2615 W. 8th Street, Land Acquisition, Permanent Affordable Housing; Land Bank Pilot Program Site #4

2025111051

Los Angeles County

NOE - Notice of Exemption

11/25/2025

11/25/2025

Helena Dedic

CEO RED

Manager

Lead/Public Agency

555 West Fifth Street, 36th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90013

(213) 974-4200

jacuna@ceo.lacounty.gov

34°3'27.3"N 118°17'0.7"W

W 8th St / S Coronado St

90057-3809

5141-013-805

Hoover Elementary School, McAlister High School

MacArthur Park Lake

Categorical Exemption

Class I Existing Use (CEQA Guidelines Section 15301); Class 32 In-Fill Development Projects (CEQA Guidelines 15332)

CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 – Class1 – Existing Facilities Continued interim operation of the existing parking lot would be eligible for a Class 1 Exemption as the existing use would remain with no expansion in use. CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 - Class 32 -- Infill Development Projects The affordable housing project is consistent with applicable general plan designation and zoning. The project site is within the City of Los Angeles, is less than 5 acres and is surrounded by urban uses. There is no habitat on the site. The project would not have the potential to significantly impact traffic, noise, air quality or water quality based on proposed site improvements and anticipated changes in occupancy. Typical construction techniques for building rehabilitation would be used that would be required to comply with applicable regulations including Low Impact Development (LID) and Noise Ordinances. The site is located in an urban area well-served by utilities and public services.

Emergency Project

Sec. 21080(b)(4); 15269(b)(c)

Homelessness in the City and County of Los Angeles experienced a large increase from 2016 to 2023, with 2024 remaining similar to 2023 and 2025 seeing a small (4%) countywide decrease. According to the 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, the County of Los Angeles had at the time of the count (January 2023) approximately 75,518 people experiencing homelessness countywide, including approximately 46,260 in the City of Los Angeles. In 2025 the overall homeless count was 72,308 countywide and 43,699 in the City of Los Angeles; countywide unsheltered homelessness decreased from 2024 by 9.5% while sheltered homelessness increased 8.5% (City of Los Angeles unsheltered homelessness decreased 7.9% and sheltered homelessness increased 4.7%). The County of Los Angeles represents approximately 25 percent of the State of California’s population, but over 40 percent of the state’s unhoused population. The City of Los Angeles represents 9.6 percent of the State of California’s population, but nearly 25 percent of the state’s unhoused population. On December 12, 2022, the City of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency on homelessness and activated the city’s Emergency Operations Center. On January 10, 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to proclaim a local emergency for homelessness in the County of Los Angeles. Previously, on April 17, 2018, Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a shelter crisis to provide emergency housing for the unsheltered homeless people in the City of Los Angeles. On October 30, 2018, the LA County Board of Supervisors declared a shelter crisis to address homelessness in unincorporated LA County. This affordable housing project would provide permanent affordable housing that would address the homelessness emergency by providing for people to avoid or move from temporary shelters. Thus, the project would be eligible for the CEQA emergency project exemption.

Statutory Exemption

Los Angeles Affordable Housing, (Section 21080.27(c)(1)(2)(3)(5) and (d)(1) (2)(3) (AB 785)); Common Sense Exemption

California Environmental Quality Act [CEQA] Section 21080.27(c)(1)(2)(3) and (5) and (d)(1)(2) and (3) – Los Angeles Exemption for Affordable Housing (AB 785) The acquisition of the site for land banking is the first step of the project. The reasonably anticipated future project would be a 100% affordable housing development project (consistent with Section 65589.5 of the Government Code) and would have a recorded deed restriction requiring affordable rent for 55 years or affordable cost for 45 years. Funding for the 2615 W. 8th Street Affordable Housing project would include one or more of the 14 sources identified in PRC 21080.27(a)(2) -- a necessary condition for meeting the definition of affordable housing under this exemption. The site is not vacant. The site is not listed as hazardous pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5 or designated hazardous by the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to Section 25356 of the Health and Safety Code. The site is not within a special flood hazard area or regulatory floodway as determined by FEMA. The site has not been identified for conservation and does not provide habitat for protected species. The property is not subject to a conservation easement. Once purchased by the County, further actions related to the project would be consistent with CEQA Section 21080.27(c)(1)(2)(3) and (5): “[t]he issuance of an entitlement for .. an affordable housing project...”; “[a]n action to … encumber land for an affordable housing project”; “[a]n action to facilitate encumbrance of land owned or to be purchased for an affordable housing project” and “[a]n action to provide financial assistance in furtherance of implementing an affordable housing project… Consistent with CEQA Section 21080.27(d)(1)(2) and (3) the project would be undertaken by the County in the City of Los Angeles and would be: “[a]n action to … encumber land for an affordable housing project…; “[a]n action to facilitate … encumbrance of land owned or to be purchased for an affordable housing project” and “[a]n action to provide financial assistance in furtherance of implementing an affordable housing project…”. The project with either be a public work [Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1720) of Part 7 of Division 2 of the Labor Code] or will comply with the prevailing wage requirements for CEQA Section 21080.27(e). CEQA Guidelines 15061(b)(3) – Common Sense Exemption Temporary continuation of the existing parking lot would result in the same impacts as at present and would have no possibility of an increase in impacts.