III. GEnEral DEScrIPtIon of EnvIronmEntal SEttInG III. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING A. OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING The proposed project site consists of a rectangular, relatively flat, 2.4‐acre parcel of land that is currently vacant and enclosed with construction fencing. The project site is located at 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the West Los Angeles Community Plan area of the City of Los Angeles, and within the boundaries of the Century City North Specific Plan (CCNSP). Century City has been designated, planned and serves as a high density regional center, which is well known for its commercial and entertainment activities and its residential and office high‐rise towers. The areas to the south and west of the project site are generally characterized by mid‐ to high‐rise office buildings, hotels, entertainment, and residential uses. The Los Angeles Country Club Golf Course is located immediately north of the project site across Santa Monica Boulevard. The City of Beverly Hills is located to the immediate south and east of the project site, which includes commercial and residential uses east of the project site across Moreno Drive. Beverly Hills High School is located immediately south of the project site. The Beverly Hilton Hotel and the recently approved, Robinsons‐May (9900 Wilshire) mixed‐use project are both located northeast of the project site across Santa Monica Boulevard. The project site is located at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard, a major transit‐oriented arterial to the north and Moreno Drive to the east.26 Regional access to the site is provided by Interstate 405 (San Diego Freeway) located approximately 2.2 miles to the west, and Interstate 10 (Santa Monica Freeway) located approximately 2.2 miles to the south. Other major arterials in the vicinity of the project site include Wilshire Boulevard further to the north, Beverly Glen Boulevard to the west, and Olympic and Pico Boulevards to the south. The project site is also located in the vicinity of alternative, proposed stations for the extension of the Westside Subway, Metro Purple Line, that would link downtown Los Angeles with Westwood, via Century City. The following is a summary of the general environmental setting for each of the environmental topics analyzed in section IV of this Draft EIR. Refer to the topical discussions in Section IV for further discussion. 1. Aesthetics/Visual Resources (a) Visual Character The 2.4 acre project site is currently vacant and has been graded and enclosed with construction fencing. Santa Monica Boulevard running along the northern edge of the project site provides a strong visual boundary between the project site and the uses across Santa Monica Boulevard, which include the Los Angeles Country Club Golf Course across from the project site, and to the northeast in Beverly Hills the 26 The project site is actually located on a northwest‐southeast axis, with Santa Monica Boulevard to the northwest. Directions have been simplified for ease of reference, per typical understanding of the surrounding grid in which Santa Monica Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard are thought of as east‐west arterials. City of Los Angeles 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard PCR Services Corporation/SCH No. 2011041042 III‐1 III. General Description of Environmental Setting September 2011 former Robinsons‐May Department Store and surface parking lot, Beverly Hilton Hotel site which is proposed to be developed with the Beverly Hilton Revitalization project. The project site is set amongst the office buildings, hotels, entertainment, and residential uses in Century City. The aesthetic character of Century City is dominated by high density development, and taller buildings, including e.g. the 15‐ and 19‐story Northrop Plaza buildings adjacent to the project site on the west and a seven‐story above‐grade parking structure and a 15‐story adjacent to the project site on the southwest. Other notable buildings in Century City include the twin 44‐story Century Plaza towers, the 36‐story MGM Tower, the 39‐story AIG SunAmerica Building, the two 23‐story Watt Plaza towers, and the 39‐story Fox Plaza building, the recently constructed 40‐story Century residential tower. Century City’s distinctive aesthetic features include landscaped setbacks, plazas, fountains, streetscape, and pedestrian bridges across Avenue of the Stars, a designated scenic highway. In addition, Santa Monica Boulevard between Sepulveda Boulevard and the City of Beverly Hills is listed as a Scenic Highway in the Table provided in Appendix E “Inventory of Designated Scenic Highways” of the General Plan, Transportation Element. However, no scenic features or resources for Santa Monica Boulevard are included in the Transportation Element. The physical setting of Century City consists of rolling terrain, which is generally higher in elevation than adjacent areas to the north and south. Since the cluster of high‐rise buildings in Century City is higher than the built environment of the surrounding area, and because the ground elevation of Century City is generally higher than the surrounding terrain, the predominant high‐rise structures of Century City, which are visible from a great distance throughout the Los Angeles Basin, create a distinctive component of the West Los Angeles urban skyline. Thus, Century City’s high‐rise skyline is considered an aesthetic resource. Vantage points with views of Century City’s high‐rise profile include tall buildings or geographically higher areas. Areas free of immediate view obstructions such as public parks, golf courses, and other open space areas that have adequate setbacks also have views of Century City’s skyline. The City of Beverly Hills boundary runs along Moreno Drive, which forms the east boundary of the project site and, then, jogs behind the project site along a section of the project site’s south boundary. The aesthetic character of the areas east and south of the project is of a built urbanized area, although of lower density than Century City. Beverly Hills High School located directly to the south of the project site has an appearance consistent with high school campuses. The nearest Beverly Hills High School building to the project site is the recently completed four‐story, Science and Technology Building, a modern building that provides a boundary between the project site, and the older Beverly High School buildings. The area across Moreno Drive includes low density strip commercial uses facing Santa Monica Boulevard and a multi‐family residential neighborhood. (b) Light and Glare Existing nighttime lighting within the project vicinity consists of streetlights and illuminated building signs, light spillage from high‐rise buildings, security lighting, architectural lighting on building façades and in landscaped areas, and vehicle headlamps. Illuminated signage, including building identification signs and billboards or other types of advertising signage, and streetlights occur within commercial areas along the length of Santa Monica Boulevard to the east and west of the project site. Nighttime illumination is lowest in the area’s single‐family residential neighborhoods and opens space areas such as the Los Angeles Country City of Los Angeles 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard PCR Services Corporation/SCH No. 2011041042 III‐2 September 2011 III. General Description of Environmental Setting Club north of Santa Monica Boulevard. In the more immediate vicinity of the proposed project, sensitive uses with respect to artificial or nighttime light and glare are the residential neighborhoods located to the east of Moreno Drive and north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard. However, many of these areas maintain landscape lighting during the late hours for the purpose of maintenance and security. Daytime glare is generally associated with reflected sunlight from buildings with highly reflective surfaces. Activities that would be sensitive to daytime glare from reflected sunlight include motorists traveling on the adjacent roadways and people working in adjacent offices. As the project site is vacant, no glare factors such as reflective glass, shiny surfaces, or metal or other reflective materials currently occur. (c) Shading The concentration of high‐rise buildings within Century City creates a varying pattern of shadows that rotates in a sweeping arc within and beyond the boundaries of Century City toward the west, north, and east, according to the movement of the sun. Century City’s shadows primarily extend beyond Century City into the surrounding area during the early morning and late afternoon hours throughout the year. The currently vacant project site causes no shading on any off‐site uses. Shade sensitive uses in the area include residential neighborhoods north of Santa Monica Boulevard to the northeast, residential neighborhoods in the City of Beverly Hills to the east, and Beverly Hills High School to the south. Shade‐sensitive recreational uses in the area include the Los Angeles Country Club golf course to the north. 2. Air Quality The proposed project is located within the South Coast Air Basin (Basin), an approximately 6,745‐square‐ mile area bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto Mountains to the north and east. The Basin includes all of Orange County and the non‐desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, in addition to the San Gorgonio Pass area in Riverside County. The terrain and geographical location determine the distinctive climate of the Basin, as the Basin is a coastal plain with connecting broad valleys and low hills. The southern California region lies in the semi‐permanent high‐pressure zone of the eastern Pacific. As a result, the climate is mild, tempered by cool sea breezes. The usually mild climatological pattern is interrupted infrequently by periods of extremely hot weather, winter storms, or Santa Ana winds. The extent and severity of the air pollution problem in the Basin is a function of the area’s natural physical characteristics (weather and topography), as well as man‐made influences (development patterns and lifestyle).