II. Environmental Setting
II. Environmental Setting
A. Overview of Environmental Setting
This section provides a brief overview of the regional and local setting of the Baldwin
Hills Crenshaw Plaza Redevelopment Project (“Proposed Project”). The Proposed Project
would be developed on an approximately 1,839,884-square-foot (43-acre) site (“Project
Site”) located at 3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bordered on the north by
West 39th Street, on the east by Crenshaw Boulevard, on the southeast by Stocker Street,
on the southwest by Santa Rosalia Drive, and on the west by Marlton Avenue. The Project
Site is currently developed with the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza mall, a regional shopping
center which contains retail, grocery, restaurant, and theatre uses. More complete and
specific discussions of the environmental setting as it relates to each of the environmental
issues analyzed in this Draft Environmental Impact Report (“Draft EIR”) are included in the
environmental setting discussions contained within Section IV (Environmental Impact
Analysis). A list of related projects, which is used as the basis for the discussions of
cumulative impacts throughout Section IV (Environmental Impact Analysis) of this Draft
EIR, is provided at the end of this section.
1. Regional Setting
The Project Site is located in the South Los Angeles area (see Figure II-1, Regional
and Vicinity Map, on page II-2). Regional access to the Project Site is provided by the San
Diego Freeway (Interstate 405), the Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10), and the Harbor
Freeway (Interstate 110). The San Diego Freeway is located approximately 4.5 miles due
west of the Project Site, the Santa Monica Freeway is located approximately 1.5 miles to
the north, and the Harbor Freeway is located approximately 3.1 miles to the east. In
addition, a network of major roadways in the area provides local and regional access to the
Project Site including Crenshaw Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
2. Local Setting
As shown in Figure II-2, Aerial Photograph, on page II-3, the Project Site is bounded
by Crenshaw Boulevard to the east, 39th Street to the north, Marlton Avenue to the
northwest, Santa Rosalia Drive to the southwest, and Stocker Street to the southeast.
City of Los Angeles
SCH. No. 2008101017
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Master Plan Project
December 2014
Page II-1
W JEFFERSON BLVD
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Figure II-1
Regional and Project Vicinity Map
0 ft
Page II-2
850
1700
N
Figure II-2
Aerial Photograph of the Project Site
Source: RAW International, 2013.
Page II-3
II. Environmental Setting
The Project Site is located within the West Adams–Baldwin Hills–Leimert
Community Plan Area within the City of Los Angeles. The General Plan land use
designation for the Project Site is Regional Commercial. The City of Los Angeles Planning
Department is in the process of updating the Community Plan. The proposed update to the
Community Plan does not include an amended land use designation or zone change for
the Project Site. The Project Site is also within the boundaries of the Crenshaw
Redevelopment Project. The Crenshaw Redevelopment Project was adopted in 1984.
The Redevelopment Plan allows a maximum floor area ratio of 3:1 (or approximately
5,519,923 square feet of floor area) and sets a limitation on the number of buildings in the
Project Area (not to exceed 350), as well as the number of dwelling units (not to exceed
1,600). In conjunction with the Crenshaw Redevelopment Project, a Participation
Agreement (“PA”) was adopted in 1984 to effectuate the Redevelopment Plan by providing
for the acquisition and redevelopment of the Project Area. The PA commits the Baldwin
Hills Associates (“Participant”) to develop a regional shopping center, incorporating certain
structures, a new enclosed shopping mall, a new department store and certain freestanding
structures to be constructed or retained around the periphery of the site, and a public
parking facility.
A majority of the Project Site is zoned for commercial land uses with a zone
designation of C2-2D (where C2 is Commercial and 2D is Height District No. 2, with
development limitations). A small triangular area within the North Area of the Project Site
(the northwest corner) is zoned [T][Q]C2-2D with the [Q] condition requiring 3 parking
spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area for commercial and office uses. The C2 zoning
designation that applies to the entire Project Site is consistent with the Regional
Commercial land use designation for the Project Site in the Community Plan. The C2
zoning designation is a commercial zone that permits a broad range of commercial land
uses, including general retail uses, offices, hotels, auto sales, and well as multi-family
residential, recreational and institutional uses.
a. Existing Land Uses
The Project Site consists of 1,839,884 square feet or approximately 43 acres of land.
As shown in Figure II-3 on page II-5, the Project Site is currently developed with
approximately 1,016,741 square feet of commercial retail, restaurant, and entertainment
uses.1 These uses include anchor stores such as Macy’s, Walmart, Sears, and
Albertson’s; mall stores; restaurants; the Rave Theater; banks; an office building; and a
Los Angeles Police Department substation.
1
For purposes of this analysis, the term “floor area” refers to developable floor area as defined by Section
12.03 of the LAMC. In areas where gross building area is used, such as for parking areas and loading
docks, the floor area in gross square feet is specifically identified.
City of Los Angeles
SCH. No. 2008101017
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Master Plan Project
December 2014
Page II-4
RAVE
THEATERS
A - ONE UNITED BANK
B - IHOP
C - WELLS FARGO
D - STAPLES
G - POST & BEAM
H - DEBBIE ALLEN DANCE ACADEMY
J - FATBURGER
K - TACO BELL
L - RAVE THEATERS
M - RETAIL STRIP
N - ALBERTSONS
P - BANK OF AMERICA
Source: Moody-Nolan, Inc, November 7, 2007.
Figure II-3
Existing Conditions Site Plan
Page II-5
II. Environmental Setting
The mall building includes approximately 833,077 square feet of floor area. Existing
retail and restaurant space on the Project Site totals 104,041 square feet and is
characterized by various retail uses and restaurants, as well as a grocery store. The
Project Site is also currently developed with a 2,823-seat (75,000 square feet) movie
theatre and bank and office uses currently account for an additional 4,623 square feet.
b. Surrounding Land Uses
The Project Site is entirely surrounded by urban land uses. The existing land
uses along Crenshaw Boulevard between 39th Street and Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard, directly east of the Project Site’s North Area, include a building occupied by the
City’s Department of Water and Power, one- and two-story multi-family residential units,
one-story commercial buildings, and a paved surface parking area. Between Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard and Stocker Street, directly east of the Project Site’s South Area, are
one- and two-story commercial uses and associated paved surface parking areas. Directly
southeast of the South Area of the Project Site along Stocker Street are commercial uses,
and single- and multi-family residential uses.
Directly southwest of the Project Site, along Santa Rosalia Drive, are various midrise residential and office buildings. A four-story medical office building with a pharmacy on
the ground floor is located at the corner of Stocker Street and Santa Rosalia Drive. Further
north on Santa Rosalia is a surface parking lot and the six-story Bedford Parc
Condominium building. North of this use is the six-story Crenshaw Medical Arts Centre, a
surface parking lot, a church, and the A Place 2 Grow childcare center. A multi-family
residential building is located at the southwest corner of Marlton Avenue and Santa Rosalia
Drive. On the northwest corner of Marlton Avenue and Santa Rosalia Drive is the
Crenshaw Family YMCA facility.
West of the Project Site, on the west side of Marlton Avenue between Santa Rosalia
Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. are unoccupied, deteriorating commercial buildings,
a surface parking lot, and fenced off vacant land. West of the Project Site, between Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard and West 39th Street is the Baldwin Villa Plaza, a 5-story senior
housing development. Directly north of the Project Site there are single-family residential
uses and a mortuary building. To the northeast of the Project Site, at the northeast corner
of W. 39th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard is a U.S. post office building.
B. Related Projects
Section 15130 of the State CEQA Guidelines stipulates that the analysis of potential
project impacts include cumulative impacts. CEQA defines cumulative impacts as “two or
more individual effects which, when considered together are considerable or which
City of Los Angeles
SCH. No. 2008101017
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Master Plan Project
December 2014
Page II-6
II. Environmental Setting
compound or increase other environmental impacts.” This analysis of cumulative impacts
need not be as in-depth as what is performed relative to the Proposed Project, but instead
is to “be guided by the standards of practicality and reasonableness.” As stated in the
State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15130(a)(1), the cumulative impacts discussion in an EIR
should not discuss impacts which do not result in part from the project evaluated in the EIR.
Under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15130(b)(1), cumulative impacts may be analyzed
by considering either:
•
A list of past, present, and probable future projects producing related or
cumulative impacts, including, if necessary, those projects outside the control of
the agency, or
•
A summary of projections contained in an 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 areawide
conditions contributing to the cumulative impact. Any such planning document
shall be referenced and made available to the public at a location specified by
the lead agency.
In this Draft EIR, cumulative impact analyses are provided for each environmental
issue discussed in Section IV (Environmental Impact Analysis) and can be found in each
respective subsection (e.g., Air Quality, Transportation/Traffic, etc.).
Build out of the Proposed Project is forecasted to occur in 2020. Accordingly, this
Draft EIR considers the effects of other known proposed development projects that may be
constructed between 2008 (the Notice of Preparation/baseline year) and 2020. The Draft
EIR’s cumulative impact analysis has utilized a listing of all anticipated related projects
located within an approximately 2.5 mile radius of the Project Site (“Study Area”), based on
information on file at the City of Los Angeles Department of Planning and the City of Los
Angeles Department of Transportation. The Study Area is designed to generally
incorporate the area in which the Proposed Project may substantially affect traffic
conditions or other issues. The development of 39 related projects is anticipated in the
Study Area.
Table II-1, Related Projects List, on page II-8 summarizes the location, land use,
and size of each related project that was considered in the Draft EIR’s cumulative impact
analysis. The locations of the related projects are depicted in Figure II-4, Related Projects
Map, on page II-11.
The map numbers identified in Figure II-4 correspond to the related project numbers
identified in Table II-1. The projected cumulative development is addressed in the analysis
of all environmental issues.
City of Los Angeles
SCH. No. 2008101017
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Master Plan Project
December 2014
Page II-7
II. Environmental Setting
Table II-1
Related Projects List
No.
Project Name/Location
Land Use
1.
LAUSD—South Region Middle School #6
46th St./St. Andrews Pl.
Mixed-Use
3060 Crenshaw Blvd.
Middle School
2.
3.
Mixed-Use
4100 Arlington Ave.
4.
Shopping Center
3650 Crenshaw Blvd.
Mixed-Use
3831 Stocker St.
5.
6.
Marlton Square
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. west of
Marlton Ave.
7.
Buckingham Place
3782 Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd.
Bedford Parc/Promenade
3740/3750 W. Santa Rosalia Dr.
8.
9.
Mixed-Use
Crenshaw Blvd. & Exposition Blvd.
10.
Mixed-Use
700-701 Corporate Pointe
11.
Office
9919 Jefferson Blvd.
Mixed-Use
8511 Warner Dr.
12.
13.
Retail
Office
Bank
Condominiums
Retail
Retail
1,404 students
13,969 sf
25,015 sf
6,000 sf
34 du
4,653
330,000
Hotel
Restaurant
Condominiums
Medical Office
Condominiums
Office
Community College
Museum
Church
Office
Restaurant
Retail
Senior Housing
37 rooms
8,000 sf
69 rooms
(18,157 sf)
200 du
50,000 sf
3,600 students
(14,692 sf)
(42,486 sf)
(8,600 sf)
(7,840 sf)
(10,062 sf)
180 du
Condominiums
Retail Commercial
Apartment
Condominiums
Office
Retail
Restaurant
Office
Gas Station
Office
Retail
Office
172 du
9,500 sf
82 du
81 du
52,125 sf
17,130 sf
17,130 sf
(20,786 sf)
(1,050 sf)
240,612 sf
4,242 sf
100,000 sf
Office
Retail
Restaurant
Theater
Apartment
101,551 sf
31,110 sf
18,076
3,100 sf
33 du
Residential
5813 Washington Blvd.
City of Los Angeles
SCH. No. 2008101017
Size
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Master Plan Project
December 2014
Page II-8
II. Environmental Setting
Table II-1 (Continued)
Related Projects List
No.
Project Name/Location
Land Use
14.
School (K–8)
8794 National Blvd.
West LA Community College Master Plan
9000 Overland Dr.
Mixed-Use
9300 Culver Blvd.
Baldwin Hills Oil Field
North of Slauson Ave., west of La Brea
Blvd., south of Rodeo Rd., east of
Jefferson Blvd.
Residential
East of La Brea Blvd., north of Slauson
Ave.
Commercial
Southeast corner of La Brea Ave. and
Florence Ave.
Residential
5227 Knowlton St.
Residential
5101 Overhill Dr.
Mixed-Use
Washington Blvd. and National Blvd.
School
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Elementary School
3200 W. Washington Blvd.
Charter High School
5701 S. Crenshaw Blvd.
Residential
3001 S. Western Ave.
Mixed-Use
4040 W. Washington Blvd.
Commercial
5301 S. Crenshaw Blvd.
Mixed-Use
1636 W. Manchester Ave.
Commercial Center
1982 W. Adams Blvd.
9,000 sf
Community College
210,729 sf
Mixed Use
112,500 sf
Industrial
Single Family Housing
50 employees
39 du
Retail
39,800 sf
Restaurant
10,000 sf
Apartment
187 du
Condominiums
72 du
Condominiums
Retail
Office
Light Industrial
Elementary School
638 du
206,608 sf
154,361 sf
485,996 sf
875 students
High School
Condominiums
400 students
66 du
Condominiums
Apartments
Live/Work Condominiums
Retail
Restaurant
High Turnover Restaurant
Supermarket
219 du
200 du
128 du
82,500 sf
18,800 sf
5,500 sf
14,000 sf
Office
68,250 sf
Retail
Office
Office
10,000 sf
22,000 sf
75,000 sf
West Adams Office Project
1999 W. Adams Blvd.
City of Los Angeles
SCH. No. 2008101017
Size
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Master Plan Project
December 2014
Page II-9
II. Environmental Setting
Table II-1 (Continued)
Related Projects List
No.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35
36
37
38
39
Project Name/Location
Land Use
Mixed-Use
3661/3671 S. Vermont Ave.
Shopping Center
5400 Crenshaw Blvd.
Shopping Center
5975 S. Western Ave.
University of Southern California
Development Plan
Exposition Blvd. & Figueroa St.
Condominiums
Retail
Retail
Light Industrial
University
Retail
Restaurant
Theater
Fitness Center
Student Housing
Hotel
School
Stadium
L.A. Memorial Coliseum Renovation
3911 S. Figueroa St.
Mixed-Use
2401 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Pacific Charter School
2941 W. 70th St
Pacific Charter Middle School
1371 W. 35th Street
Stella Academy
5051 W. Rodeo Rd.
Size
80 du
50,000 sf
60,000 sf
225,000 sf
2,500,000 sf
242,000 sf
45,000
2,000 seats
20,000 sf
2,135,000 sf
150 rooms
80,000 sf
68,000 seat
Apartments
Retail
High School
Middle School
Middle School
52 du
20,900 sf
535 students
400 students
300 students
Middle School
650 students
sf = square feet
du = dwelling unit
Source: Gibson Transportation Consulting, 2012.
It should be noted that some of the projects in the Related Projects List already may
have been constructed, while a number of other projects may have been abandoned and
will not be developed. Therefore, the Related Projects List results in a conservative
analysis of the Project’s cumulative impacts.
City of Los Angeles
SCH. No. 2008101017
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Master Plan Project
December 2014
Page II-10
Source: Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc., 2012.
Figure II-4
Related Projects Map
Page II-11