. Therefore, this refinement would provide benefits to the VA WLA Campus EJ community.
The project refinements would not result in the permanent loss of on- or off-street parking spaces at the VA WLA Campus or at UCLA. A replacement parking structure is proposed within VA Lot 43 to offset both the temporary and permanent parking spaces lost as a result of the Project. Refinements to the Westwood/UCLA Station entrance and transit plaza would provide a net increase of 55 parking spaces on Lot 36 when construction is complete. This would result in an improved parking condition. In comparison, no permanent parking loss would occur at the Constellation Station in the Century City non-EJ community.
Similarly, no adverse operational traffic, circulation, or parking impacts are anticipated for the Century City non-EJ community. The Century City non-EJ community would benefit from reduced auto trips in the peak period and an increase in transit use. The Constellation Station in that community does not include a passenger drop-off, and access to the station would be largely via walking (69 percent) and bus (39 percent).
Operational Traffic, Circulation, and Parking Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Project would continue to implement Mitigation Measures T-1 through T-4 (described above) uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities to minimize parking impacts due to permanent parking loss or neighborhood spillover parking. Furthermore, Metro will replace lost parking at the VA WLA Campus. The project refinements associated with access to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would not result in adverse impacts to traffic or circulation. Therefore, no new adverse effects to operational traffic, circulation, and parking would occur with implementation of the project refinements and the impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
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Acquisitions and Displacements Temporary Construction Footprint Impacts Table 4-16 presents the construction area footprints identified in the Final EIS/EIR and with the project refinements described in Section 2.0 of this technical memorandum. The project refinements would not require construction area footprints on parcels that had not previously been identified in the Final EIS/EIR. As a result of the project refinements, temporary construction area footprints have decreased in size at five locations. Larger construction area footprints would be needed at the VA WLA Campus. The temporary construction area footprints at the VA WLA Campus are located in three areas of the campus – the western portion adjacent to the U.S. Army Reserve site, within Lot 42, and in a grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue. The construction area footprints would not displace buildings or otherwise affect the operation of the campus. Construction of the Project would require removal of all solar panels located within Lot 42. Although a small portion of the Lot 42 panels are not directly impacted by construction, they cannot operate without the larger network of panels and would also be removed. This construction staging area is required for construction of the station box and, therefore, the impacts to the solar panels cannot be avoided.
Table 4-16: Construction Area Footprint1 – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed (in square feet) (excludes subsurface easements)
Delta (Proposed – Location Final EIS/EIR Proposed Final EIS/EIR) Westfield Mall 0 0 0 Westwood/UCLA Split Entrances North – 7,082 6,770 -312 Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza Westwood/UCLA Split Entrances 2,646 2,707 61 South – 10900 Wilshire Boulevard Westwood/UCLA Lot 36 125,993 121,537 -4,456 GSA 45,951 0 -45,951 Caltrans 159,224 132,395 -26,829 VA WLA Campus2, 3 247,985 338,699 90,714 U.S. Army Reserve3 69,341 0 -69,341 Source: WSP 2018 Notes: 1 The construction area footprint includes both the temporary and permanent surface area required during construction of the Project. When construction is complete, only the permanent surface easements would remain under Metro ownership. 2 The temporary easement reported in the Final EIS/EIR did not include the construction footprint associated with the replacement parking structure in Lot 43. The construction footprint remains unchanged and for consistency is not reported for the proposed easements. 3 Based on the Final EIS/EIR, approximately 143,000 square feet for construction would be required on the VA WLA Campus and U.S. Army Reserve site combined as an alternative to staging construction from Lot 42 only. Caltrans = California Department of Transportation; EIS/EIR = environmental impact statement/environmental impact report; GSA = General Services Administration; UCLA = University of California, Los Angeles; VA WLA = Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles
It should be noted that the Final EIS/EIR alternative construction staging area identified on the western portion of the VA WLA Campus would have impacted a solar farm that had been added to the VA WLA Campus since the Final EIS/EIR. In coordination with the VA, Metro revised the footprint of what is
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referred to in this memorandum as the Western VA Construction Staging Area to avoid displacing the solar farm. Therefore, impacts to solar panels on the VA WLA Campus have been minimized to the extent feasible. Metro is coordinating with the VA on locations for replacement facilities or replacement of solar power with power provided by the local service provider (SCE). As a result of this coordination, removal of the solar panels would not result in adverse impacts. The temporary construction easement in Lot 42 would displace parking. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Metro would construct a replacement parking structure to offset parking structure to offset parking that would be unavailable in Lot 42 during construction. Therefore, the construction area footprints on the VA WLA Campus would not result in adverse impacts to the campus.
The construction area footprint at the Westwood/UCLA southeast entrance at 10900 Wilshire Boulevard has increased slightly (by 61 square feet or by approximately 2 percent) compared to the Final EIS/EIR. This increase is minor and would not affect the function of the property; therefore, it would not result in an adverse impact. The construction area footprint at the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza has decreased slightly since the Final EIS/EIR. Coordination is underway with the property owner regarding the real estate agreement in support of permanent and temporary easements on the property. As part of this agreement, the MRI may be relocated to another location within the building to ensure there is sufficient space to accommodate the MRI equipment before demolition of the existing Chase Bank building.
Temporary subsurface easements were not specifically identified in the Final EIS/EIR; however, Table 4-17 presents temporary subsurface easements based on the Final EIS/EIR design and with the proposed refinements. The subsurface easements are required for construction of the Project, including grouting at the Westfield Mall (Section 2.8) and for tie-backs within Caltrans right-of-way and at the VA WLA Campus and Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza. Tie-backs are stressed steel strands drilled into the ground and tied to the support of excavation walls to provide lateral stability to the excavation of the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital Stations. These subsurface easements are temporary and ownership of the area would return to the property owner when construction is complete. The tie-backs would be left in place but could be removed if necessary by the owner in the future. Therefore, the temporary subsurface easements would not result in adverse impacts.
Table 4-17: Temporary Subsurface Easements – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed (in square feet)
Difference (Proposed Location Final EIS/EIR Proposed – Final EIS/EIR) Westfield Mall 0 103,944 103,944 Westwood/UCLA Split Entrances Northeast – Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza 0 26,416 0 Westwood/UCLA Split Entrances Southeast – 10900 Wilshire Boulevard 0 0 0 Westwood/UCLA Lot 36 0 0 0 GSA 0 0 0 Caltrans 0 24,238 24,238 VA WLA Campus 0 119,167 119,167 U.S. Army Reserve 0 0 0 Source: WSP 2018 Notes: Caltrans = California Department of Transportation; EIS/EIR = environmental impact statement/environmental impact report; GSA = General Services Administration; UCLA = University of California, Los Angeles; VA WLA = Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles
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Therefore, the changes to temporary construction easements required as a result of the project refinements would not result in new adverse impacts and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged.
Temporary Construction Footprint Impacts Specific to EJ Communities The construction easements identified in Table 4-16 and the displacement of the Chase Bank would occur in the EJ communities of Westwood and the VA WLA Campus. However, construction easements are required in non-EJ communities throughout the Project Area and, as such, impacts borne by EJ communities would not be disproportionate. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, no full acquisitions would occur as part of Section 3.
In comparison, temporary easements are required for the construction of the Constellation Station in the Century City non-EJ community identified in the Final EIS/EIR. Subsurface easements would be required at the Westfield Century City Mall. These constructions easements are temporary, and ownership of the area would return to the property owner when construction is complete. Therefore, temporary construction easements would not result in adverse effects to an EJ- or non-EJ community and would not increase the severity of previously identified impacts. Impacts related to temporary easements would not substantially differ between the non-EJ community and EJ communities and a disproportionate effect would not occur.
Temporary Construction Footprint Impacts Remaining After Mitigation Mitigation measures CN-1 (Relocation Assistance and Compensation), CN-2 (Propose Joint-Use Agreements), and CN-3 (Compensation for Easements) would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities to reduce potential impacts associated with displacement and relocations. Construction easements would not result in adverse effects to an EJ community and would not increase the severity of previously identified impacts. Therefore, the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged.
Permanent Easements and Relocation Impacts Table 4-18 presents the permanent easements identified in the Final EIS/EIR and with the project refinements as described in Section 2.0 of this technical memorandum. The project refinements would not require new full acquisitions; however, new permanent easements would be required, one of which would be located in Caltrans right-of-way for emergency exit stairs. The Caltrans easement is required for a surface emergency exit hatch to the street from the station, which would be located in the sidewalk. The sidewalk would remain useable, as the hatch is rated for sidewalk loading.
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Table 4-18: Permanent Surface Easements – Final EIS/EIR and Proposed (in square feet) (Excludes Subsurface Easements)
Delta (Proposed – Location Final EIS/EIR Proposed Final EIS/EIR) Westfield Mall 0 0 0 Westwood/UCLA Split Entrances Northeast – Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza 7,082 5,932* -1,150 Westwood/UCLA Split Entrances Southeast – 10900 Wilshire Boulevard 2,646 1,000* 1,646 Westwood/UCLA Lot 36 44,902 28,371* -16,531 GSA 0 0 0 Caltrans 0 3,851 3,851 VA WLA Campus 0 86,628* 86,628 U.S. Army Reserve 0 0 0 Source: WSP 2018 Notes: Caltrans = California Department of Transportation; EIS/EIR = environmental impact statement/environmental impact report; GSA = General Services Administration; UCLA = University of California, Los Angeles; VA WLA = Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles * Discussions are still ongoing with property owners and the easements may be modified during final design. Any modifications are anticipated to be minor and would not change the overall conclusions of the evaluation contained in this technical memorandum.
New permanent surface easements are also required on the VA WLA Campus. Specifically, easements would be required within the northern portion of Lot 42 for the passenger drop-off area and station entrance plaza. In the Final EIS/EIR, the passenger drop-off area and transit plaza were located within County of Los Angeles right-of-way. However, as stated in Section 2.3, there is not sufficient space within the county right-of-way (ramps) to accommodate a passenger drop-off area. Additionally, as a result of shifting the alignment and Westwood/VA Hospital Station box south as described in Section 2.2, the transit plaza is now proposed on the VA WLA Campus rather than County of Los Angeles property. Easements would also be required in two locations west of Bonsall Avenue: (1) immediately west of Bonsall Avenue for methane vents and (2) adjacent to the U.S. Army Reserve site for an emergency exit hatch, ventilation grates, and an emergency walkway. Coordination is occurring with representatives of both Caltrans and the VA regarding these new permanent surface easements.
Permanent easements would decrease on three parcels associated with the Westwood/UCLA Station entrances, as a result of the project refinements described in Section 2.6. Permanent easements are no longer required from a gym and within the parking structure associated with the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza as a result of shifting the station entrance to the location currently occupied by the Chase Bank. This is a significant benefit to the Project as the underpinning of the existing structure would have been difficult, with high construction risk, schedule, and cost. Implementation of this project refinement would require displacement of Chase Bank; this displacement is a result of a partial acquisition that affects the location of the Chase Bank. It is anticipated that Chase Bank would be relocated. Based on coordination with the property owner, Chase Bank is interested in relocating to a currently vacant space within the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza that was previously occupied by a bank. The property owner has already begun discussions with Chase Bank regarding this relocation. Therefore, displacement of Chase Bank would not result in a loss of jobs. According to information from the Los Angeles County Assessor website (County of Los Angeles Office of the Assessor 2017), the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza would contribute approximately $346,500 in property taxes in 2018. Based on the square footage of Chase Bank compared to the entirety of the medical plaza, approximately $13,000 in property taxes per year would be attributed to
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Chase Bank. In 2017, Los Angeles County had a total tax roll of $1,416 billion, of which $407 billion was collected from commercial/industrial properties (County of Los Angeles Office of the Assessor, 2017). Therefore, the loss of property taxes associated with eliminating the Chase Bank portion of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza would not have an adverse impact on property taxes.
Mitigation measures CN-1 (Relocation Assistance and Compensation), CN-2 (Propose Joint-Use Agreements), and CN-3 (Compensation for Easements) would be implemented to reduce potential impacts associated with displacement and relocations. Mitigation Measure CN-1 (Relocation Assistance and Compensation) would be implemented to reduce potential impacts associated with the displacement and relocation of Chase Bank. This measure requires that Metro provide relocation assistance and compensation as required by both the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisitions Act of 1970, as amended (49 CFR 24) and the California Relocation Assistance Act of 1970, as amended (California Government Code Section 7260 et seq.). Metro will comply with these requirements.
Permanent Easements and Relocation Impacts Specific to EJ Communities The permanent easements identified in Table 4-18 and the displacement of the Chase Bank would be borne by the EJ communities of Westwood and the VA WLA Campus. However, easements are required in non-EJ communities throughout the Project Area and, as such, impacts to EJ communities would not be disproportionate. Therefore, the changes to permanent easements required as a result of the project refinements would not result in new adverse impacts and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged. In comparison, the Constellation Station in the Century City non-EJ community would also require permanent easements. Similar to the Project, Constellation Station would result in the displacement of a business located at 1940 Century Park East. Like the Project, mitigation measures would be implemented to minimize adverse impacts. Thus, impacts related to permanent easements would not substantially differ between the non-EJ community and EJ communities and a disproportionate affect would not occur.
Permanent Easements and Relocation Impacts Remaining After Mitigation Mitigation measures CN-1 (Relocation Assistance and Compensation), CN-2 (Propose Joint-Use Agreement), and CN-3 (Compensation for Easements) would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ to reduce potential impacts associated with displacement and relocations. Permanent easements would not result in adverse effects to an EJ community and would not increase the severity of previously identified impacts. Therefore, the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged.
Visual Resources and Aesthetics Construction Visual and Aesthetics Impacts Project refinements would continue to result in temporary adverse effects to the existing visual character of the construction areas prior to mitigation, but the refinements would not increase the severity of previously identified impacts. However, implementation of the project refinements would shift major construction activities away from the VA Main Hospital to the Western VA Construction Staging Area, which would benefit the hospital and reduce visual effects to the community. With the implementation of mitigation, there would not be adverse visual impacts during construction of the project refinements.
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The tower crane is approximately 120 feet in height with a 160-foot boom length, and the vertical conveyor belt storage towers are approximately 90 feet in height, 10 feet in width, and 20 feet in length. These construction elements would be in place for the duration of the tunnel contract, approximately 2 years. The crane and conveyor belt storage towers would be near an existing building at the U.S. Army Reserve site (U.S. Army Reserve Center, also known as Sadao Munemori Hall) that is approximately 40 feet in height, as well as several one- and two-story buildings on the VA WLA Campus. The crane and conveyor belt storage towers would be partially screened for viewers on both the north and south sides of the VA WLA Campus, the U.S. Army Reserve site, and Wilshire Boulevard by an approximately 20-foot temporary noise barrier wall that encompasses the entire perimeter of the construction staging area. Screening would also be provided by four large fig trees approximately 50 feet tall and multiple 55-foot- tall palms on the VA WLA Campus that would be maintained during construction. There are no windows on the U.S. Army Reserve Center facing the location of the tower crane and vertical conveyor belt storage towers. The noise barrier wall would not screen the crane for those viewers on upper floors of adjacent buildings or outdoors at the U.S. Army Reserve site and the VA WLA Campus.
A visual impacts analysis was conducted for the Los Angeles National Veterans Park to the north of the Western VA Construction Staging Area and the WLA VA Historic District to the east due to the potential sensitivity to visual impacts. In both of these locations, most of the open areas where veterans, their families, and VA staff might spend time are currently shaded by fig trees and/or palms. These trees would obstruct most views of the proposed tall structures on the construction staging area, including the vertical conveyor belt storage towers and the tower crane (Figure 4-5 and Figure 4-7). In areas that have unobstructed views, the palms and figs immediately adjacent to the construction staging area would continue to provide some screening of the taller construction equipment (Figure 4-6 and Figure 4-8). The approximately 20-foot-high noise barrier wall would be visible, but would have a height and mass that would be consistent with most existing structures in the area. In addition, the barrier is expected to be a neutral color, typically in the gray to green color range. As a result, it would not create a substantial contrast with visual elements in the Los Angeles National Veterans Park or within the historic district.
Regarding shadows, there are solar farms to the south of the construction staging area on which the tower crane and other tall construction elements, such as foam plant silos, may cast shadows. Based on the analysis, shadows would be cast for less than half an hour per day. For the analysis of shadows, the summer and winter solstices as well as the spring and fall equinoxes were considered, and shadows were modeled during the time of day when shadows would be longest during that season. At these times of day, almost all areas that would be in the shade of the Western VA Construction Staging Area would also be in the shade of existing palm trees and fig trees; therefore, shadows from project construction equipment would be negligible.
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Figure 4-5: Simulated View 01 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from Los Angeles National Veterans Park (facing south)
Source: TAHA 2018
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Figure 4-6: Simulated View 02 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from Los Angeles National Veterans Park (facing south)
Source: TAHA 2018
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Figure 4-7: Simulated View 01 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from WLA VA Historic District (facing west)
Source: TAHA 2018
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Figure 4-8: Simulated View 02 of Western VA Construction Staging Area from WLA VA Historic District (facing west)
Source: TAHA 2018
While the crane and vertical conveyor belt storage towers would have a distinct industrial character, they would be only partially visible and would not significantly contrast with other buildings at the U.S. Army Reserve site nor adjacent multi-story commercial buildings on Federal Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, and San Vicente Avenue. Therefore, the introduction of a tower crane and vertical conveyor belt storage towers during construction would not result in an adverse temporary visual impact.
Construction activities to increase the capacity of the Caltrans infiltration basin north of Wilshire Boulevard and west of I-405 would not result in temporary adverse visual impacts. Construction activities would take approximately 1 month, and these activities would not substantially contrast with the surroundings, which include the I-405 Freeway and embankment, as well as Wilshire Boulevard.
Refinements to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover would be constructed via a cut-and- cover method rather than sequential excavation (Section 2.5). The refinement could result in the loss of up to 11 trees and 1 shrub in this area. The cut-and-cover construction area would require removal of two palms on each side of Bonsall Avenue. The Westside Subway Extension Project Westwood/UCLA Station and the Westwood/VA Hospital Station Locations Report (Metro 2011c) stated that the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would impact a small segment of the landscaped areas south of Wilshire Boulevard and west of Bonsall Avenue that are within the WLA VA Historic District. The Western VA Construction Staging Area would also result in the temporary removal of 14 Canary palms (3 of which are deceased) and 11 eucalyptus trees.
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When construction is complete, landscaping would be restored as determined through coordination with the VA, consistent with Mitigation Measure VIS-2 (Replacement for Tree Removal). Coordination is underway. There would not be significant visual impacts associated with the project refinement related to the construction method for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover, the construction footprint east of Bonsall Avenue, or the Western VA Construction Staging Area, either during construction or long term, because the landscaped setting would be restored when construction is complete. Therefore, project refinements would not introduce new adverse effects or increase the severity of previously identified impacts and the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
It should be noted that an arborist surveyed the trees located near the alignment within the grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue and determined that mined construction of the west crossover could impact several trees due to the proximity of construction activities to the roots. Therefore, the option evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR would also have resulted in impacts to some trees within this area of the VA WLA Campus.
Construction Visual and Aesthetics Impacts to Specific Environmental Justice Communities Project refinements would continue to result in visual impacts during construction within the Westwood and VA WLA Campus EJ communities prior to the implementation of mitigation. However, the refinements would not result in new adverse impacts or increases in severity of previously identified impacts compared to the Final EIS/EIR. As stated above, implementation of the project refinements would shift major construction activities away from the VA Main Hospital (Building 500) to the Western VA Construction Staging Area, which would benefit the hospital and reduce visual effects to the community. The mitigation measures identified in the Final EIS/EIR would continue to apply to construction of the project refinements. In comparison, construction activities at the Constellation Station in the Century City non-EJ community would also introduce visual elements during construction that may result in visual impacts to the surrounding community. However, like the Project, construction impacts would be minimized with implementation of mitigation measures. Temporary visual impacts would not substantially differ between the non-EJ community and EJ communities and a disproportionate effect would not occur to the EJ communities of Westwood and the VA WLA Campus.
Construction Visual and Aesthetics Impacts Remaining After Mitigation The Project would implement Mitigation Measures CON-2 (Timely Removal of Erosion-Control Devices), CON-3 (Location of Construction Materials), CON-4 (Construction Lighting), and CON-5 (Screening of Construction Staging Areas) uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities as identified in the Final EIS/EIR, and no new adverse effects to visual resources and aesthetics would occur. Therefore, the project refinements would not result in new adverse visual impacts to EJ communities or increase the severity of previously identified impacts and, as such, the impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged.
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Operational Visual and Aesthetics Impacts A visual assessment has been conducted for the project refinements. This assessment is detailed in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, 130(c) Technical Memorandum (Metro 2018d) prepared in support of the refinements and summarized within this technical memorandum as it pertains to the environmental justice analysis. The project refinements would not result in visual or aesthetic impacts during operation of the Project. Refinements to the murals would consider the integrity of the murals and how best to preserve this important community resource. Metro proposes the removal of the entire northeast mural and the creation of a mosaic that would be installed across from the current location and placed on a wall surface along an existing embankment on Los Angeles County property. This new location would provide better visibility for veterans and visitors traveling through sections of the VA WLA Campus, including the following:
µ Transit passengers using the bus stop on Wilshire Boulevard
µ Motorists/vehicles and pedestrians traveling northbound along Bonsall Avenue; the murals may also be visible for motorists on Wilshire Boulevard
µ Future transit passengers of the Project using station circulation features on the north side of Wilshire Boulevard
µ VA patrons, including veterans
The refinement to the mural, including the mosaic treatment, is being coordinated with relevant stakeholders, including the VA, veteran groups, and LA County Arts Commission.
The project refinement proposed to the northeast Westwood/UCLA station entrance (adjacent to the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza) would require deconstruction of the Chase Bank retail space (Section 2.6). The façade of the station entrance would replicate pertinent features of this portion of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza when it was first opened, restoring the character of this portion of the building compared to today. Therefore, the station entrance would not result in adverse visual impacts.
Construction activities on the VA WLA Campus would result in the temporary removal of trees, particularly those in the footprint of construction staging areas. Trees removed during construction would be replaced with similar species or as otherwise determined through coordination with the applicable agencies (e.g., VA, State Historic Preservation Office). Select palms would be transplanted outside the construction area and replanted in the original location when construction is complete. Because these trees are located within the WLA VA Historic District, monitoring to ensure the success of replanting and requirements to replace trees that do not survive the monitoring period will be as stipulated in the forthcoming Section 106 amended Memorandum of Agreement, which will be developed in consultation with consulting parties. As such, the removal of trees during construction would not result in long-term visual impacts. The loss of trees adjacent to the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza would not change the visual character of the area and thus would not result in an adverse visual impact.
Therefore, the project refinements would not conflict with the surrounding visual character and, consequently, would not result in adverse impacts. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, the Project would continue to implement Mitigation Measures VIS-1 (Minimize Visual Clutter), VIS-2 (Replacement for Tree Removal), VIS-3 (Source Shielding in Exterior Lighting), and VIS-4 (Integrate Station Designs with Area Redevelopment Plans) to ensure impacts related to conflicts between scale and visual character,
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building removal and right-of-way acquisition, removal of mature vegetation, location of ancillary facilities, and introduction of new sources of light and glare are avoided or minimized. Therefore, no new adverse effects would occur and impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Operational Visual and Aesthetics Impacts to Specific Environmental Justice Communities The project refinements would not result in new adverse effects to visual resources within the Westwood or VA WLA Campus EJ communities. During operation of the Project, above-ground station components would be the primary visible project components at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station and Westwood/UCLA Station. Given the sensitivity of the EJ populations residing on the VA WLA Campus to environmental changes, these changes may be experienced more negatively than those experienced by other populations. However, access points would be designed in such a manner that they would complement the existing visual character of the area rather than detract from it. Similarly, above-ground station components at the Constellation Station in the Century City non-EJ community would also be visible and designed to complement the surrounding area. Therefore, a disproportionate effect on EJ communities would not occur related to visual quality during operation of the Project.
Operational Visual and Aesthetics Impacts Remaining After Mitigation As stated above, the project refinements would not result in new visual impacts. Nonetheless, consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures VIS-1 (Minimize Visual Clutter), VIS-2 (Replacement for Tree Removal), VIS-3 (Source Shielding in Exterior Lighting), and VIS-4 (Integrate Station Designs with Area Redevelopment Plans) would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. The impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR remain unchanged.
Air Quality and Climate Change The evaluation of potential effects on air quality during operation and construction of the Project, including with implementation of the refinements, are detailed in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Air Quality Technical Memorandum (Metro 2018c). A summary of the impacts as they relate to EJ communities are presented in the sections below.
Construction Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts The evaluation of potential effects on air quality during construction of Section 3 of the Project is detailed in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Air Quality Technical Memorandum (Metro 2018c). The analysis evaluated regional pollutant burdens of all Section 3 construction activities, including the Westwood/VA Hospital Station, cut-and-cover construction of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station west crossover, the Westwood/UCLA Station, and replacement parking structure in Lot 43 at the VA WLA Campus. As stated in that technical memorandum, emissions of volatile organic compounds, NOX, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), and carbon monoxide (CO) would be lower than the SCAQMD daily thresholds. In addition, localized hotspot analyses were conducted to determine if violations of the applicable National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) or California Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) would occur as a result of construction of the Project and if health risk thresholds would be exceeded. No exceedances of the NAAQS or CAAQS for CO, nitrogen dioxide, or of the significant change threshold for PM2.5 are predicted. Violations of the CAAQS for PM10 are predicted, but no violations of the NAAQS for PM10 are predicted to occur. Violations of the CAAQS for PM10 are anticipated because the background conditions already exceed the CAAQS. No health risk thresholds are predicted to be exceeded due to construction of the Project. It should be noted that moving construction activities and
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staging areas away from the VA Main Hospital benefits veterans, especially those seeking treatment for respiratory ailments, as the predicted risk values are generally lower at the VA Hospital receptors as compared to the other neighborhood receptors. As discussed in the Final EIS/EIR, the potential for objectionable odors could be significant but would be limited to the duration of construction. Any temporary odor impacts during construction would be directly related to the exhaust from diesel-fueled construction equipment and could be triggers for veterans with PTSD. Nonetheless, odors released during construction would be consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, with the exception of the timing and construction scheduling of potential odor impacts. Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-6 (Meet Mine Safety Standards), CON-7 (Meet SCAQMD Standards), CON-8 (Monitoring and Recording of Hazardous Gases at Worksites), CON-9 (No Idling of Heavy Equipment), CON-10 (Maintenance of Construction Equipment), CON-11 (Prohibit Tampering of Equipment), CON-12 (Use of Best Available Emissions Control Technologies), and CON-13 (Placement of Construction Equipment) would be implemented to minimize air quality emissions during construction. Additionally, Mitigation Measures CON-14 (Measures to Reduce the Predicted PM 10 Levels), CON-15 (Reduce Street Debris), CON-16 (Dust Control during Transport), CON-17 (Fugitive Dust Control), CON-18 (Street Watering), CON-19 (Spillage Prevention for Non-Earth Moving-Equipment), CON-20 (Spillage Prevention for Earth-Moving Equipment), and CON-21 (Additional Controls to Reduce Emissions) would be implemented to reduce potential air quality effects. The other project refinements described in Section 2.0 are not anticipated to change the construction equipment or schedule in a manner that would change air emissions during construction compared to what was evaluated in the Final EIS/EIR. Construction Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts to Specific EJ Communities The project refinements are not anticipated to change the construction equipment or schedule in a manner that would result in new adverse air quality impacts to EJ and non-EJ communities during construction. Instead emissions of most pollutants at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would be less than the levels identified in the Final EIS/EIR. The exception is CO emissions that would be slightly higher (by 9 pounds per day) than those presented in the Final EIS/EIR; however, still below SCAQMD daily thresholds. Lower emissions would benefit individuals using the VA Hospital, which is located within the VA WLA Campus EJ community.
In comparison, the Constellation Station area receptors would experience similar levels of criteria pollutants, and construction air quality emissions would be well below the SCAQMD emissions thresholds. As such, there would not be a discernible difference in air quality emissions impacts between the non-EJ and EJ communities and a disproportionate effect on EJ communities would not occur related to construction air quality.
Construction Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts Remaining after Mitigation Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measures CON-6 through CON-21 (described above) would apply uniformly to EJ and non-EJ communities. With the implementation of the mitigation measures, adverse air quality impacts would continue to be substantial to the EJ and non-EJ communities equally and no additional feasible mitigation is available. Therefore, adverse effects related to air quality would be less than those presented in the Final EIS/EIR and impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
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Operational Air Quality and Climate Change Impacts Project refinements do not change the operations of the Project in a manner that would change the air quality analysis presented in the Final EIS/EIR. Furthermore, the Project was presented at SCAG’s Transportation Conformity Working Group in June 2017, and it was unanimously determined that it is not a project of air quality concern. In addition, the project refinements would not result in traffic delays that would create a carbon monoxide hot spot. Traffic analyses were conducted in support of the passenger drop-off area and two new signalized intersections (Section 2.3), as documented in the Westwood/VA Hospital Station Passenger Drop-Off Facility Traffic Impact Study (Metro 2018a). Based on the analyses, there would be no traffic impacts associated with the passenger drop-off area and the addition of traffic signals. Furthermore, idling restrictions will be in place, with multiple signage indicating that the passenger drop-off area is a no-idle zone. While a new bus layover area would be added on the on-ramp from Bonsall Avenue to westbound Wilshire Boulevard, the bus bay is for future transit service. There are no planned changes to transit frequency and service routes and, therefore, transit frequency and routes remain unchanged from the Final EIS/EIR. As such, there are no changes in air quality impacts related to changes in vehicular traffic or transit service compared to the Final EIS/EIR. As discussed in the Final EIS/EIR, the Project would have beneficial operational air quality effects to EJ and non-EJ communities. Therefore, no new air quality effects would occur to EJ or non-EJ communities during operation as a result of the project refinements and the impact conclusions of Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged. Noise and Vibration Potential noise and vibration impacts from implementation of the project refinements during operation and construction are detailed in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Construction and Operation Noise and Vibration Assessment for Section 3 Project Refinements (Metro 2018b). Construction noise and vibration levels were predicted following FTA guidance. A summary of the impacts as they relate to EJ communities are presented in the sections below.
Construction Noise and Vibration Impacts Construction staging at the UCLA Lot 36 and VA WLA Campus (including in Lot 42, the grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue, the Western VA Construction Staging Area, and in Lot 43 for a five-story parking structure) would not exceed the FTA criteria with implementation of mitigation measures identified in the Final EIS/EIR. Underground construction activities from operation of the TBM and the material handling trains are also not expected to exceed the FTA damage risk criteria, Metro groundborne noise criteria, and groundborne vibration annoyance criteria. Groundborne vibration levels from construction activities at UCLA Lot 36 and VA WLA Campus (including in Lot 42, the grassy area west of Bonsall Avenue, Western VA Construction Staging Area, and in Lot 43 for a five-story parking structure would not exceed FTA damage risk criteria.
The murals located along the Bonsall Avenue underpass and ramps could be affected by groundborne vibration levels in the range of 0.32 in/sec PPV to 0.89 in/sec PPV as a result of haul truck activity on Bonsall Avenue. This vibration level may exceed the threshold of 0.50 in/sec PPV. Consistent with Mitigation Measure CON-46 (Metro Ground-Borne Noise and Ground-Borne Vibration Limits) from the Final EIS/EIR, Metro will monitor vibration levels at the murals and will take necessary action if vibration levels are exceeded. With implementation of this mitigation measure, there would not be vibration impacts to the murals during construction.
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The major vibration-generating equipment and activities are expected to be used during the deconstruction of the Chase Bank building, excavation, and construction of station entrance and restoration of the Westwood/UCLA Station’s construction site. Temporary construction vibration levels could exceed operating criteria for the MRI on the second floor of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza building. Construction activities for demolition of the existing Chase Bank building and the installation of the piling for the support of excavation within the Chase Bank site will be coordinated with the building owner and MRI operator to minimize impacts to the MRI operation.
Consistent with the Final EIS/EIR, Mitigation Measure CON-27 (Use of Temporary Noise Barriers and Sound- Control Curtains), CON-31 (Use of Fixed-Noise Producing Equipment), CON-32 (Use of Mobile or Fixed Noise- Producing Equipment), CON-33 (Use of Electrically Powered Equipment), Mitigation Measure CON-34 (Use of Temporary Noise Barriers and Sound-Control Curtains), CON-37 (Requirements on Project Equipment), and Mitigation Measure CON-46 (Metro Ground-Borne Noise and Ground-Borne Vibration Limits) would be implemented and ensure noise impacts are reduced to a less than adverse effect.
Operational Noise and Vibration Impacts Groundborne noise and vibration levels were evaluated for the new location of the crossover east of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station (Section 2.2) and the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza with implementation of the project refinements to the northeast Westwood/UCLA Station entrance (Section 2.6). The nearest receiver to the crossover is the VA Main Hospital (Building 500) and an MRI is located on the second floor of the Linde (Westwood) Medical Plaza. Based on the analysis detailed in the Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Construction and Operation Noise and Vibration Assessment for Section 3 Project Refinements (Metro 2018b), groundborne noise and groundborne vibration from a train passby would not exceed FTA impact thresholds applicable to the VA Main Hospital MRI. Therefore, the project refinements would not change the noise and vibration analysis presented in the Final EIS/EIR.
As similarly discussed in the Final EIS/EIR, no sensitive receptors located in EJ communities would experience adverse effects from operational noise and no adverse ground-borne vibrations would occur. Therefore, no new noise or ground-borne vibration effects would occur, and no new adverse operational noise or ground-borne vibration impacts to EJ or non-EJ communities are anticipated. The impact conclusions of the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
Construction and Operational Noise and Vibration Impacts to Specific EJ Communities The project refinements are not anticipated to change the construction equipment or schedule in a manner that would result in new adverse noise and vibration impacts that would be borne by EJ and non-EJ communities during construction.
Noise-generating activities related to construction of the Constellation Station in the Century City non-EJ community of Section 2 and the Westwood/VA Hospital Station in the VA WLA Campus EJ community in Section 3 would largely be the same. Both would require tunneling activity as well as above-ground station construction activity. The California Rehabilitation Institution Facility in Section 2 (located in proximity to the Constellation Station) and the VA Hospital and associated buildings (located in proximity to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station) are similar receptors and would have a similar sensitivity to noise. Metro acknowledges that veterans may have a unique sensitivity to noise that may make them more sensitive than the general population.
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Ground-level noise at the California Rehabilitation Institution Facility in Section 2 would be generally reduced below significance thresholds by noise barriers installed around the project site; however, upper floors would still experience increased noise levels as their line-of-sight to the project site would not be blocked. Daytime noise at ground level would be approximately 57 dBA and nighttime noise would be approximately 51 dBA Leq. Nighttime construction noise at upper-level patient floors was calculated to be approximately 66 dBA Leq, which would exceed the nighttime noise limit threshold.
Construction activities on the VA WLA Campus would result in a noise level of 61 dBA L eq for daytime and nighttime ground-level noise at the VA Main Hospital (Building 500), which would exceed the daytime noise limit threshold but not the nighttime noise limit threshold. Construction noise levels at VA Buildings 90 and 91 would be 64 dBA Leq for daytime and nighttime noise. Only the nighttime noise limit threshold would be exceeded for these sensitive receptors. Construction at the U.S Army Reserve site would result in the maximum of 56 dBA Leq for daytime and nighttime noise at VA Medical Buildings 400 and 401. VA Medical Buildings 304 and 507 would experience daytime and nighttime noise levels of 54 dBA Leq, which would be below the daytime and nighttime noise limit thresholds. Therefore, a disproportionate effect on EJ communities would not occur related to on-site construction noise. Haul truck trips also have the potential to increase noise levels along local roadways used for haul routes during construction. For the Constellation Station, the maximum amount of haul truck trips would be related to tunnel boring activity and would result in approximately 90 to 130 haul trucks per day. Westwood/VA Hospital Station construction would require a maximum of 160 haul truck trips per day associated with the TBM. These trips would occur via Wilshire Boulevard to a designed driveway to the Western VA Construction Staging Area instead of to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station area, eliminating up to 140 trucks per day from VA WLA Campus roads during tunneling. As stated previously, approximately 40 additional haul trips would be associated with construction of the Westwood/VA Hospital Station, resulting in up to 100 trips per day on the campus. Overall the number of haul trucks required for the Constellation Station and the Westwood/VA Hospital Station would be similar. Noise levels along haul routes would not be substantially different. Therefore, a disproportionate effect borne by the EJ communities would not occur related to off-site haul truck noise. The potential to generate noise during operation would occur both at the Constellation Station and at the Westwood/VA Hospital Station and Westwood/UCLA Station. Noises audible at the surface include the station ventilation system fans and the emergency ventilation system fans, which would adhere to Metro design levels and would not exceed the FTA noise impact criteria. Noise from rail operations, including interaction of wheels on tracks, motive power, signaling and warning systems, and the traction power substations will occur well below ground. Operational noise would not substantially differ for non-EJ and EJ communities. Therefore, a disproportionate effect borne by the EJ communities would not occur related to operational noise.
Summary and Proportionality of Impact after Mitigation Implementation of the project refinements would not result in new adverse impacts or increase the severity of previously identified impacts that would be disproportionately affect high and adverse for EJ communities. Impacts would occur throughout the Project in EJ and non-EJ communities equally. The mitigation measures identified in the Final EIS/EIR would continue to be uniformly applied to EJ and non- EJ communities. Refinements to these mitigation measures would not be required as a result of the project refinements.
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While not all constituents in the veteran community are classified as an EJ population per the Executive Order and promulgated FTA EJ guidance, veterans generally view themselves as a single cohesive community.
Individuals may have increased sensitivity to temporary and permanent changes within the VA WLA Campus area or increased susceptibility to construction-related impacts, such as noise and air quality impacts. In particular these individuals may include transient homeless veterans; veterans with physical disabilities, PTSD, or TBI; those with mental health concerns, including substance abuse; veteran families; and patient visitors and staff of the VA Medical Center. Metro has coordinated with representatives of the VA to construct the Westwood/VA Hospital Station and associated station features in the least disruptive fashion possible. To avoid, minimize, and mitigate potential effects to the Veteran community during construction, the following measures would be undertaken at the VA WLA Campus: erection of substantial noise barriers (consistent with CON-27 [Noise Barriers for Nighttime Construction]), shielding of lights (consistent with CON-4 [Construction Lighting]), the elimination of some of the on-campus haul routes, shifting substantial heavy construction activities away from the VA Main Hospital (Building 500), and implementation of a public awareness and notification plan (consistent with CON-83 [Work with Transportation, Police, Public Works, and Community Service Departments]). To avoid, minimize, and mitigate construction-related air quality impacts to the Veteran community, the following measures would be implemented: CON-9 (No Idling of Heavy Equipment), CON-10 (Maintenance of Construction Equipment), CON-11 (Prohibit Tampering of Equipment), CON-12 (Use of Best Available Emissions Control Technologies), and CON-13 (Placement of Construction Equipment). Furthermore, the placement of approximately 20-foot-high temporary noise barrier walls could be optimized to break the line-of-sight from exhaust sources to sensitive receptors near construction areas, thereby deflecting direct exposure to any potential odorous emissions from construction equipment. Air quality impacts would be further minimized during construction because construction specifications require: (1) specific pieces of equipment meet Tier 4 final emission standards and (2) all trucks used for hauling and deliveries be model year 2012 or newer. As part of Mitigation Measure CON-1 (Signage), Metro would provide an electronic management board system in portions of the VA WLA Campus to notify individuals of construction activities associated with the WPLE Project. These boards would be updated as necessary to reflect construction activities on the VA WLA Campus. Detours for sidewalks and vehicular lanes on the VA WLA Campus are not anticipated; however, if detours are required these would also be communicated via the electronic management board system. It is anticipated that these mitigation measures would avoid, minimize, and mitigate effects that could be potential triggers to Veterans with PTSD.
Metro will also continue to implement the recently adopted Transit Homeless Action Plan and Equity Platform Framework. These policies in concert with Metro’s Homeless Task Force will address homelessness issues within the transit network, including the Westwood/VA Station area. The Homeless Task Force will work with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to respond to homelessness and work with homeless individuals and families, including homeless veterans, and connect them to resources and services. With this policy and implementation focus, no adverse long- term project-related effects on the homeless are anticipated.
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With these factors in mind, the project refinements (combined with a robust awareness and notification plan), implementation of the mitigation measures identified in the Final EIS/EIR, and the substantial tangible benefit of increased transit access to the local and regional workforce, as well as health, cultural, and educational resources, would not result in new disproportionately adverse impacts or increase the severity of previously identified impacts as they relate to EJ communities. The impact conclusions in the Final EIS/EIR would remain unchanged.
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5.0 REFERENCES
Council of Environmental Quality. 1997. Environmental Justice: Guidance under the National Environmental Policy Act.
County of Los Angeles, Office of the Assessor. 2017. Annual Report 2017.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2010a. Westside Subway Extension Project Community and Neighborhood Impacts Report. August.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2010b. Westside Subway Extension Project Environmental Justice Technical Report. August.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2010c. Westside Subway Extension Project Land Use and Development Opportunities Report.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2011a. Westside Subway Extension Project Station Circulation Report.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2011b. Westside Subway Extension Project Addendum to the Community and Neighborhood Technical Report. August.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2011c. Westside Subway Extension Project Westwood/UCLA Station and the Westwood/VA Hospital Station Locations Report.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2012a. Westside Subway Extension Project Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report. March.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2012b. Westside Subway Extension Project Analysis of Environmental Justice Memorandum. March.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2017a. Metro Transit Homeless Action Plan. February.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2017b. Westside Purple Line Extension Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Evaluation. Appendix D: Traffic Study, Appendix E, Noise Report, and Appendix F: Air Quality Construction Impacts Memorandum. November.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2017c. Westside Purple Line Extension Project Section 3, Geotechnical Data Report—Westwood/VA Hospital Station.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2017d. Westside Purple Line Extension Project Section 3, Building, Utility and Adjacent Structure Protection – Tunnels.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2018a. Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Westwood/VA Hospital Station Passenger Drop-off Facility Traffic Impact Study.
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Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2018b. Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Construction and Operation Noise and Vibration Assessment for Section 3 Project Refinements.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2018c. Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, Air Quality Technical Memorandum.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2018d. Westside Purple Line Extension Project, Section 3, 130(c) Technical Memorandum.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2018e. Metro Equity Platform Framework. March.
Los Angeles Times. 2017. “Advocates denounce VA delays in developing housing for homeless veterans at West L.A. site.” Accessed at: www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-veterans-campus- 20170606-story.html. December.
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). 2016. 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS).
University of California. 2014. University of California 2015-25 Capital Financial Plan.
U.S. Census Bureau. 2000 U.S. Census.
U.S. Census Bureau. 2010 U.S. Census.
U.S. Census Bureau. 2015. 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 2016. Greater Los Angeles Campus Draft Master Plan.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 2017a. Ending Veterans Homelessness in Los Angeles Fact Sheet.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 2017b. Housing and Urban Development Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program. June.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 2017c. West Los Angeles Medical Campus – Veteran and Employee Data. May 2017.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 2018a. Integrated Project Team (IPT) Overview & Draft Master Plan Update. March 2018.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 2018b. Community Provider Toolkit: Serving Veterans through Partnership. Understanding Military Culture. Accessed at: www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders/military_culture.asp. Accessed April 2018.
VA Community Resource and Referral Center. Telephone conversation. April 4, 2018.
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