NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL Comprehensive Modernization Project
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April 2018| Initial Study NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL Comprehensive Modernization Project Prepared for: Los Angeles Unified School District Office of Environmental Health and Safety 333 South Beaudry Avenue, 21st Floor Los Angeles, California 90017 213.241. 3432 Contact: William Meade, Environmental Planning Specialist Prepared by: UltraSystems Environmental Inc. 16431 Scientific Way Irvine, California 92618 949.788.4900 Contact: Betsy Lindsay, President/CEO April 2018 | Initial Study NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL Comprehensive Modernization Project Los Angeles Unified School District Office of Environmental Health and Safety VIVIAN EKCHIAN DIANE PAPPAS Interim Superintendent of School Chief Executive Officer, District Operations and Digital Innovations ROBERT LAUGHTON Director, Environmental Health and Safety CARLOS A. TORRES Deputy Director, Environmental Health and Safety MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (California Public Resources Code (PRC) Sections 2100 et seq.) and the State CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations (CCR) Sections 15000 et seq.), the Los Angeles School District has completed this Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the project described below based on the assessment presented in the attached Initial Study. LEAD AGENCY: Los Angeles Unified School District PROJECT TITLE: North Hollywood High School Comprehensive Modernization PROJECT LOCATION: The proposed Project site is at North Hollywood High School campus, located at 5231 Colfax Avenue in the Valley View neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles County, California. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD or District) is proposing a comprehensive modernization of North Hollywood High School. The major Project components include (1) demolition of 12 buildings totaling 115,113 square feet of floor space and 23 portables containing 29,144 square feet of classrooms and support spaces; (2) construction of new buildings and structures, including a 134,262 square feet classroom building with 53 classrooms, a 44,895 square feet auditorium building, and a 54,433 square feet gymnasium building; (3) upgrades to facilities throughout the campus, and (4) improvements to comply with federal, state and local facilities requirements. The planned square footage is subject to change as the design of the Project is refined. Currently, the North Hollywood High School campus has an estimated 280,364 square feet of building floor space. Following implementation of the proposed Project, the campus would have an estimated 369,697 square feet, constituting 89,333 square feet more building floor space than under existing conditions. At Project completion, 94 classrooms would be provided on campus. The Project would include removal of 61 classrooms and construction of 57 new classrooms on campus. Two existing classrooms would be retained and 35 existing classrooms would be remodeled. The proposed modernization Project would not change the current capacity of the school or affect student enrollment. No changes to traditional school operations, school-related events, or community use would occur as a result of the Project. Modernizations at the high school would also include site upgrades and internal pedestrian circulation improvements, including: • Upgrades to site-wide infrastructure, including sanitary sewer, water, and electrical utilities. • Various site-wide upgrades to remove identified and prioritized barriers to program accessibility per the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S. Code Chapter 126). • Landscape, hardscape, and exterior paint. The Project would result in 38 new parking spaces, increasing the total number of parking spaces on the campus from 192 to 230. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The proposed Project would occur on the North Hollywood High School campus, which encompasses a 25.10-acre site located at 5231 Colfax Avenue in the Valley View neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, California. The campus contains 57 buildings, consisting of 25 permanent buildings and 32 portables, that provide a combined 98 classrooms with capacity to accommodate 2,538 students. The main permanent buildings on campus include one administration and classroom building, two general and specialty classroom buildings, one auditorium, one library, one cafeteria, two gymnasiums, and three shop and mechanic buildings. Many of the current permanent buildings were built as early as 1927, and two expansions were undertaken in the mid-1950s and late-1990s. The campus buildings that were built between 1927 and 1934 typify the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture. Besides its educational facilities, the school is open on weekends, as a community recreational facility. In addition, the North Hollywood Polytechnic Community Adult School and Amelia Earhart Continuation School are located adjacent to the northeast corner of the campus. DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: The MND and supporting Initial Study for the North Hollywood High School Comprehensive Modernization Project are available for review at the following locations: LAUSD, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, 333 South Beaudry Avenue, 21st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017 North Hollywood High School, 5231 Colfax Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601 LAUSD Local District Northeast Office, 8401 Arleta Avenue, Sun Valley, CA 91352 North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library, 5211 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601 LAUSD OEHS website: http://achieve.lausd.net/ceqa SUMMARY OF IMPACTS: The attached Initial Study was prepared to identify the potential effects on the environment from the installation and operation of the modernized campus and to evaluate the significance of those effects. Based on the environmental analysis, the proposed Project would have less-than-significant environmental impacts related to Transportation and Traffic with the incorporation of a mitigation measure. The proposed Project would have no impacts or less-than-significant environmental impacts related to the remaining CEQA issue areas. Findings. It is hereby determined that, based on the information contained in the attached Initial Study, the proposed Project would not have a significant adverse effect on the environment. NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL COMPREHEN SIVE MODERNIZATION LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Table of Contents Section Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Background ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 California Environmental Quality Act .............................................................................................. 2 1.4 Environmental Process ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.5 Impact Terminology ............................................................................................................................. 6 1.6 Organization of the Initial Study ....................................................................................................... 6 2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ......................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Project Location .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Surrounding Land Uses ....................................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Campus History .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Existing conditions ............................................................................................................................... 9 2.5 General Plan and Existing Zoning ..................................................................................................... 9 2.6 Necessary Approvals .......................................................................................................................... 12 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION............................................................................................................. 13 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Existing Conditions ............................................................................................................................ 13 3.3 Description of Proposed Project ..................................................................................................... 17 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST AND ANALYSIS ....................................................................... 28 4.2 Agriculture and Forestry Resources ................................................................................................. 35 4.3 Air Quality ............................................................................................................................................ 38 4.4 Biological Resources ..........................................................................................................................