Table of Contents
K.3 Public Services – Schools
1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1750 2. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ................................................................................... 1750 a. Regulatory Framework ........................................................................................ 1750 (1) Federal Level ................................................................................................. 1750 (2) State Level ..................................................................................................... 1751 (3) Regional Level ............................................................................................... 1751 (4) Local Level..................................................................................................... 1752 b. Existing Conditions .............................................................................................. 1752 (1) Public Schools in the Project Vicinity ............................................................. 1752 (a) Overview of the Los Angeles Unified School District ................................... 1752 (b) Public K-12 Schools .................................................................................... 1753 (c) Charter Schools ........................................................................................... 1757 (d) Magnet Schools ........................................................................................... 1758 (e) Proposed New Public Schools ..................................................................... 1758 (2) Private Schools in the Project Vicinity ............................................................ 1759 3. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS .................................................................................. 1759 a. Methodology ........................................................................................................ 1759 b. Thresholds of Significance .................................................................................. 1760 c. Project Design Features ...................................................................................... 1761 d. Project Impacts .................................................................................................... 1761 (1) Construction Impacts ..................................................................................... 1761 (2) Operational Impacts ....................................................................................... 1762 (a) Impacts under the Proposed Project ........................................................... 1762 (i) Impacts from Residential Development .................................................... 1762 (ii) Impacts from Non-Residential Development ........................................... 1764 (3) Impacts Under No Annexation Scenario ........................................................ 1767 4. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS .......................................................................................... 1767 a. Cumulative Proposed Project Impacts ................................................................ 1767 b. Cumulative Impacts Under No Annexation Scenario ........................................... 1768 5. PROJECT DESIGN FEATURES AND MITIGATION MEASURES ........................... 1769 City of Los Angeles
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a. Project Design Features ...................................................................................... 1769 b. Mitigation Measure .............................................................................................. 1769 6. LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE AFTER MITIGATION .................................................... 1769 City of Los Angeles
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Table of Contents
List of Tables
146
Current School Capacity and Resident Enrollment In Los Angeles Unified
School District Schools Serving the Project Site ................................................. 1756 147
Estimated Future School Capacities and Resident Enrollment in Los Angeles
Unified School District Schools Serving the Project Site ...................................... 1757 148
Estimated Student Generation Under 60% Condo / 40% Apartment Mixes ......... 1763 149
Project Impacts on Los Angeles Unified School District Schools ......................... 1764 150
Estimated Student Generation By Project’s Net New Non-Residential Floor
Area ..................................................................................................................... 1766 List of Figures
209 Los Angeles Unified School District Schools Serving the Project Site ................. 1754 City of Los Angeles
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IV. Environmental Impact Analysis
K.3 Public Services - Schools
1. Introduction
The following section is based on the Assessment of the Public School Enrollment
and Capacity Impacts prepared by HR&A Advisors, Inc. (2010) for the NBC Universal
Evolution Plan. The full text of the report is included as Technical Appendix M-2 to this
Draft EIR.
This section analyzes the potential impacts of the proposed Project relative to public
schools. The analysis evaluates whether available school facilities are sufficient to
accommodate the students projected to be generated by the proposed Project.
Based on information received from the Los Angeles Unified School District, facilities
serving the Project Site were identified and a determination was made as to whether these
facilities are adequate to meet the future demand associated with occupancy of the Project
Site.
2. Environmental Setting
a. Regulatory Framework
(1) Federal Level
Education is mostly regulated at the state and local levels. However, the federal
government is involved in providing funding for specialized programs (i.e., school
lunches/breakfasts, Title 1, Special Education, School to Work, and Goals 2000). These
monies are not used for general educational purposes.
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(2) State Level
The Los Angeles Unified School District is regulated by the California Education
Code and governed by the State Board of Education. Traditionally, the State has passed
legislation for the funding of local public schools and provided the majority of monies to
fund education in the State. To assist in providing facilities to serve students generated
from new development projects, the State passed Assembly Bill 2926 in 1986, allowing
school districts to collect impact fees from developers of new residential, commercial and
industrial developments. Development impact fees are also referenced in the 1987 Leroy
Greene Lease-Purchase Act, which requires school districts to contribute a matching share
of the costs for the construction, modernization, or reconstruction of school facilities.
Subsequent legislation has modified the fees structure and general guidelines.
Under applicable State law, the governing board of any school district is authorized
to levy a fee, charge, dedication, or other requirement against any construction within the
boundaries of the district, for the purpose of funding the construction or reconstruction of
school facilities.370 The Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 (known as Senate
Bill 50) sets a maximum level of fees a developer may be required to pay to mitigate a
project’s impacts on school facilities. The maximum fees authorized under Senate Bill 50
apply to zone changes, general plan amendments, zoning permits and subdivisions. The
provisions of Senate Bill 50 provide full and complete mitigation of school facilities impacts,
notwithstanding any contrary provisions in CEQA or other State or local laws.371
(3) Regional Level
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s operations are largely funded by local
property tax revenue that is first accrued in a common statewide pool with similar property
tax revenue throughout the state, and then allocated to each school district on the basis of
average daily attendance. In addition, state law permits school districts to charge
development fees to fund capital acquisition and improvements to school facilities, based
on documented justification that residential and non-residential developments generate
students. The Los Angeles Unified School District has completed the studies required to
support levying of residential fees, which are currently imposed at a rate of $3.87 per
square foot of new residential construction.372 Fees for commercial construction and
370
California Education Code Section 17620(a)(1).
371
Calif. Government Code § 65996.
372
Calif. Government Code § 65995.5-7.
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commercial parking structure construction within the boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified
School District are $0.47 and $0.09 per square foot, respectively.
(4) Local Level
As stated above, the State is primarily responsible for the funding and structure of
the local school districts, and in this case, the Los Angeles Unified School District. As the
Los Angeles Unified School District provides education to students in many cities and
county areas, in addition to the City of Los Angeles, its oversight is largely a
regional/county level issue. Public schools operate under the policy direction of elected
governing district school boards (elected from the local area) as well as by local
propositions which directly impact the funding of facility construction and maintenance.
b. Existing Conditions
The Project is located within the boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified School
District, which is the second largest public school district in the nation in terms of
enrollment. The Los Angeles Unified School District serves the City of Los Angeles, as
well as all or portions of 32 other cities in the County and numerous unincorporated areas
of the County. The existing conditions and impact analysis discussions presented below
pertain to both the proposed Project and the No Annexation scenario, in which specific
County portions of the Project Site would or would not be annexed to the City of Los
Angeles.
(1) Public Schools in the Project Vicinity
(a) Overview of the Los Angeles Unified School District
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s boundaries encompass an area of about
710 square miles, with an estimated population of over 5 million people residing in almost
2 million households. Approximately two-thirds (or 66 percent) of the Los Angeles Unified
School District’s land area, and approximately 87 percent of the population residing in its
boundaries, are within the City of Los Angeles.373 The Los Angeles Unified School District
provides kindergarten through high school (K-12) education, as well as adult and special
education programs, to approximately 688,000 total students in 885 schools, 196 other
373
LAUSD, “Fingertip Facts 2008-2009” (available at: http://www.lausd.net/search/
?cx=012518883040023400225%3A30biird4qzs&q=fingertip+facts&sa=Search&cof=FORID%3A11#979).
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facilities, and 148 independent K-12 charter schools and centers. The Los Angeles Unified
School District also employs about 77,000 personnel, about half (48 percent) of whom are
classroom teachers. Overall, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Fiscal Year 20082009 total budget was around $14 billion.374
As of fall 2008, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s K-12 enrollment total was
688,138 students.375 About four in 10 (or 43 percent) of all of Los Angeles Unified School
District’s students were enrolled in elementary schools (grades K-5 or 6), about one in five
(19 percent) were enrolled in middle schools (grades 6 or 7-8), one-quarter were enrolled in
high schools (grades 9-12), and the remainder (13 percent) were enrolled in magnet
schools, primary centers, special education schools and other special District programs.376
These specific types of schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District enrollment
capacities are discussed in detail below.
(b) Public K-12 Schools
The Project Site is located within Los Angeles Unified School District Local
Districts 2 and 4 and is served by the following Los Angeles Unified School District public
schools (the locations of these schools are shown in Figure 209 on page 1754). In terms of
evaluating seating capacity, the Los Angeles Unified School District compares resident
enrollment to capacity, rather than actual enrollment, consistent with Los Angeles Unified
School District’s objective to house all students in their neighborhood school without the
need for busing. The Los Angeles Unified School District has identified the following
schools as those that would service the proposed Project.

Valley View Elementary School (6921 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Los Angeles),
which opened in 1917, provides kindergarten through grade 6 education. It has
a current seating capacity for 262 students and an actual enrollment of
216 students, most of whom (141 students) do not reside within the school’s
attendance boundaries. Valley View Elementary is located approximately
1.4 miles from the Project Site. The school operates on a traditional twosemester, single-track school calendar. Based on this data and Los Angeles
Unified School District’s method for calculating seating capacity, Valley View
Elementary School currently has seating capacity for an additional 187 students.
374
LAUSD, Superintendent’s 2008-2009 Final Budget, September 2, 2008 (available on-line at:
http://notebook.lausd.net/portal/page?_pageid=33,175012&_dad=ptl&_schema=PTL_.
375
“Fingertip Facts 2008-2009,” op. cit.
376
Ibid.
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LOS ANGELES RIV
ER FL
OOD
CO N T R
C
OL
EL
NN
HA
Valley View Elementary School
Hollywood High School
Bancroft Middle School
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
Miles
Source: Los Ange
Angeles
gele
les Unified School District,, ES
ESRI Streetmap and Matrix Environmental, 2010.
Legend
Project Site Boundary
Figure 209
Los Angeles Unified School District Schools
Serving the Project Site
Page 1754
IV.K.3 Public Services - Schools

Bancroft Middle School (929 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Los Angeles), which
opened in 1929, serves grades 6-8. It has a current seating capacity for
1,651 students and an actual enrollment of 1,328 students, most of whom
(1,015 students) reside within the school’s attendance boundaries. Bancroft
Middle School is located approximately 4.5 miles from the Project Site. This
school also operates on a traditional two-semester, single-track school calendar.
Based on this data and Los Angeles Unified School District’s method for
calculating seating capacity, Bancroft Middle School currently has seating
capacity for an additional 636 students.

Hollywood High School (1521 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles), which opened
in 1910, serves grades 9-12. It has a current seating capacity for 3,173 students
and an actual enrollment of 3,215 students, most of whom (3,070 students)
reside within the school’s attendance boundaries. Hollywood High School is
located approximately 4.4 miles from the Project Site. This school just changed
from a three-track, year-round school calendar to a traditional two-semester,
single-track school calendar due to the opening of the new Helen Bernstein High
School and a Continuation High School. Based on this data and the Los Angeles
Unified School District’s method for calculating seating capacity, Hollywood High
School currently has seating capacity for an additional 103 students.377
As indicated in Table 146 on page 1756, Valley View Elementary School, Bancroft
Middle School and Hollywood High School are all currently operating under capacity by
187, 636 and 103 students, respectively, based on data provided by the Los Angeles
Unified School District.378 Notwithstanding the capacity data, Hollywood High was
classified by the Los Angeles Unified School District as operating “over capacity” at the
time this analysis was prepared, due to its prior operating configuration (i.e., year-round vs.
traditional, two-semester calendar).
The Los Angeles Unified School District also provides five-year projections of future
enrollment at individual schools that are updated on an annual basis. According to the
latest projections, the District expects 45,083 additional residential units to be constructed
377
The determination that Hollywood High School has an available seating capacity of 103 students is based
on an eligible “resident” enrollment (i.e., students that reside in the attendance boundaries of Hollywood
High School) of 3,070 students and a current seating capacity for 3,173 students. A total of 145 students
currently attend Hollywood High School using Los Angeles Unified School District permits (i.e., total
enrollment of 3,215 students is made up of 3,070 students residing in the attendance boundaries of
Hollywood High School and 145 students attending the school using Los Angeles Unified School District
permits).
378
Source: Letter from Rena Perez, Director, Master Planning & Demographics, Los Angeles Unified School
District, dated August 19, 2008.
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Table 146
Current School Capacity and Resident Enrollment In Los Angeles Unified School District
Schools Serving the Project Site
Grades
2008-2009
Enrollment a
2008-2009
Capacity
(+) Under/
(-) Over Capacity
Elementary School
Valley View Elementary
K-6
75
262
187
Middle School
Bancroft Middle
6-8
1,015
1,651
636
Senior High School
Hollywood High
9-12
3,070
3,173
103
Schools
a
Eligible “resident” enrollment (i.e., reside in the attendance boundary), not actual enrollment.
Source:
Los Angeles Unified School District, written correspondence from Rena Perez, Director, Master
Planning and Demographics, August 19, 2008; HR&A, Inc.
within its boundaries over the next five years, with almost all (90.2 percent) of those within
the City of Los Angeles.379 These units are projected to generate 16,137 additional
students, of which half will be at the Elementary School level and the balance divided about
equally between Middle Schools and High Schools.380
The Los Angeles Unified School District projects that five years from now, Valley
View Elementary and Bancroft Middle School will continue to have surplus seats (148 and
632, respectively). Hollywood High School, after conversion to a traditional two-semester,
single track calendar, and enrollment relief from a new Continuation High School and a
new High School at a site in Hollywood (see discussion below), is projected to have a
seating capacity surplus of 671 seats. These five year projections are shown in Table 147
on page 1757.381
379
David Taussig & Associates, Inc., School Facilities Needs Analysis for Consideration of Alternative
School Facilities Fees, prepared for Los Angeles Unified School District, August 7, 2006.
380
Ibid, Table 5, p. 11.
381
The Project Site, as described earlier in the analysis, is located in Los Angeles Unified School District
Local Districts 2 and 4. The schools included in the above analysis are those identified by the Los
Angeles Unified School District as the schools that would serve the Project Site. The following are the
schools within Los Angeles Unified School District Local District 2 in the area of the Project Site: Rio Vista
Elementary School, Walter Reed Middle School, and North Hollywood High School. As of the 2006-2007
school year, all three schools have sufficient capacity to accommodate current enrollment levels. With
regard to future conditions, Rio Vista Elementary School and Walter Reed Middle School are forecasted
to operate within their respective capacities, whereas North Hollywood High School is forecasted to
operate in excess of its available capacity.
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Table 147
Estimated Future School Capacities and Resident
Enrollment in Los Angeles Unified School District Schools Serving the Project Site
2013-2014 Enrollment a
2013-2014 Capacity
(+) Under/
(-) Over Capacity
Elementary School
Valley View Elementary
92
240
148
Middle School
Bancroft Middle
880
1,512
632
1,139
1,810b
(671)
Schools
Senior High School
Hollywood High
a
Eligible “resident” enrollment (i.e., reside in the attendance boundary), not actual enrollment.
b
Projected capacity at Hollywood High reflects enrollment relief from the new Helen Bernstein High School
and a new Continuation High School, which opened in October, 2008.
Source: Los Angeles Unified School District, written correspondence from Rena Perez, Director, Master
Planning and Demographics, August 19, 2008; HR&A, Inc.
The Project Site is currently developed with non-residential uses and only contributes
to enrollment at these schools to the extent that workers at the Project Site enroll their
children at these, as opposed to other, Los Angeles Unified School District schools.
(c) Charter Schools
Charter schools originated from the Charter School Act of 1992. Typically, a charter
school is granted by the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education and
approved by the State for a period of up to five years. Los Angeles Unified School District
maintains two types of charter schools: conversion charters are existing Los Angeles
Unified School District schools that later become charters; and start-ups, which are charter
schools that are newly created by any member of the public (e.g., educators, parents,
foundations, and others). Charter schools are open to any student who wishes to attend,
from any area within the Los Angeles Unified School District. Although certain attendance
preferences may be given, enrollment is conducted by lottery.382 There are no charter
schools in the immediate vicinity of the Project Site.
382
Los Angeles Unified School District, Charter Schools, website: http://notebook.lausd.net/portal/
page?_pageid=33,205129&_dad=ptl&_schema=PTL_EP, July 2008.
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(d) Magnet Schools
The option to attend “magnet” programs is also available to students living within the
service boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Magnet programs provide
specialized curriculums and instructional approaches to attract a voluntary integration of
students from a variety of neighborhoods. Magnet programs typically establish a unique
focus such as gifted and talented, math and science, performing arts, or basic skills
programs. Some magnet programs occupy entire school sites, while other magnet centers
are located on regular school campuses with access to activities and experiences shared
with the host school. Currently, there are 162 magnet programs located within the Los
Angeles Unified School District. There is a television and performing arts Magnet School at
Bancroft Middle School and a performing arts Magnet School at Hollywood High School,
both of which are in the vicinity of the Project Site.
(e) Proposed New Public Schools
The Los Angeles Unified School District is currently engaged in the planning and
construction of 185 new schools by 2012. The Los Angeles Unified School District
estimates that new schools and site expansions will require the acquisition of over
450 acres of land, some of which has already been acquired. Funding sources include
proceeds from several State school facilities bond measures and local bond measures,
including Propositions BB ($2.4 billion, 1997), Measure K ($3.35 billion, 2002), Measure R
($3.87 billion, 2004) and Measure Y ($4.0 billion, 2005), and developer fees.383 The State
school and local bond measure programs also include substantial expenditures for repairs
and renovations to existing school facilities. The total estimated cost of these programs is
estimated to be $11.7 billion.
Two new construction projects recently expanded capacity at schools currently
serving the Project Site. As mentioned above, this includes the new Helen Bernstein High
School, located at 1309 N. Wilton Place, which will include 2,106 two-semester seats on a
12.4-acre site. Also on the same site is the new 162-seat Hollywood New Continuation
High School #1.
383
Los Angeles Unified School District, Facilities Services Division: New Construction, website:
http://www.laschools.org.
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(2) Private Schools in the Project Vicinity
In addition to publicly available schools, there are also a number of private schools
in the vicinity of the Project area that could potentially serve as alternatives to Los Angeles
Unified School District schools, should residents of the proposed Project elect this option.
Particularly, there are nineteen (19) private schools, ranging from kindergarten through
12th grades, in the vicinity of the Project. It is interesting to note that households in the
immediate vicinity of the Project Site had a much higher rate of private school enrollment,
at all grade levels, than for the City as a whole. This information is presented for factual
purposes only, as it does not directly relate to current and future enrollment capacity levels
of Los Angeles Unified School District schools before or after implementation of the
proposed Project.
3. Environmental Impacts
a. Methodology
Utilizing information supplied by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the existing
conditions of the public schools serving the Project Site were assessed. Student
generation was then forecasted based on the characteristics of the proposed Project and
Los Angeles Unified School District assumptions. The methodology used for this forecast
assumes that the numbers of new students generated from the proposed Project are
directly related to the type and amount of proposed residential and commercial
construction. Los Angeles Unified School District’s residential student generation rates
vary by whether the residential unit is a for-sale dwelling unit (owner-occupied) or an
apartment (renter-occupied). While the Project’s precise mix of units between for-sale
dwelling units and apartments would depend on market conditions at the time of
construction, based on current planning forecasts, the Project would provide approximately
60 percent condominiums/townhomes and 40 percent apartments. Accordingly, this
analysis assumes a 60% condominiums/townhomes and 40% apartments mix in applying
Los Angeles Unified School District’s student generation rates, which are higher for
apartments than for-sale dwelling units.
Students generated from the proposed Project were then compared to Los Angeles
Unified School District’s forecasted available capacity for the relevant schools, so as to
ascertain overall impact levels. The Los Angeles Unified School District forecasts capacity
on a rolling five-year basis. As such, forecasts are currently available only through the
2013-2014 school year. While Project buildout extends to 2030, the analysis of Project
impacts is based on Los Angeles Unified School District’s forecast for the 2013-2014
school year, as the Los Angeles Unified School District has not published forecast data
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beyond the 2013-2014 school year. Thus, the analysis of potential Project impacts on
school facilities is based on the amount of Project development occurring within the
attendance boundaries of each school. In cases where existing capacity appears to be
inadequate for Project-generated students, the analysis includes an evaluation of the
adequacy of the school sites for the addition of new classroom capacity to accommodate
Project-generated students.
This analysis addresses the potential impacts of the Project to the public school
system only, as the public school system is directly responsible (and mandated) to service
new student populations generated from implementation of the proposed Project. Private
institutions, as well as higher education institutions, are not analyzed since they are
privately funded and not mandated to provide educational services.
b. Thresholds of Significance
The City of Los Angeles CEQA Thresholds Guide (2006, p. K.3-2), states that the
determination of the significance of impacts related to schools shall be made on a case-bycase basis, considering the following factors:

The population increase resulting from the project, based on the increase in
residential units or square footage of non-residential floor area;

The demand for school services anticipated at the time of project buildout
compared to the expected level of service available, and to consider as
applicable, scheduled improvements to Los Angeles Unified School District
services (facilities, equipment and personnel) and the project’s proportional
contribution to the demand;

Whether (and the degree to which) accommodation of the increased demand
would require construction of new facilities, a major reorganization of students or
classrooms, major revisions to the school calendar (such as year-round
sessions), or other actions which would create a temporary or permanent impact
on the school(s); and

Whether the project includes features that would reduce the demand for school
services (e.g., on-site school facilities or direct support to Los Angeles Unified
School District).
Based on these factors, the Project would result in a significant impact to school
service capacity and facilities, if the following would result:

The number of Los Angeles Unified School District students generated by the
Project would exceed the capacity of the Los Angeles Unified School District
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schools which serve the Project Site, thereby requiring the construction of new
facilities, and/or modifications to the existing operational characteristics of the
school (e.g., a major reorganization of students or classrooms, major revisions to
the school calendar, or other actions which would create a temporary or
permanent impact on the school(s)). School capacity for the purposes of this
analysis is defined as the number of students that can be accommodated at a
school based on resident enrollment.
c. Project Design Features
No project design features are proposed with regard to schools. Although potentially
significant impacts to Los Angeles Unified School District schools were identified, all
impacts would be reduced to a less than significant level through the implementation of the
required mitigation measure discussed below.
d. Project Impacts
Under the proposed Project, approximately 139 acres of the Project Site would be
located within the City of Los Angeles, and the remaining approximately 252 acres of the
Project Site would be located within the boundaries of the County of Los Angeles.
Proposed land uses within the City include all of the residential development (2,937 units),
180,000 square feet of community- and neighborhood-serving commercial uses, as well as
300,000 square feet of studio and studio office uses. Proposed land uses in the County
include approximately 1.59 million square feet of net new studio, entertainment, office,
hotel, and studio uses. The proposed hotel uses would total 450,000 square feet and
would include up to 500 hotel rooms and related hotel facilities.
Potential impacts on student capacity at the Los Angeles Unified School District
schools serving the proposed Project, as well as the potential additional capacity which can
be realized through the addition of new classrooms at these schools, is presented below.
(1) Construction Impacts
The Project is anticipated to generate 27,304 construction-related jobs between the
start of construction and Project buildout in 2030. Project construction is not anticipated to
result in adverse impacts to Los Angeles Unified School District school facilities and overall
capacity levels due to the temporary nature of construction related activities. As
construction workers are not anticipated to change their place of residence as a result of
working at the Project Site, there would be no increase in student enrollment at the local
schools serving the Project Site. Therefore, construction-related impacts associated with
public schools would be less than significant.
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(2) Operational Impacts
(a) Impacts under the Proposed Project
(i) Impacts from Residential Development
As stated above, implementation of the proposed Project includes the development
of 2,937 residential units and a net increase of approximately 2.01 million square feet of
non-residential floor area. Although the precise mix of units between for-sale dwelling units
and apartments would depend on market conditions at the time of construction, based on
current planning forecasts approximately 60 percent of the Project’s residential units would
be condominiums/townhomes and 40 percent would be apartments. The specific student
generation rates (provided by the Los Angeles Unified School District) used in this analysis
are shown in detail in Table 148 on page 1763.
With 1,762 townhome/condominium units (60 percent) and 1,175 apartments
(40 percent), the Project would generate approximately 319 elementary students,
156 middle school students, and 161 high school students, or a total of 636 additional Los
Angeles Unified School District students.
It is likely that some of the students generated would already reside in areas served
by the Los Angeles Unified School District and would already be enrolled in Los Angeles
Unified School District schools. However, it is conservatively assumed that all of the
students generated by the Project would not be currently enrolled in the Los Angeles
Unified School District schools near the Project Site, and would be enrolled upon relocation
to the Project area.
As shown in Table 149 on page 1764 below, with the addition of Project-generated
students projected to enroll to existing schools servicing the Project Site, Valley View
Elementary School would operate over capacity by 171 seats, Bancroft Middle School
would have a surplus of 476 seats, and Hollywood High School would have surplus
capacity of 510 seats.
Based on this analysis, it is anticipated that there would be deficient seating capacity
at one of the current schools serving the Project Site based on Los Angeles Unified School
District’s 2013-2014 forecast. While this may not be the case through Project buildout in
2030, future school capacity determinations are based on Los Angeles Unified School
District’s five-year projections as this constitutes the best available information (i.e., the Los
Angeles Unified School District does not forecast beyond a five-year time frame).
City of Los Angeles
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IV.K.3 Public Services - Schools
Table 148
Estimated Student Generation Under 60% Condo / 40% Apartment Mixes
Land Use/ School Type
Student Generation Rate a
Units
0.0450
0.0229
0.0248
1,762
0.2042
0.0988
0.0995
1,175
-
2,937
Condo/Townhome
Elementary
Middle
High School
79
40
44
163
Subtotal
Apartments
Elementary
Middle
High School
240
116
117
473
Subtotal
Total Residential
Elementary
Middle
High School
319
156
161
636
Subtotal
a
Students Generated
LAUSD, School Facilities Needs Analysis, Tables 2 & 3, page 9.
Source:
Los Angeles Unified School District; HR&A, Inc.
Thus, the 2013-2014 school year forecast is used for analyzing impacts at Project
buildout as it represents the Los Angeles Unified School District’s forecast closest to the
Project’s buildout year.
Notwithstanding the Los Angeles Unified School District’s five-year projections, in
2005, statewide K-12 enrollment showed the first decline in enrollment since 1980, with a
loss of nearly 7,500 students, according to State demographers.384 Although Los Angeles
County has the largest number of students statewide, the enrollment was projected to
decline by one percent between the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years. To the extent
that this trend continues within the Los Angeles Unified School District boundaries, there
would be additional seating capacity available at the time the Project’s dwelling units
become occupied than is shown in the above analysis. In addition and as mentioned
above, households in the immediate vicinity of the Project Site have a much higher
384
State of California, Department of Finance, California Public K-12 Enrollment and High School Graduate
Projections by County, 2009 Series, Sacramento, California, October 2009 (website:
http://www.dof.ca.gov/ research/demographic/reports/projections/k-12/2009/).).
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Draft Environmental Impact Report
NBC Universal Evolution Plan
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IV.K.3 Public Services - Schools
Table 149
Project Impacts on Los Angeles Unified School District Schools
Schools
2013-2014
(+) Under / (-) Over Capacity a
Project Students
Generated
Resulting
(+) Under / (-) Over Capacity
Elementary School
Valley View Elementary
148
319
-171
Middle School
Bancroft Middle
632
156
476
Senior High School
Hollywood High
671
161
510
a
See Table 147 on page 1757.
Source:
Los Angeles Unified School District; HR&A, Inc.
propensity to enroll their children in private schools, particularly in the elementary grades.
To the extent that Project households exhibit similar propensities, the number of students
generated by the Project would be less than the above forecast which is based on districtwide averages.
All solutions regarding how to accommodate additional students generated by the
proposed Project are under the control of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the
specific strategy or strategies that the Los Angeles Unified School District might employ to
accommodate additional students generated by the Project is uncertain. Among these
strategies are changes in attendance boundaries, grade reconfigurations, use of portable
classroom buildings, and/or additions to existing schools. Given the scale of Projectrelated student enrollment impacts at Valley View Elementary it does not appear likely that
the Los Angeles Unified School District would seek to construct an entirely new school.385
Any strategy the Los Angeles Unified School District might choose to address future
seating capacity at this school would be subject to environmental assessment and/or
analysis by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
(ii) Impacts from Non-Residential Development
With regards to Project non-residential development, the Los Angeles Unified
School District estimates enrollment impacts based on assumptions about how many
385
School Facilities Needs Analysis for Los Angeles Unified School District, op. cit., Exhibit O (Average
Capacities of Future Schools), pp. 1 and 3. July 2008.
City of Los Angeles
Draft Environmental Impact Report
NBC Universal Evolution Plan
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IV.K.3 Public Services - Schools
employees also become residents within the District’s boundaries. According to the Los
Angeles Unified School District student generation rate factors by land use category, the
Project’s net increase in non-residential floor area would generate an additional
59 elementary school students, 28 middle school students and 30 high school students, as
shown in Table 150 on page 1766, for a total of 117 students at all grade levels.
The specific schools that would receive these students cannot be determined,
because they depend on the household location and school enrollment decision of each
employee household. Therefore, as these students would be distributed across the Los
Angeles Unified School District, the school facility impacts from non-residential
development would be considered less than significant, as they do not impact schools
currently servicing the Project Site. Furthermore, since the student generation forecasts for
the residential and non-residential portions of the Project conservatively assume for
purposes of analysis that none of the Project residents are also Project employees, the
number of students generated by the non-residential development of the Project is likely
overstated. To the extent that employees of the Project were to reside within the Project
Site, the actual number of students generated by the Project would be lower than that
shown in this analysis because students generated by these employee residents would
already be accounted for in the residential forecast.
In summary, it is conservatively concluded that one out of the three schools servicing the
Project Site, Valley View Elementary School, would be over capacity by the time Project
buildout is achieved. As such, the Project would cause a significant impact to school
capacity levels.386 Nevertheless, Los Angeles Unified School District is authorized under
state law to levy a fee on the construction of the Project’s new residential units, commercial
development and parking structures for the purpose of funding the construction
386
The Project Site, as described earlier in the analysis, is located in Los Angeles Unified School District
Local Districts 2 and 4. The schools included in the above analysis are those identified by the Los
Angeles Unified School District as the schools that would serve the Project Site. All Project residential
development would occur within Local District 4; therefore, students generated by the Project’s residential
development would attend schools within Local District 4. In contrast, the Project’s non-residential
development would occur within both Local Districts 2 and 4. As such, students generated by the
Project’s non-residential development could attend schools in either Local District 2 or 4. Apportioning the
Project’s non-residential development between these two Local Districts, based on the proposed Project’s
Conceptual Plan, yields Project employment levels that would generate 44 elementary, 20 middle school,
and 21 senior high school students. If all of these students were to attend schools within Los Angeles
Unified School District Local District 2, sufficient capacity would be available within the Rio Vista
Elementary School, whereas Project students would exceed the available forecasted capacity at Walter
Reed Middle School, and North Hollywood High School would be over capacity both without as well as
with the addition of Project students.
City of Los Angeles
Draft Environmental Impact Report
NBC Universal Evolution Plan
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IV.K.3 Public Services - Schools
Table 150
Estimated Student Generation By Project’s Net New Non-Residential Floor Area
Land Use/
School Type
Net New
Square Footage
Subtotal
Industrial / Warehouse
Elementary
Middle
High School
Subtotal
Hotel
Elementary
Middle
High School
Subtotal
Retail
Elementary
Middle
High School
Subtotal
Total
Elementary
Middle
High School
Overall Total
b
Students Generated
928,000
Office
Elementary
Middle
High School
a
Student
Generation Rate a,b
0.0393
0.0188
0.0195
36
17
18
71
0.0303
0.0146
0.015
8
4
4
16
0.0128
0.0061
0.0063
6
3
3
12
0.0251
0.0121
0.0125
9
4
5
18
249,000
450,000
364,000
59
28
30
117
LAUSD, School Facilities Needs Analysis, Tables 2 & 3, page 9.
LAUSD, Commercial/Industrial, Development School Fee Justification Study, September 2006.
Source:
Los Angeles Unified School District; HR&A, Inc.
or reconstruction of school facilities. Los Angeles Unified School District’s current fee is
$3.87 per square foot of new residential floor area, $0.47 per square foot of non-residential
development, and $0.09 per square foot of a parking structure. Therefore, implementation
of the mitigation measure identified below, requiring the mandatory payment of school fees
City of Los Angeles
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IV.K.3 Public Services - Schools
in conformance with Senate Bill 50, would provide full and complete mitigation of school
impacts for the purposes of CEQA.387
(3) Impacts Under No Annexation Scenario
Potential impacts to schools are based on projected student enrollment within the
boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The entire Project Site is located
within the Los Angeles Unified School District, and as such, potential impacts are
independent of City and County jurisdictional boundaries. The proposed annexation/
detachment actions would not increase in the number of students resulting from the Project
as the amount of proposed development under the No Annexation scenario would be
identical to what would occur under the proposed Project. As such, potential impacts
would remain the same as those identified above and implementation of the recommended
mitigation measure would continue to reduce these impacts to a less than significant level
even if the proposed annexation/detachment actions were not implemented.
4. Cumulative Impacts
a. Cumulative Proposed Project Impacts
A cumulative increase in the demand for school services is anticipated to occur with
the development of future residential and non-residential projects, the Project itself, and
more specifically, the future household growth within the school boundaries currently
servicing the Project Site. As with the Project, it is likely that some of the students
generated would already reside in areas served by the Los Angeles Unified School District
and would already be enrolled in Los Angeles Unified School District schools. However, in
order to provide a conservative analysis, it is assumed that all the students generated
would be new to the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Specifically, in order to assess cumulative impacts to Los Angeles Unified School
District facilities, an analysis based on future household growth forecasts for the district
boundaries currently serving the Project Site was performed for the period of 2008 through
2030. A cumulative impact would occur if cumulative population increases would exceed
the capacities of the schools in the area, or if the cumulative increase would require the
387
This conclusion also applies to the Los Angeles Unified School District Local District 2 analysis.
City of Los Angeles
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construction of new school facilities. Over the period of 2008 through 2030, it is estimated
that the combination of forecasted household growth plus the proposed Project would
generate 367 additional students within the current attendance boundaries of the Valley
View Elementary School, an additional 1,055 students within the Bancroft Middle School
boundaries, and 1,471 additional students within the Hollywood High School attendance
boundaries.
Presumably, some of the students generated from future growth trends could attend
these or other schools as there is an open enrollment policy in place for the Los Angeles
Unified School District. Further, additional schools are being constructed in the Project
area, as discussed above. However, to be conservative, it is concluded that the Los
Angeles Unified School District schools that would serve the Project would operate over
capacity with cumulative student generation and new or expanded schools could be
needed. As mandated by State law, the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998,
more commonly referred to as Senate Bill 50, sets a maximum level of fees a developer
may be required to pay to mitigate a project’s impact on school facilities. As such, all future
projects, in addition to the Project, would be required to pay a school fee to the Los
Angeles Unified School District to help reduce cumulative impacts that they may have on
school services. Compliance with the provisions of Senate Bill 50 is deemed to provide full
and complete mitigation of school facilities impacts. Therefore, with the full payment of all
applicable school fees, the Project coupled with expected growth would reduce potential
cumulative impacts to schools to less than significant levels.
b. Cumulative Impacts Under No Annexation Scenario
As discussed above, potential impacts to schools are based on projected student
enrollment within the boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified School District and are not
dependent on City or County jurisdictional boundaries. The proposed detachment/
annexation actions would not alter the number of project students on the Project Site as the
amount of proposed development under the No Annexation scenario would be identical to
what would occur under the proposed Project. As such, potential cumulative impacts
would remain the same as those identified above and implementation of the recommended
mitigation measures would still reduce these impacts to a less than significant level even if
the proposed annexation/detachment actions were implemented.
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5. Project Design Features and Mitigation Measures
a. Project Design Features
No project design features are proposed with regard to schools.
b. Mitigation Measure
Under the provisions of Senate Bill 50, a project’s impacts on school facilities are
fully mitigated via the payment of the requisite new school construction fees established
pursuant to Government Code Section 65995. As such, the following mitigation measure is
identified to address the additional demand on school services resulting from the proposed
Project:
Mitigation Measure K.3-1: The Project Applicant or its successor shall pay all
applicable school fees to the Los Angeles Unified School District to
offset the impact of additional student enrollment at schools serving
the Project area.
6. Level of Significance After Mitigation
The Los Angeles Unified School District has determined that the Project would likely
contribute to the Valley View Elementary School not being able to adequately meet the
facility demands of its service area. This is considered a potentially significant impact.
However, with the implementation of Mitigation Measure K.3-1, the impacts to school
capacity levels and facilities would be reduced to a less than significant level. As such,
Project specific impacts to schools would be less than significant with mitigation. All of the
foregoing Project and cumulative impact analysis and conclusions as to “significance,” and
level of significance after mitigation, remain the same if no annexation to the City of Los
Angeles were to occur, because all Project dwelling units would remain located within the
boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
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