Stevenson Elementary School Modernization Plus Project

2025101090

Long Beach Unified School District

NOE - Notice of Exemption

10/23/2025

10/23/2025

Dana Grudem

Long Beach Unified School District

Senior Program Manager

Lead/Public Agency

2425 Webster Ave Long Beach
Long Beach, CA 90810

(562) 997-7550

Dgrudem@lbschools.net

Lime Ave and E 6th St

90802

Hwy 1, I-710

Stevenson Elementary School is located at 515 Lime Avenue in a residential neighborhood of Long Beach, California. The 2.75-acre campus is bounded by residential uses to the north, south, east, and west, with some nearby commercial properties.

Categorical Exemption

Class 1:15301 , Class 3: 15303, Class 14: 15314, Class 31: 15331

Class 1 Exemptions consist of proposed projects that would result in the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The key consideration is whether the project involves negligible or no expansion of use. The project primarily consists of repair, maintenance, and minor alteration of existing public facilities involving negligible or no expansion of use. All work will occur within the developed campus footprint on previously disturbed land. Modernization includes restorative rehabilitation measures, focusing on preservation and rehabilitation of historic fabric in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Accordingly, a Class 1 Exemption is applicable to the Proposed Project. Class 3 Exemptions consist of proposed projects that would result in the construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure. Replacement of non-original or deteriorated elements—such as inappropriate ceiling and wall finishes— with historically compatible materials qualifies under Class 3 as reconstruction where the new features match the historic character, purpose, and capacity of the originals. Accordingly, a Class 3 Exemption is applicable to the Proposed Project. Class 14 Exemptions consist of proposed projects that would result in minor additions to existing schools within existing school grounds where the addition does not increase original student capacity by more than 25 percent or 10 classrooms, whichever is less. The bridge and elevator addition will be constructed entirely within existing school grounds, will not increase student capacity by more than 25 percent or ten classrooms, and will be designed to be compatible with the historic architecture. Accordingly, a Class 14 Exemption is applicable to the Proposed Project. Class 31 consists of projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation or reconstruction of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings (Standards). To be considered eligible under this Class, a project must be clearly defined by the project proponent as a rehabilitation that is consistent with the Secretary's Standards. The proponent must demonstrate use of qualified personnel (e.g. a preservation architect), a process/procedure (e.g. use of federal historic rehabilitation tax credits), or other means to ensure appropriate interpretation and application of the Standards. Stevenson Elementary School’s two permanent 1934 classroom buildings (Buildings A and B) are considered historical resources under CEQA because they are eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) under Criterion 3 as representative examples of WPA/PWA Moderne– style school design by prominent Long Beach architect Clarence Nelson Aldrich. The proposed modernization includes rehabilitation of these buildings, as well as construction of a new connector and elevator element between them. The rehabilitation is restorative in nature and will be conducted consistently with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, ensuring character-defining features are preserved, incompatible alterations are removed, and historically compatible materials are used throughout. The only existing historic material proposed for removal is the set of concrete stairs at the current entrances to Buildings A and B. These staircases are not original to Aldrich’s design, are of secondary importance to the buildings’ integrity, and their removal will not materially impair the property’s significance. The new connector and elevator have been designed in consultation with qualified architectural historians who meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards. The connector is contemporary in design, differentiated from the historic fabric, and set back from the classroom façades at a lower height datum to minimize visual impact. Its placement retains the legibility of the symmetrical east elevations and does not obscure the Moderne detailing that defines the buildings’ significance. Because the project has been designed in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, the proposed work will not materially impair the qualities that make Stevenson Elementary eligible for the CRHR. Accordingly, the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource, and the historical resources exception under CEQA Guidelines § 15300.2(f) does not apply.