R11059City Council Meeting: July 25, 2017
RESOLUTION NO. rlvs9 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
Santa Monica, California
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA CERTIFYING THE
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 65300 et seq. requires that each
city adopt a comprehensive, long term general plan for the physical development of the
city, a plan which is considered the constitution governing land use; and
WHEREAS, the general plan must include a land use element and a circulation
element; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica's Land Use and Circulation Element
("LUCE") was adopted by the City Council on July 6, 2010; and
WHEREAS, the LUCE designates the proposed general distribution, location, and
extent of land uses within the City; and
WHEREAS, the LUCE was adopted after an extensive planning process, and
addresses neighborhood conservation and enhancement; integrated land use and
transportation; proactive congestion management; complete neighborhoods with
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increased open space; community benefits; quality urban character and form;
preservation of historic resources; and growth management; and
WHEREAS, the goals and policies of the LUCE set the future direction of the City,
including the City's Downtown area, which is generally bounded by Wilshire Boulevard
along its northern edge, Lincoln Boulevard along its eastern edge, the 1-10 Freeway to
the south, and Ocean Avenue and Palisades Park to the west (collectively referenced
herein as the "Downtown Area"); and
WHEREAS, the LUCE contemplates the Downtown Core designation of the
Downtown Area as a thriving, mixed-use urban environment in which people can live,
work, be entertained and culturally enriched; and
WHEREAS, the LUCE contemplates that the Downtown Core designation allows
for the broadest mix of uses and highest intensity development because it comprises the
City's major regional and employment district, with a human -scale and pedestrian
orientation at the street level with development intensities lower on the northern and
eastern edges in order to transition to the lower -density character of adjacent
neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the LUCE contemplates that specific uses within the Downtown Core
as well as development parameters, including height, floor area ratio, setbacks and step
backs, will be established by a specific plan; and
WHEREAS, the draft Downtown Community Plan ("DCP") is the proposed specific
plan for the Downtown Area; and
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WHEREAS, a Notice of Preparation of a Program Environmental Impact Report
for the Downtown Community Plan ("Draft EIR") was issued on September 19, 2013; and
WHEREAS, a public scoping hearing for the Draft EIR was held on October 3,
2013, and public comments were received until October 21, 2013; and
WHEREAS, a Notice of Completion of the Draft EIR was published on February 3,
2016; and
WHEREAS, the Draft EIR was circulated for a 90 -day public review period from
February 3, 2016 to May 3, 2016; and
WHEREAS, a Recirculated Draft EIR was circulated for a 47 -day public review
period from February 1, 2017 to March 20, 2017; and
WHEREAS, the Final Environmental Impact Report ("Final EIR") that includes
responses to written comments on the Draft EIR, was published in April 2017; and
WHEREAS, the Final EIR analyzes the effect of potential land use changes that
could occur within the Downtown area through 2030 as a result of the implementation of
the DCP, including a review of the range of impacts between Scenario A (development
with a cap of 4.73 million square feet of net new floor area) and Scenario B (development
with a cap of 3.22 million square feet of net new floor area) plus five alternatives, including
the No Project alternative (Alternative #1), the Reduced Project alternative (Alternative
#2), the 4th/5th Streets One -Way Streets Circulation Plan (Alternative #3), the Expanded
One -Way Street Circulation Plan (Alternative #4), and the Hotel/Tourism-focused
alternative (Alternative #5); and
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WHEREAS, the Final EIR (page 5.0-140) determined that the implementation of
Scenario B would be the environmentally superior alternative because it would
incrementally reduce potential environmental impacts relative to Scenario A, but
implementation of Scenario B would also still achieve all of the goals of the DCP; and
WHEREAS, since initiating the planning process for the DCP in 2012, four
iterations of the DCP have been introduced; and
WHEREAS, the final public hearing draft of the DCP was released to the public at
an open house event on April 12, 2017; and
WHEREAS, all of the drafts, including the April 12, 2017 draft, represent Scenario
B (development with a cap of 3.22 million square feet of net new floor area); and
WHEREAS, at the public hearings regarding the DCP, commencing on April 26
and continuing on May 10, 11, 17, 18 and 31, 2017, the Planning Commission received
extensive public testimony and written submittals, reviewed and considered City staff
presentations and reports, including the Final EIR, and engaged in a lengthy deliberative
process; and
WHEREAS, after considering all such oral and written testimony at the public
hearings on April 26, May 10, 11, 17, 18 and 31, 2017, the Planning Commission adopted
Resolution No. 17-006 (PCS) to recommend that the City Council approve the April 12,
2017 draft of the DCP, as modified by certain changes in the Addenda Sheet attached
thereto as Exhibit B; and
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WHEREAS, at the public hearings regarding the DCP on July 10, 11, and 25, 2017,
the City Council received extensive public testimony and written submittals, including,
without limitation, Planning Commission Resolution No. 17-006 (PCS), and reviewed and
considered City staff presentations and reports, including the Final EIR and Errata, dated
July 19, 2017 (collectively referenced herein as "the Final EIR"), and engaged in a lengthy
deliberative process; and
WHEREAS, after considering all such oral and written testimony at the public
hearings on July 10, 11, and 25, 2017, the City Council desires to consider approval of
the April 12, 2017 draft of the DCP, as modified by certain changes that are reflected in
the Errata, dated July 19, 2017 (collectively referenced herein as "the Final Draft DCP");
and
WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed and considered the contents of the
Final EIR in its decision-making process, and independently determined that the Final
EIR has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act
("CEQA")(Public Resources Code sections 21000 et seq.) and CEQA guidelines;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council certifies that:
(1) The Final EIR for the Downtown Community Plan ("DCP") has been
completed in full compliance with CEQA and CEQA Guidelines;
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(2) The Final EIR was presented to the City Council as the decision-
making body of the lead agency and that the City Council reviewed and considered the
information contained in the Final EIR prior to approving the DCP; and
(3) The Final EIR reflects the City Council's independent judgment and
analysis.
SECTION 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution, and
thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
JOSEPH LAWRENCE
Interim City Attorney
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Adopted and approved this 25th day of July, 2017.
-fir W
Ted Winterer, Mayor
1, Denise Anderson -Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby
certify that Resolution No. 11059 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of the Santa
Monica City Council held on the 25th day of July, 2017, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers McKeown, Himmelrich, O'Connor, O'Day, Vazquez,
Mayor Pro Tem Davis, Mayor Winterer
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST:
JA &w m
Denise Anderson -Warren, City Clerk