2436 N. Gates Street Project (DIR-2025-4-CLQ)

2436 N. Gates Street Project (DIR-2025-4-CLQ)

This document serves as the First Addendum to the Negative Declaration (ND) ENV-2019-4984-ND, dated December 2021, prepared for the Project located at 2417-2455 North Thomas Street and 2428-2436 North Gates Street (“2021 ND” for the “Original Project”). The ND was adopted on June 28, 2022, by the Los Angeles City Council, the City’s legislative body that determined the Original Project would not have a significant effect on the environment. The Initial Study that was undertaken analyzed impacts related to Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forest Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Energy, Geology and Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Land Use and Planning, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population and Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Transportation/Traffic, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities and Service Systems, Wildfire, and Mandatory Findings of Significance. The project description for the Original Project was as follows: The proposed project is a change of use from a school, daycare, convent, and chapel to office. There is no demolition, and no grading is proposed at this time. There are three (3) palm trees on-site and no trees within the public right-of-way that will be removed as part of the proposed scope. The existing structures, which are proposed to remain, measure approximately 17,318 square feet, with a maximum of 29.12 feet in height, and include approximately 36,395 square feet of open space and landscaping, 39 automobile parking spaces, and five (5) bicycle parking spaces (2 short-term and 3 long-term). Minor improvements to the existing structures that are proposed to remain may be necessary to comply with current codes as part of the change of use process. Any such improvements will be required to be in compliance with the applicable requirements of the HPOZ for those buildings within the HPOZ boundaries. The applicant also requests up to 10,000 square feet of office use for a potential future development. The additional floor area will be in seven (7) one-and two-story buildings located in the northeast portion of the project site that is currently a landscaped garden area. If developed in the future, the open space would be reduced to approximately 29,745 square feet. The additional floor area will require the provision of 16 automobile parking spaces and three (3) bicycle parking spaces (1 short term and 2 long-term). The potential future development will be located on three (3) lots that are currently located outside the boundaries of the HPOZ. Of the 11 total lots that comprise the project site, six (6) of them are within the Lincoln Heights HPOZ. The campus in its entirety was identified as a Contributing Element to the Lincoln Heights HPOZ. These structures on the campus are proposed to be preserved and maintained to allow for their adaptive reuse as office space. The existing and contributing structures will not be altered so that they continue to contribute to the historic character of the surrounding community and the HPOZ. The requested entitlements include a General Plan Amendment from Low Residential to Neighborhood Commercial; and a Vesting Zone Change from [Q]R1-1D and [Q]R1-1D-HPOZ to [Q]C2-1D-HPOZ. The original determination for Case No. CPC-2019-4983-GPA-VZC, issued March 29, 2022, approved a change of use from a school, daycare, convent, dormitories, playground, and chapel to storage, office, and motion picture/television uses. The approval includes a General Plan Amendment from Low Residential to Neighborhood Commercial land use designation and a Vesting Zone Change from [Q]R1-1D and [Q]R1-1D-HPOZ to (T)(Q)C4-1D and (T)(Q)C4-1D-HPOZ. The Vesting Zone Change was approved under Ordinance No. 187,557, effective August 7, 2022. The approval also includes development of up to 10,000 additional square feet of office and motion picture/television uses on portions of the Project Site that are outside the Lincoln Heights Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (the “HPOZ”) boundaries. Subsequent to the adoption of the 2021 ND and the approval of the original case (CPC-2019-4983-GPA-VZC), in 2022 it was discovered by Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (“LADBS”) staff during the permit plan check process for the Original Project that the Floor Area of the existing buildings to remain was miscalculated and reflected incorrectly in the Original Project plans approved with Ordinance No. 187,557. Including the areas that were erroneously left out of the Floor Area calculation, the total existing building Floor Area to remain is approximately 18,864 square feet, corrected from 17,318 square feet. Additionally, the approved Original Project reflected a conceptual plan which has since evolved. Specifically, the approved Original Project includes 10,000 square feet of additional/new Floor Area for office use proposed within seven (7) new buildings (Building 1-7). Under the Modified Project proposed in the Clarification of Q Conditions and D Limitations entitlement, Case No. DIR-2025-4-CLQ, the 10,000 square feet of office use will be spread across four (4) new buildings (Buildings 1-4) and allocated as modifications to existing buildings (Buildings B, C, D and F). Specifically, a total of approximately 8,514 square feet of floor area would be allocated to new Buildings 1-4 and a total of approximately 1,486 square feet of additional/net new floor area would be added to Buildings B, C, D and F. The site plan for the Original Project indicated that the seven new buildings would be one- to two-stories, ranging from 15 feet to 30 feet in height. The revised site plan for the Modified Project indicates building heights between 10 feet to 28 feet for the new one- to two-story buildings. As approved, the new buildings of the Original Project would range from approximately 450 square feet to 3,800 square feet. The revised site plan for the Modified Project indicates building square footages ranging from 344 square feet to 4,700 square feet for the four buildings. The proposed changes, described in further detail below, are limited to a corrected calculation of existing Floor Area, site development changes with the approved increase of 10,000 square feet of Floor Area as described above, and updated vehicular and bicycle parking requirements pursuant to California Government Code Section 65863.2 (AB 2097) and Los Angeles Municipal (LAMC) requirements, and are not considered substantial changes compared to what was approved for the Original Project. In addition, whereas the approved Original Project did not involve changes to the existing buildings, the Modified Project includes upgrades, modifications, and improvements to existing Buildings B, C, D, and F. Buildings B, C, and D are located within the Lincoln Heights HPOZ and Building F is located outside of the HPOZ boundaries. Within Building B, mechanical and storage space within the basement level will be converted to usable floor area, creating 300 square feet of floor area. Within Building C, the existing full-height crawl space within the basement level will be converted to usable space, creating 400 square feet of floor area. In addition, 16 square feet of floor area will be demolished at the northwest corner of Building C to provide ADA-compliant accessibility into the building and to improve pedestrian and vehicular visibility from the two adjoining on-site driveways that are steep and intersect just to the northwest of Building C. With the creation of usable floor area within the basements of Buildings B and C (totaling 700 square feet) and the demolition of 16 square feet at the northwest corner of Building C, a net total addition of 684 square feet of floor area will be added to Buildings B and C. Changes to Building D include demolition of a previously existing shade structure/canopy with approximately 283 square feet of floor area. This structure was added to Building D in the 1980s or 1990s, according to approved plans for Case No. ADM-2022-6475-CWC. The Conforming Work on a Contributing Structure (CWC) case was approved by the Office of Historic Resources staff in 2022. In addition, a roof overhang/extension (or eave) will be added on level two of the building to create a covered outdoor entrance for weather protection, creating approximately 180 square feet of additional floor area. While the existing building footprint of Building D would not change, demolition of the shade structure and addition of the new roof overhang would result in a net reduction of approximately 103 square feet in Building D. Approximately 905 square feet of office floor area will be added to Building F, which is not located in the HPOZ, which will add a second level to the existing storage building. The height of Building F with the addition would be approximately 25 feet, which is below the 30-foot building height limit imposed on the project.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Southern California

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Education, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region 5 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 7 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region 4 (RWQCB), Department of General Services (DGS), Office of Historic Preservation, San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC)

Office (Sq. Ft. 10000, Acres .2, Employees 10)

General Plan Amendment, Rezone, Addendum

Land Use/Planning