Iii. Environmental Setting

III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

A. LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES

The proposed Verdugo Hills Golf Course project site is located at 6435 La Tuna Canyon Road. It is located within the Verdugo Mountains portion of the Sunland-Tujunga-Lake View Terrace-Shadow Hills- East La Tuna Canyon Community Planning Area, in the northeastern San Fernando Valley, in the City of Los Angeles (the “City”). The project site is within the Verdugo Mountains in the Sunland-Tujunga community. The Verdugo Mountains are geographically defined by the San Fernando Valley to the west, the Los Angeles Basin to the south, the San Gabriel Valley to the east, and the communities of Sunland and Tujunga to the north (see Figure III-1, Aerial Photograph).

The 58.34-acre project site is an irregularly-shaped property that is roughly bounded by La Tuna Canyon Road on the south, Tujunga Canyon Boulevard on the east, vacant hillsides to west and a single-family residential community to the north. The Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210) is located to the south the of project site, beyond La Tuna Canyon Road.

B. OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

This section provides a brief overview of the project site’s regional and local setting. Additional descriptions of the environmental setting as it relates to each of the environmental issues analyzed in this Draft EIR are included in the environmental setting discussions contained within Sections IV.B through IV.Q. Also, a list of related projects used as the basis for the discussion of cumulative impacts in Section IV (Environmental Impact Analysis) is provided below.

Regional Setting

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course project site is located in the northeastern San Fernando Valley in the City, approximately 15 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. As previously indicated, the project site is entirely contained within the Verdugo Mountains. Although surrounded by the urbanization of the greater Los Angeles region, the Verdugo Mountains remain a largely undeveloped island of steep terrain. Much of the higher elevations of the Verdugo Mountains have been preserved as permanent open space through public acquisitions. However, the lower gentler slopes have been subject to development, such as in the communities of Glendale and Sunland-Tujunga. Within the Verdugo Mountains, the project site is located in a partially developed area in the upper reaches of La Tuna Canyon, a major watershed that drains westerly to the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley.

Local Setting

As can be seen in Figure III-1, Aerial Photograph, the project site sits at the eastern edge of the developed portion of the Tujunga community. Residential development occurs to the north and east of the project site. Also, there are existing single-family homes and neighborhoods located adjacent to the north and northwestern portion of the project site. Some of the homes to the north and northwest overlook the

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PROJECT SITE

0150 300 450 600

Source: CaSIL, 2008. Scale (Feet)

Figure III-1 Aerial Photograph of Existing Project Site City of Los Angeles May 2009

project site. To the west of the project site, on the north side of Interstate 210, the adjacent hillsides are vacant. However, a single-family residential development, originally proposed to be 280 homes on 887 acres, has recently been approved for development less than a mile farther to the west.

Undeveloped hillsides comprise much of the land to the south of the project site, some of which have been permanently preserved as open space. In particular, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy owns the 1,100-acre La Tuna Canyon Park located to the southwest of the project site. Wildwood Canyon Park, DeBell Golf Course and residential neighborhoods, and the City of Burbank are also located south of the project site. The City of Glendale is located approximately 1.5 miles southeast of the project site. Undeveloped hillsides line La Tuna Canyon Road for about 2 miles west of the project site. Farther west, residential development is scattered along La Tuna Canyon Road. In the vicinity of Sunland Boulevard, there are commercial and industrial land uses. The commercial development primarily consists of small retail business along Sunland Boulevard.

The Hansen Dam Recreation Area is located at the western end of the Tujunga Wash, northwest of the project site. The Hansen Dam Recreation Area offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including biking, educational programs, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and water sports. Haines Canyon Park located to the west and Fehlhaberhouk Park to the north provide additional recreational opportunities to nearby residents.

To the east of the project site, La Tuna Canyon Road becomes Honolulu Avenue. An entrance to Interstate 210 is located on the south side of Honolulu Avenue, approximately one half mile east of the project site. Land uses along Honolulu Avenue include a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, and a church or two.

Project Site

The project site is an approximately 58.32-net acre (60.67 gross acres), irregularly shaped parcel of land consisting primarily of seven parcels of land located at the intersection of Tujunga Canyon Boulevard and La Tuna Canyon Road. The property is commonly known as the Verdugo Golf Course. Two parcels associated with this property are not included in this application (APN 2572-023-023 and 2572-021-017). These two parcels are located across the street between the Foothill Freeway and La Tuna Canyon Road. The project site has frontage along La Tuna Canyon Road and along Tujunga Canyon Boulevard. The Verdugo Wash, a concrete flood control channel, runs north-south parallel to the site’s eastern property line.

Approximately 25 acres of the project site are currently developed as a golf course facility that includes an 18-hole, par-three golf course, driving range, pro shop, business offices, snack bar, two parking lots and a greens maintenance facility. The remaining area of the project site (approximately 33.3 acres) is undeveloped land that supports oak woodlands, chaparral and a variety of wildlife.

The irregularly shaped 58.32-acre project site is situated on the south flank of a northwest trending ridge within the northeast portion of the Verdugo Mountains. The southeast portion of the project site is

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characterized by a series of near-level pads. This relatively flat area is currently occupied by the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. The steep onsite hillsides that surround the golf course on the north and west are undeveloped and have slopes approaching 50 percent (1:2 – vertical to horizontal).

The project site has local changes in elevation of approximately 295 feet, rising from a low of approximately 1,615 feet above sea level (ASL) near the southeast corner of the project site, to a height of approximately 1,910 feet ASL near the northwest corner of the project site. Natural slope gradients roughly range from 1:3 to as steep as 0.75:1 (vertical to horizontal). Approximately 35.9 acres (or 61.6% of the project site) have slopes of 15% or steeper; of these approximately 14.4 acres (or 24.59% of the project site) have slopes steeper than 50%.

The hillsides surrounding the golf course facility are covered with both native (chaparral and coast live oak trees) and introduced vegetation. The golf course is largely landscaped with ornamental shrubs, groundcover and variety of trees, including native coast live oaks and western sycamores. There are 441 trees on the project site: 303 coast live oaks, 18 western sycamores and 120 mature ornamental trees.

The hillsides on the project site are cut on the south by Las Barras Canyon trending to the east; Blanchard Canyon that runs north to south is located on the eastern perimeter of the parcel. The streams that flow down the canyons intersect just beyond the southeast corner of the project boundaries. The western and central portions of the project site generally drain southerly toward La Tuna Canyon Road. A small stream runs through the golf course from the northwest corner to the southeast then emptying into Las Barras Canyon on the far side of La Tuna Canyon Road. The northeasterly portion of the project site drains easterly toward the Verdugo Wash.

Project Site History

Since 1959, the Verdugo Hills Golf Course has served the residents of Los Angeles, Glendale, unincorporated La Crescenta and other surrounding communities. It is a three-par course, catering to families as well as beginning and casual golfers. It is reputedly one of the most inexpensive golf courses in the region.

Historically, the site is believed by some to be the location of the Tongva/Gabrielino village of Wiqanga. However, no evidence of a village was revealed by an archaeological investigation of the project site which was conducted in August 2005. During the 1930’s the site was used as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. In the 1940’s the site was used as an internment deport for Japanese-American residents of Southern California. For a detailed history of the project site, see Section IV.E, Cultural Resources.

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Utility Infrastructure

Sewerage System

The City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of Sanitation (LABS) provides sewer conveyance infrastructure and wastewater treatment services to the project area. The existing sewer lines nearest the project site include the existing 10-inch pipe in Tujunga Canyon Boulevard and 12-inch pipe in Honolulu Avenue. The sewage from the existing 10-inch line flows to the 12-inch line, then to a 15- inch line in Honolulu Avenue before discharging to City of Glendale pipes.

The project site is located in the East Valley Tributary Area, and is a tributary to the L.A.-Glendale Water Reclamation Plant (LAGWRP). The LAGWRP is part of the Hyperion Treatment System. Wastewater flowing from the East Valley Tributary flows through the LAGWRP and then to the HTP.

Water supply

The City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) provides fire flows and domestic water to the project site and the surrounding City of Los Angeles areas. The LADWP maintains an 8-inch water main in Tujunga Canyon Boulevard, which is capable of supplying approximately 2,500 gallons per minute. There are no other water mains in the area that would be expected to serve the project site and no reclaimed water is available in the area. There are no known existing water service problems or deficiencies in the area.

Solid Waste Disposal

Within the City of Los Angeles, solid waste management, including collection and disposal services and landfill operation, is administered by various public agencies and private companies. Single-family residential, including the project site, would be collected by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation (LABS). Waste disposal sites, or landfills, are operated by both the City and the County of Los Angeles (County), as well as by private companies. The City of Los Angeles is serviced by the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, Bradley Landfill, and Chiquita Canyon Landfill. However, over 90 percent of the solid waste generated in the City of Los Angeles is disposed at the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sun Valley. All three landfills accept residential, commercial, and construction waste.

Public Services

Fire Protection

Fire prevention, fire suppression, and life safety services are provided to the project site and the surrounding area by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The LAFD has 3,594 uniformed personnel and 346 non-uniformed support staff. Their services include fire prevention, firefighting, emergency medical care, technical rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, disaster response, public education and community service. A professionally trained staff of 1,101 firefighters (including 226

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paramedic-trained personnel) is on duty at all times at 106 neighborhood fire stations located across the LAFD’ 471-square-mile jurisdiction. Fire protection and paramedic services to the project site would be provided by the LAFD from three fire stations:

• Fire Station No. 74, located at 7777 Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga; • Fire Station No. 77, located at 9224 Sunland Boulevard, Sun Valley; and • Fire Station No. 24, located at 9411 Wentworth Street, Sunland.

Police Protection

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the local law enforcement agency responsible for providing police services to the project site and immediate project vicinity. The Foothill Community Police Station, located at 12760 Osborne Street in Pacoima serves the project site and surrounding communities of Tujunga, Lakeview Terrace, Sun Valley (North of Golden State Freeway), Sunland, Arleta and Shadow Hills. The Foothill Community Police Station has approximately 224 sworn officers and 25 civilian support staff. The number of officers assigned to a geographic division is based on workload, not population of the area. Unlike fire protection services, police units are often in a mobile state; hence actual distance between a headquarters facility and the project site is often of little relevance. Instead, the number of officers on the street is more directly related to the realized response time. The average response time for emergency calls in the Foothill area is 7.5 minutes, compared to the citywide average of 6.9 minutes.

Public Schools

Public schools in the City of Los Angeles are under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The project area is generally located within Local District 2, which encompasses the northeastern section of Los Angeles. The LAUSD schools that currently serve the project site include:

• Mountain View Elementary School (K-5) located at 6410 Olcott Street, Tujunga; • Mount Gleason Middle School (6-8) located at 10965 Mt. Gleason Avenue, Sunland; and • Verdugo Hills High School (9-12) located at 10625 Plainview Avenue, Tujunga.

All three schools are currently operating under capacity. As such, there are no new schools planned for this area.

Public Parks

The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (LADRP) manages all municipally owned and operated recreation and park facilities within the City. The LADRP operates and maintains 15,710 acres of parkland with 390 parks, nine lakes, 176 recreation centers, 372 children's play areas, 13 golf courses, 287 tennis courts, 9 dog parks, 59 swimming pools, and 7 skate parks, including those in the

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project vicinity.1 However, nearly 13,000 acres of parkland are located in Regional Parks, which are not distributed evenly across all areas of the City.

The project site is located within an area of the city that falls below the standard for neighborhood and community park acreage. The Sunland-Tujunga-Shadow Hills-Lakeview Terrace-East La Tuna Canyon Community Plan (Community Plan) area has a ratio of 0.86 acres of parkland per 1,000 people. While the area ratio of parkland is higher than the city average (i.e., 0.76 acres per 1,000 people), the Community Plan area still falls well below the city standard of 4 acres/1,000 people.

Libraries

The City of Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) provides library services to the project site and surrounding area. There is currently one library that would serve the proposed project: Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, located at 7771 Foothill Boulevard. The County’s La Crescenta Library located at 4521 La Crescenta Avenue in La Crescenta is also available to serve the project site.

C. REGULATORY SETTING

Sunland-Tujunga-Shadow Hills-Lakeview Terrace-East La Tuna Canyon Community Plan

The property is designated as Low Medium I Multiple Family Residential (corresponding densities are R2, RD3, RD4, RZ3, RZ4, RU and RW1) and Minimum Residential. The portion of the site currently developed with the Verdugo Hills Golf Course is designated as Low Medium I Multiple Family Residential and the portion of the site currently undeveloped is designated as Minimum Residential. Per footnote #20 in the Community Plan, density on the site is further limited to that permitted within the RD5 zone. Specifically it states, “Development should be limited to no greater than that permitted by the RD5 zone and shall be detached housing. Slope density regulations shall apply to areas of this site having a 15% or greater slope.” An additional footnote, footnote #4 states “Densities shall not exceed that which would be permitted using the slope density formula in LAMC Section 17.05C for lots: (a) in areas of steep topography planned for Very Low I, Very Low II and Minimum density; and, (b) which would otherwise require extensive grading, involve soil instability erosion problems of access problems, as determined by the Deputy Advisory Agency.

San Gabriel/Verdugo Mountains Scenic Preservation Specific Plan

The project site is also located within the area covered by the San Gabriel/Verdugo Mountains Scenic Preservation Specific Plan (“Specific Plan”), effective February 8, 2004 (Ordinance No. 175,736). The Specific Plan covers substantial portions of the Community Plan area, including the entire project site. The Specific Plan is intended to preserve, protect, and enhance the unique natural and cultural resources

1 Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks: http://www.laparks.org/dept.htm, January 25, 2008.

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in the plan area. To accomplish these goals, the plan establishes four general areas of regulation: (1) prominent ridgeline protection; (2) biological resource protection; (3) scenic highway corridors viewshed protection; and (4) equinekeeping district standards, equestrian trails, and domestic livestock. With respect to scenic highway corridors viewshed protection, the Specific Plan provides site design, landscaping and signage standards for any project located within 500 feet of the centerline of any scenic highway to assure that the design of any such project preserve, complement and/or enhance the views from these corridors. The standards include a height limit of 30 feet for any new structure within the scenic corridor, prohibit specific non-native landscape materials, and establish scale and lighting restrictions for new signage.

City of Los Angeles Planning and Zoning Code

The project site is currently zoned RA-1(Residential Agricultural) and A1-1 (Agricultural, Height District No. 1). As set forth in LAMC Section 12.05, single-family dwellings, parks and playgrounds, golf courses, agricultural uses, and the keeping of horses are permitted uses in the A1 zone. Lots in the A1 zone normally require a minimum average lot width of 300 feet and a minimum area of five acres, except that the lot area for dwelling units shall have a lot area of no less than two and one-half acres. The associated Height District No. 1 limits the height of a building to 45 feet and the floor area of a main building to a maximum of three times the buildable lot (i.e., FAR 3:1).

As defined in the LAMC Section 12.07, limited agricultural uses, single-family dwellings, and home occupations are permitted uses in the RA zone. The minimum allowable lot area for the RA zone is normally 17,500 square feet and the minimum lot width is normally 70 feet. The associated Height District No. 1 limits the height of a building to 36 feet and the floor area of a main building to a maximum of three times the buildable lot (i.e., FAR 3:1). However, within a Hillside Zone the maximum height is 45 feet.

D. RELATED PROJECTS

Sections 15126 and 15130 of the CEQA Guidelines provide that EIRs consider the significant environmental effects of a proposed project, as well as “cumulative impacts.” Cumulative impacts are two or more individual effects which, when considered together, are considerable or which compound or increase other environmental impacts (CEQA Guidelines Section 15355).

In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15130, cumulative impacts are anticipated impacts of the proposed project along with reasonably foreseeable growth. Reasonably foreseeable growth may be based on:

• A list of past, present, and probably future projects producing related or cumulative impacts, including, if necessary, those projects outside the control of the agency; or

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• A summary of projections contained in the adopted general plan or related planning document, or in a prior environmental document which has been adopted or certified, which described or evaluated regional or area wide conditions contributing to the cumulative impact.

All proposed, recently approved, under construction, and reasonably foreseeable projects that could produce a related or cumulative impact on the local environment when considered in conjunction with the proposed project are evaluated in this Draft EIR. An analysis of the cumulative impacts associated with these related projects and the proposed project is provided in the cumulative impact discussion under each individual impact category in Section IV (Environmental Impact Analysis) of this Draft EIR.

In coordination with the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation, City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning, and the County of Los Angeles Departments of Public Works and Regional Planning, a list of 28 related projects was developed. The list of related projects consists of approved or proposed projects within the project area. As shown in Table II-1, the 28 projects include various land uses such as single-family residential, commercial, retail, restaurant and a golf course. The locations of the related projects are shown in Figure II-2.

Cumulative impacts analyzed in this Draft EIR were conservatively assessed. Some of the related projects may not be approved, and some approved projects may not be developed. In addition, many of the related projects have been or will be subject to a variety of mitigation measures that will reduce the potential environmental impacts associated with those projects. However, with limited exceptions, those mitigation measures have not been taken into account in projecting the environmental impact of the related projects. Therefore, the cumulative analyses set forth below are conservative and result in greater impacts than actually anticipated.

Table III-1 List of Related Projects

Project Name/ No. Project Number Location (1) Land Use Size Status City of Los Angeles (2) Foothill Commerce Shopping Center 26,500 SF 1 7200 Foothill Boulevard Proposed Town Center (4) High-Turnover Restaurant 10,250 SF SfV-2003-146

2 7611 Foothill Boulevard Mini-Market Expansion 5,245 SF Proposed

Single-Family Residential 221 DU 3 SFV-2003-9 (5) 8000 La Tuna Canyon Rd. Proposed Equestrian Park 3 AC Home Improvement 4 (6) 8040 Foothill Boulevard 123,505 SF Proposed Superstore 2005-8574-ZC- 9166 Tujunga Canyon 5 Condominium 25 DU Proposed ZAA-ZAD Boulevard

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Table III-1 (Continued) List of Related Projects

Project Name/ No. Project Number Location (1) Land Use Size Status 10010 W. Tujunga 6 TT-61237 Condominium 7 DU Proposed Canyon Boulevard 10206 N. Hillhaven 7 TT-61619 Condominium 8 DU Proposed Avenue Constructed / 8 TT-61589 6941 W. Greeley Street Condominium 12 DU Partially Occ. ZA-2004-6835- Constructed / 9 6827 W. Valmont Street Condominium 6 DU ZAA Unoccupied

10 TT-61741 7018 W. Valmont Street Condominium 8 DU Proposed

DIR-2004-3965- 11 10154 N. Hillhaven Ave. Apartment 10 DU Proposed SPP

12 TT-62171 10206 N. Mountair Ave. Condominium 11 DU Proposed

Constructed / 13 TT-62525 10120 N. Fernglen Ave. Condominium 6 DU Unoccupied Constructed / 14 TT-63175 10214 N. Fernglen Ave. Condominium 6 DU Unoccupied

15 TT-65652 10140 N. Hillhaven Ave. Condominium 22 DU Proposed

DIR-2005-9363- 16 7655 W. Day Street Condominium 26 DU Proposed SPP

17 TT-67347 10046 N. Samoa Avenue Condominium 24 DU Proposed

18 TT-67987 10216 N. Mountair Ave. Condominium 10 DU Proposed

DIR-2007-1021- 19 6916 W. Valmont Street Condominium 14 DU Proposed SPPA DIR-2007-2556- 20 10209 N. Hillhaven Ave. Condominium 10 DU Proposed SPPA ENV-2007-3198- 21 10148 N. Fernglen Ave. Condominium 10 DU Proposed MND ENV-2007-4170- 22 10337 N. Commerce Ave. Single-Family Residential 5 DU Proposed MND

23 TT-69454 7650 W. Day Street Condominium 11 DU Proposed

Joy Fellowship 9717-9729 N. Tujunga 24 Church 8,300 SF Proposed Church Canyon Boulevard

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Table III-1 (Continued) List of Related Projects

Project Name/ No. Project Number Location (1) Land Use Size Status DIR-2007-1073- 25 9947 Marcus Avenue Condominium 9 DU Proposed DB-SPP Duke 26 Development / Single-Family Residential 10 DU Approved Hill View Estates County of Los Angeles (3)

Office 2,888 SF 27 R2006-01849 2767 Foothill Boulevard Proposed Apartment 5 DU

28 TR060726 2663 Montrose Avenue Condominium 5 DU Proposed Notes: DU = dwelling unit, SF = square feet, AC = acre (1) Refer to Figure III-6 Related Projects Location Map for location (2) Los Angeles Department of Transportation Valley Development Review and Los Angeles Department of City Planning (3) County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning (4) “Traffic Impact Analysis, Foothill Commerce Town Center Project”, prepared by LLG Engineers, April 2004. (5) “Traffic Impact Study, Canyon Hills Project”, prepared by LLG Engineers, March 2003 and Notice of Determination, November 2005.. (6) “Traffic Impact Analysis for a Proposed Home Depot”, prepared by Overland Traffic Consultants, Inc., March 2005.

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4 22 16 2 14 18 20 7 23 13 12 11 21 9 15 17 10 19 8 6 1 25

24

3 26 5

PROJECT SITE

27

28

Source: Google Earth Pro; Linscott Law & Greenspan Engineers 2007.

010.25 0.50 0.75 Figure III-2 Scale (Miles) Related Projects Locations Map