Iii. General Description of Environmental Setting
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III. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING Section 15125 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines requires that an EIR include a description of the existing environment. This section is intended to give a general overview of the environmental setting for this project. More detailed information on existing conditions is provided under each individual environmental topic studied in Section IV, Environmental Impact Analysis. This section also provides an overview of the related projects that are considered as part of the future conditions in evaluating cumulative impacts. A. OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 1. Project Site and Surrounding Area Location As stated in Section II, Project Description, the project site is located in the Wilshire Community Plan Area, approximately 2.5 miles north of the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10). In addition, the northern one-third portion of the project site is located within the Miracle Mile District, a mile-long commercial corridor fronting Wilshire Boulevard from Sycamore Avenue to Fairfax Avenue. The Wilshire and LaBrea Project consists of a residential component and a retail/restaurant component. Specifically, the proposed project is situated on a 147,057-square-foot site that is bound by Wilshire Boulevard to the north, Sycamore Avenue to the east, 8th Street on the south, and La Brea Avenue to the west. Existing Land Uses The Wilshire Community Plan Area has a pattern of low- to medium-density residential uses interspersed with areas of higher-density residential uses. Long, narrow corridors of commercial activity can be found along major boulevards, including Wilshire Boulevard. The Miracle Mile District consists of a mixture of commercial, retail, upscale restaurants, and museums that are very popular destinations for tourists. The district also consists of single-family and multi-family residential areas predominately found to the south and east of the project site. Other prominent land uses in the immediate vicinity of the project site include high-rise office buildings, La Brea Tar Pits, Hancock Park, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Cantor Sculpture Garden, Japanese Art Pavilion, and many surface parking lots. The photographs contained in Figures III-1, Surrounding Land Uses, through III-5, Surrounding Land Uses, depict surrounding land uses. The project site is currently occupied by a church, a commercial strip center, and paved parking areas. The paved parking areas are utilized by both the church and commercial strip center patrons. Land uses Los Angeles Department of City Planning III-1 Wilshire and La Brea Project Draft EIR Impact Sciences, Inc. (906-01) August 2008 III. General Description of Environmental Setting surrounding the Wilshire and La Brea site generally include: commercial-retail, office, and residential uses. Specifically, surrounding the site are the following: North: Existing land uses north of the project site include a Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Customer Center, the E. Clem Wilson Building, an office building with ground-floor retail, the Zephyr Club, an office building a fast food restaurant, and a car dealership. South: Existing land uses south of the project site currently include a tire store and other small retail stores and apartments. East: Existing land uses east of the project site currently include residential dwellings and a commercial strip center with various commercial-retail uses. West: Existing land uses west of the project site include commercial retail and office uses. Transportation Roadway Infrastructure The project site is served by the local road system. Regional access to and from the project site is provided by the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10), located approximately 2.5 miles south of the site. The primary north-south street serving the project site is La Brea Avenue. The primary east-west street serving the project area is Wilshire Boulevard. Immediate access to the Wilshire and La Brea Project site is provided via Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. The existing streets in the vicinity of the project site generally form a grid system, thus allowing easy access to and from the site in all directions. Public Transportation Services There are two main sources of public transportation near the project site: the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). As shown in Figure III-6, Public Transportation Routes, the MTA and LADOT operate several bus routes in the vicinity of the project site. The MTA offers routes 212 and 312 along La Brea Avenue between Hollywood and Hawthorne, but the routes are generally limited. Along Wilshire Boulevard, the MTA also offers bus routes 20/21 and 720 between Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. In addition, the MTA operates the Metro Purple Line in the vicinity of the project. The closest Purple Line station to the proposed project is located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, approximately 2 miles east of the project site. The Purple Line provides service from the Wilshire and Western Station down to Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, thereby linking the project area to the continually expanding rail network. There is also a transfer station located at Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue that allows people traveling on the Purple Line to transfer to the Metro Red Line. The Red Line provides rail transportation through Downtown Los Angeles, the Mid-Wilshire District, and North Hollywood. Los Angeles Department of City Planning III-2 Wilshire and La Brea Project Draft EIR Impact Sciences, Inc. (906-01) August 2008 Surrounding land use for southwest corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing south Surrounding land use for southwest corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing southwest SOURCE: EFI Global, Inc. – November 2006 FIGURE III-1 Surrounding Land Uses 906-001•06/07 Surrounding land use for southwest corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing west. Surrounding land use for southeast corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing east. SOURCE: EFI Global, Inc. – November 2006 FIGURE III-2 Surrounding Land Uses 906-001•06/07 Surrounding land use for northeast corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing east. Surrounding land use for northeast corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing south. SOURCE: EFI Global, Inc. – November 2006 FIGURE III-3 Surrounding Land Uses 906-001•06/07 Surrounding land use for northeast corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing northeast. Surrounding land use for northeast corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing north. SOURCE: EFI Global, Inc. – November 2006 FIGURE III-4 Surrounding Land Uses 906-001•06/07 Surrounding land use for northwest corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing north. Surrounding land use for northwest corner of the Wilshire/La Brea property viewing west. SOURCE: EFI Global, Inc. – November 2006 FIGURE III-5 Surrounding Land Uses 906-001•06/07 Project Site Metro Bus and Metro Train Routes Map Project Site LADOT Dash Routes Map SOURCE: LADOT City of Los Angels Department of Transportation; LACMTA Metro System Map - 2007. FIGURE III-6 Public Transportation Routes 906-001•06/07 III. General Description of Environmental Setting The LADOT also provides a bus service in the vicinity of the project site. The DASH Fairfax (E) route provides service to the project site with two local bus stops, one at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, and another on La Brea Avenue just south of 6th Street. Bus service at these locations is available about every 15 minutes. Public Services and Utility Systems The project site is within the City of Los Angeles; as such, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) provide fire and police protective services, respectively, to the project site and the surrounding area. Water and electricity are provided through the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Natural gas service is provided through Southern California Gas Company. Wastewater is conveyed and treated by the Los Angeles Department of Public Works (LADPW). The Los Angeles Public Library, the City of Los Angeles Community College District, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, and the Los Angeles Unified School District also serve the project vicinity. 2. Applicable Plans and Policies The following presents an overview of the regulatory framework applicable to the project site. A review of the consistency of the project with these local and regional plans is included in Section IV, Environmental Impact Analysis. The City of Los Angeles General Plan California state law (Government Code Section 65300) requires that each City prepares and adopts a comprehensive, long-term general plan for its future development. Adopted in 1996, the City of Los Angeles General Plan Framework Element presents the long-range, comprehensive growth strategy and provides a Citywide context within which local planning can take place. The City’s general plan Land Use Element is composed of community plans that establish land use policy and standards for each of the 35 community planning areas. The project site is located within the Wilshire Community Plan Area, which is surrounded by the Hollywood Community Plan Area to the north, the Silver Lake–Echo Park and Westlake Community Plan Areas to the east, the South Central Los Angeles and West-Adams- Leimert-Baldwin Hills Plan Areas to the south, and the West Los Angeles Community Plan Area to the west. In addition, the northern one-third portion of the project site is also located within the boundaries of the Miracle Mile Community Design Overlay District (CDO), which oversees and implements specific plans for enhancing the Miracle Mile District of the Wilshire Community Plan. Los Angeles Department of City Planning III-9 Wilshire and La Brea Project Draft EIR Impact Sciences, Inc. (906-01) August 2008 III. General Description of Environmental Setting Wilshire Community Plan As stated above, the proposed project lies within the Wilshire Community Plan Area.