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III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING A. OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING Regional Setting The project site is located in Los Angeles County, within the Hollywood community of the City of Los Angeles (see Figure II-1, Regional and Project Vicinity Map). The project site is located on the southwest corner of Gower Street and Hollywood Boulevard. The project site is located approximately six miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and approximately two miles northeast of West Hollywood. Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Street serve as the primary arterial roadways providing access to the area containing the project site. Additional north-south access is provided by Argyle Avenue, Bronson Avenue, and Vine Street. Additional east-west access is provided by Sunset Boulevard and Franklin Avenue. In addition, the Hollywood Freeway (US 101) is approximately 700 feet north of the project site. The area is served by the Hollywood/Vine Station of the Metro Rail Red Line, which is located approximately 1/3 mile west of the project site on Hollywood Boulevard. The Metro Rail Red Line extends from the Union Station/Gateway Transit Center, through Downtown Los Angeles to North Hollywood and along Wilshire Boulevard to Western Avenue. The Red Line provides access to other regional transit lines, including the Metro Rail Blue and Gold Lines, Metrolink commuter rail and regional and local bus lines. Local Setting The project site is an underutilized, approximately 1-acre lot that is bounded by Hollywood Boulevard on the north, Gower Street on the east, The Music Box at Fonda (Henry Fonda Theater) on the west and a two-story commercial building on the south. On-Site Land Uses The project site is currently developed with an asphalt paved parking lot and is in use by a parking operator. The parking lot is surrounded by a chain link security fence (see Figure III-1 through Figure III- 4). (Note that the aerial photo shows structures onsite that have since been demolished.) Vehicular access to the site is provided by two driveways on Hollywood Boulevard and two driveways on Gower Street. The western portion of the project site (6100-6104 Hollywood Boulevard) has been developed with a number of different uses in the past. In 1913 this portion of the site was undeveloped land until 1924 when it was developed by a radio station. By 1933 the site was occupied by a car dealership. Between 1951 and 1967 this portion of the project site was occupied by a gun store until 1976 when it was incorporated with the eastern portion of the project site (1645-1647 North Gower Street) as part of a Hollywood Gower III. Environmental Setting Draft Environmental Impact Report Page III-1 View 1: View of project site looking west. View 2: View of project site looking south. 1 PROJECT SITE 3 2 # Photo Location PHOTO LOCATION MAP View 3: View north east across intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Street. Source: Christopher A. Joseph & Associates, 2008. Figure III-1 Views of the Project Site and Surrounding Uses Views 1, 2, and 3 View 4: View looking east along Hollywood Boulevard. View 5: View looking south along Gower Street. 4 PROJECT SITE 6 5 # Photo Location PHOTO LOCATION MAP View 6: View looking north along Gower Street. Source: Christopher A. Joseph & Associates, 2008. Figure III-2 Views of the Project Site and Surrounding Uses Views 4, 5, and 6 View 7: View looking north across Hollywood Boulevard. View 8: View looking north across Hollywood Boulevard. 7 PROJECT SITE 9 8 # Photo Location PHOTO LOCATION MAP View 9: Adjacent office building south of project site. Source: Christopher A. Joseph & Associates, 2008. Figure III-3 Views of the Project Site and Surrounding Uses Views 7, 8, and 9 View 10: View looking west along Hollywood View 11: View looking south along Gower Street. Boulevard. 10 PROJECT SITE 1112 # Photo Location PHOTO LOCATION MAP View 12: View looking east across Gower Street. Source: Christopher A. Joseph & Associates, 2008. Figure III-4 Views of the Project Site and Surrounding Uses Views 10, 11, and 12 City of Los Angeles October 2009 gasoline station. Between 2001 and 2007 this portion of the project site was occupied by a parking lot used to store film equipment. The eastern section of the project site (1645-1647 North Gower Street), was developed as a single family home from 1913 to 1935. From 1935 to 2007 this portion of the project site was occupied by an auto service garage. Currently the entire project site has no structures and is an asphalt paved surface parking lot; as such no historical resources are developed onsite. Surrounding Land Uses The area surrounding the project site is developed with commercial land uses and surface parking lots (see Figure III-1 through Figure III-4). The property across Hollywood Boulevard to the north of the project site is a Pep Boys with service station. The property to the northeast of the project site is developed with a retail strip mall. Located to the east of the project site, across Gower Street, is a two- story and one-story commercial building. The adjoining property to the south is developed with a two- story commercial building which is currently for lease. Located to the southwest is a Bally’s Total Fitness (gym). The adjoining property to the west is developed with the Music Box at Fonda (Henry Fonda Theater). Commercial uses near the project site include local and regional serving retail and restaurant establishments, primarily concentrated along Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Cahuenga Boulevard, and Vine Street. The section of Hollywood Boulevard that borders the project site to the north contains the easternmost section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Several theaters and entertainment-oriented destinations are also located within the project vicinity. Within one-half mile of the project site are located the Pantages Theater, The Palace, and the James A. Doolittle Theater. The Hollywood Palladium is also within a one-quarter mile radius of the project site. ArcLight Cinerama Dome is located southwest of the project site, on the south side of Sunset Boulevard between Ivar Avenue and Vine Street. West of the project site, tourist attractions are concentrated along Hollywood Boulevard, including Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the Hollywood and Highland retail and entertainment center. Auto-related uses are located along Hollywood Boulevard immediately east of Argyle Avenue. The Hollywood/Vine Metro Rail Red Line Station is located within 1/3 of a mile to the west of the project site, on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard. The station portal and plaza are surrounded by surface parking lots. The station plaza, surrounding parking lots and a small number of buildings along Vine Street are currently under construction with a mixed commercial, hotel, and residential development containing high-rise buildings up to 14 stories, along with transit facilities and enhanced connections to the Metro Rail station. Light industrial uses in the project area are located along portions of Sunset Boulevard. These light industrial uses are primarily movie, radio, and television studios, and auxiliary facilities for the entertainment industry, including Columbia Square, a large former broadcast center located southeast of the project site. In addition, auto-related uses are located along Hollywood Boulevard immediately east of Argyle Avenue. Hollywood Gower III. Environmental Setting Draft Environmental Impact Report Page III-6 City of Los Angeles October 2009 B. RELATED PROJECTS Sections 15126 and 15130 of the State CEQA Guidelines provide that EIRs consider the significant environmental effects of a proposed project as well as “cumulative impacts.” “Cumulative impacts” refer to two or more individual effects which, when considered together, are considerable or which compound or increase other environmental impacts (CEQA Guidelines Section 15355). Cumulative impacts may be analyzed by considering a list of past, present, and probable future projects producing related or cumulative impacts (CEQA Guidelines Section 15130 (b)(1)(A)). All proposed (those with pending applications), recently approved, under construction, or reasonably foreseeable projects that could produce a related or cumulative impact on the local environment when considered in conjunction with the proposed project are included in the EIR. For an analysis of the cumulative impacts associated with these related projects and the proposed project, cumulative impact discussions are provided under each individual environmental impact category in Chapter IV of this EIR. The list of related projects consists of 139 projects (see Table III-1). Sources for the list include the City of Los Angeles Planning Department, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and the City of West Hollywood. This list includes all approved, proposed, or potential projects within an approximately 1.5 mile radius of the project site that are expected to be completed by project opening. The locations of the related projects are shown in Figure III-5. Table III-1 Related Projects No. Location Land Use Size 1 1934 Cahuenga Boulevard Gas station and mini market 8 pumps 2 6142 Franklin Avenue Apartment 130 du SWC Franklin Avenue and Gower Apartment 126 du 3 Street Apartment (removed) -20 du Apartment 87 du 4 1800 Argyle Avenue Office 23,000 sf 5 6735 Yucca Street Condominium 54 du Apartment 270 du 6 6758 Yucca Street Retail 8,500 sf 7 1714-1736 McCadden Place Condominium 218 du Retail 29,900 sf 8 6904 Hollywood Boulevard Office 16,700 sf 9 6757 Hollywood Boulevard Restaurant 13,132 sf 10 6611 Hollywood Boulevard Retail 60,200 sf Quality Restaurant 8,100 sf 11 6608 Hollywood Boulevard Hotel 225 room Jazz Club 5,390 sf 12 6531 Hollywood Boulevard Quality Restaurant 931 sf 13 6523 Hollywood Boulevard Restaurant 15,161 sf Night Club 12,255 sf 14 6506 Hollywood Boulevard Restaurant 745 sf 15 6385 Hollywood Boulevard Restaurant 11,517 sf Hollywood Gower III.