SR-402-005 (3)
PCD:SF:JT:AS:PF:BL:f:\plan\share\council\stoas\02\02APPdr011Lantana
Council Mtg: January 14, 2003 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Certification of the Statement of Official Action for Appeal of Planning
Commission Denial of Development Review Permit 99-011; Reduced
Parking Permit 99-004 Related to a Proposed Entertainment Studio
Projects at 3131 Exposition Boulevard. Applicant/Appellant: Lantana
South Hines Development. Property Owner: Lantana South Hines
Development.
INTRODUCTION
This staff report transmits for City Council certification the Statement of Official Action
for Appeal Appeal 02-017 of the Planning Commission’s denial of Development Review
Permit 99-011 and Reduced Parking Permit and 99-004 to allow the construction of an
Entertainment Studio Project at 3131 Exposition Boulevard.
On November 12, 2002, the City Council adopted a motion on a 4–3 vote denying
Development Review Permit 99-011 and associated Reduced Parking Permit 99-004.
The permits would have allowed the construction of a 152,721 square foot studio
building at 3131 Exposition Boulevard. The City Council’s decision was based upon the
findings contained in the attached Statement of Official Action.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
The recommendation presented in this report does not have any budget or fiscal impact.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve the attached Statement of Official
Action.
Prepared by: Suzanne Frick, Director
Jay Trevino, AICP, Planning Manager
Amanda Schachter, Principal Planner
Paul Foley, Senior Planner
Bruce Leach, Associate Planner
City Planning Division
Planning and Community Development Department
Attachment: Statement of Official Action
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CITY COUNCIL
STATEMENT OF OFFICIAL
ACTION
PROJECT
CASE NUMBER: Appeal 02-017
LOCATION: 3131 Exposition Boulevard
APPLICANT: Lantana South Hines Development
APPELLANT: Lantana South Hines Development
CASE PLANNER: Bruce Leach, Associate Planner
REQUEST: Appeal of Planning Commission Denial of Development
Review Permit 99-011 and Reduced Parking Permit 99-
004 for a 152,721 square foot entertainment studio
building at 3131 Exposition Boulevard.
CEQA STATUS: An Environmental Impact Report was prepared for the
project in compliance with the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA). The Environmental Impact Report
was certified by the City Council on November 12, 2002
by Resolution No. 9809 (CCS).
CITY COUNCIL ACTION
November 12, 2002 Date.
Approved based on the following findings and subject to the
conditions below.
Denied
X
_____________ Other. Denied Appeal, denying Development Review Permit 99-
011 and Reduced Parking Permit 99-004 without prejudice.
1
EFFECTIVE DATE OF ACTION:
November 12, 2002
Following a public hearing held on November 12, 2002, the City Council denied the
appeal and upheld the Planning Commission’s denial of Development Review Permit
99-011 and Reduced Parking Permit 99-004 without prejudice based upon the following
findings. Each and all of the findings and determinations are based on the competent
and substantial evidence, both oral and written, contained in the entire record relating to
the project. All summaries of information contained herein or in the findings are based
on the substantial evidence in the record. The absence of any particular fact from any
summary is not an indication that a particular finding is not based in part on that fact:
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FINDINGS
1. The physical location, size, massing, and placement of the proposed structure on
the site and the location of the proposed uses within the project are not
compatible with and does not relate harmoniously to surrounding sites and
neighborhoods, in that the proposed 3-story, 152,721 square foot entertainment
production facility, with 665 parking spaces, is located on Exposition Boulevard, a
local street, adjacent to a residential neighborhood. The project is within an area
of the City already heavily impacted by traffic. As detailed in the Final EIR for this
project, the project itself would generate approximately 1,453 daily vehicle trips.
Approximately 214 trips would occur during the AM peak hour, and 171 trips
would occur during the PM peak hours. The project’s traffic would result in
significant and unavoidable impacts to five intersections and two street
segments. Four of the intersections are projected to be at level of service (LOS)
F, (failure, where backups in traffic may restrict or prevent movement of vehicles
out of the intersection approaches). The proposed project would also have
significant and unavoidable adverse impacts on two street segments, increasing
Average Daily Trips (ADT) by 20.8% on Exposition Boulevard, 66.7% on
Warwick Avenue and 22.2% on Virginia Avenue. As identified in the EIR, the
existing local, collector and arterial roadway system cannot accommodate the
additional traffic that would be generated by this project. There is inadequate
right-of-way width and other constraints that do not allow additional traffic lanes
or signal improvements to mitigate anticipated impacts. Traffic impact would be
particularly acute on Exposition Boulevard and Centinela Avenue and at the
intersections of Exposition Boulevard and Centinela Avenue and Centinela
Avenue and the I-10 Freeway onramp and off-ramp. This is the route Lantana
South would use to access the Route I-10 freeway and arterial streets.
Implementing potential improvements on Centinela Avenue is not feasible
because Centinela Avenue is located in the City of Los Angeles and the Los
Angeles Department of Transportation has determined that potential
improvements that could reduce impacts are not acceptable. As a result, traffic
on Centinela Avenue and Exposition Boulevard would be adversely impacted,
2
causing many drivers to try to access or leave the Lantana South site by cutting-
through the residential neighborhood to avoid the intersection of Centinela
Avenue and Exposition Boulevard.
2. The rights-of-way cannot accommodate autos and pedestrians, including parking
and access, in that the proposed project is located within an area of the City
already heavily impacted by traffic. As detailed in the Final EIR for this project,
four of the seven intersections are projected to be at level of service (LOS) F,
(failure, where backups in traffic may restrict or prevent movement of vehicles out
of the intersection approaches) without the addition of the proposed project. In
addition to these existing conditions, the EIR estimates that the proposed project
would generate approximately 1,453 daily trips. Approximately 214 trips would
occur during the AM peak hour, and 171 trips would occur during the PM peak
hour from Lantana South.The proposed project would increase Average Daily
Trips (ADT) by 20.8% on Exposition Boulevard, 66.7% on Warwick Avenue and
22.2% on Virginia Avenue. As identified in the EIR, the existing local, collector
and arterial roadway system cannot accommodate the additional traffic that
would be generated by this project. This impact is particularly acute on Centinela
Avenue and at the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Centinela Avenue,
and Centinela Avenue and the I-10 Freeway. This is the route Lantana South
would use to access the Route I-10 freeway. There is inadequate right-of-way
width or other constraints that do not allow additional traffic lanes or signal
improvements to mitigate anticipated impacts. Implementing potential
improvements on Centinela Avenue is further complicated because Centinela
Avenue is in the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles DOT has determined
that potential improvements that could mitigate impacts are not acceptable. As a
result, many drivers trying to access or leave the Lantana South site would cut-
through the residential neighborhood to avoid the intersection of Centinela
Avenue and Exposition Boulevard.
3. The Lantana South project is generally consistent with the Municipal Code, but is
not consistent with the General Plan, in that Lantana South is located adjacent to
a residential neighborhood. The only street access to Lantana South is
Exposition Boulevard, a local street which also provides access to residents
along its south frontage and four local streets into the residential neighborhood.
The project is within an area of the City already heavily impacted by traffic. As
detailed in the Final EIR for this project, the project itself would generate
approximately 1,453 daily vehicle trips. Approximately 214 trips would occur
during the AM peak hour, and 171 trips would occur during the PM peak hours.
The proposed project would increase Average Daily Trips (ADT) by 20.8% on
Exposition Boulevard, 66.7% on Warwick Avenue and 22.2% on Virginia Avenue.
As identified in the EIR, the existing local, collector and arterial roadway system
cannot accommodate the additional traffic that would be generated by this
project. There is inadequate right-of-way width and other constraints that do not
allow additional traffic lanes or signal improvements to mitigate anticipated
impacts. Traffic impact would be particularly acute on Exposition Boulevard and
Centinela Avenue and at the intersections of Exposition Boulevard and Centinela
Avenue and Centinela Avenue and the I-10 Freeway on and off ramps. This is
3
the route Lantana South would use to access the Route I-10 freeway and arterial
streets. Implementing potential improvements on Centinela Avenue is not
feasible because Centinela Avenue is located in the City of Los Angeles and the
Los Angeles Department of Transportation has determined that potential
improvements that could reduce impacts are not acceptable. As a result, traffic
on Centinela Avenue and Exposition Boulevard would be adversely impacted,
causing many drivers to try to access or leave the Lantana South site by cutting-
through the residential neighborhood to avoid the intersection of Centinela
Avenue and Exposition Boulevard. There are no feasible mitigation measures to
prevent Lantana South traffic from driving trough the residential neighborhood.
During peak traffic periods it will be more convenient to drive through this
residential neighborhood to avoid traffic congestion at the intersection of
Centinela Avenue and Exposition Boulevard. Since a significant level of traffic
volume will intrude into the residential neighborhood from this project, Lantana
South is inconsistent with General Plan Objective 3.2, which calls for the
protection of the scale and character of residential neighborhoods that are
adjacent to commercial areas and Circulation Element Objective 4.2 to protect
the environment on local residential streets by minimizing the intrusion of
vehicular traffic and parking into residential neighborhoods.
4. As detailed in the Final EIR for this project, the Lantana South project would
result in significant effects on the environment which cannot be eliminated or
substantially lessened and these significant environmental effects are not
acceptable due to overriding considerations. More specifically, this project has
significant, unavoidable traffic impacts. Although the public benefits from the
project would include a prominent well designed project that implements City
urban design policies to create architecturally distinctive gateway and
development of a project that exceeds Green Building standards to qualify as a
Lead Pilot Project, the significant and unavoidable traffic impacts outweigh these
benefits. Consequently, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15092(b), the project
cannot be approved.
Reduced Parking Permit Findings
1. Approval of the Reduced Parking Permit is contingent on the production studio
project being approved pursuant to Development Review Permit 99-011. Since
Development Review Permit 99-011 is denied, Reduced Parking Permit 99-004
is also denied.
VOTE
Ayes: Bloom, Genser, McKeown, Feinstein
Nays: Holbrook, Katz, O’Conner
Abstain:
Absent:
4
NOTICE
If this is a final decision not subject to further appeal under the City of Santa Monica
Comprehensive and Zoning Ordinance, the time within which judicial review of this
decision must be sought is governed by Code of Civil Procedures Section 1094.6, which
provision has been adopted by the City pursuant to Municipal Code Section 1.16.010.
I hereby certify that this Statement of Official Action accurately reflects the final
determination of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica.
_____________________________ _____________________________
MARIA M. STEWART, City Clerk Date
F:\PLAN\SHARE\COUNCIL\STOAS\02\02APPdr011Lantana.doc
5