749 North Crane Boulevard (ENV-2025-3076-CE)

2025120457

City of Los Angeles

NOE - Notice of Exemption

12/11/2025

12/11/2025

Andrea Magaña Withers

City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning

Planning Assistant

Lead/Public Agency

200 N Spring Street, Room 621
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 978-1285

andrea.maganawithers@lacity.org

James Silverman

James Design and Development, LLC

Applicant

Project Applicant

500 Broadway, #726
Santa Monica, CA 90401

(818) 421-8283

jamescsilverman@gmail.com

PROJECT LOCATION 749 North Crane Boulevard

Categorical Exemption

Section 15303, Class 3

There are six (6) Exceptions which the City is required to consider before finding a project exempt under Class 15303 and 15332: (a) Location; (b) Cumulative Impacts; (c) Significant Effect; (d) Scenic Highways; (e) Hazardous Waste Sites; and (f) Historical Resources. The site is zoned R1-1-HCR and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Low Residential. While the subject site is located within a Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Special Grading Area (BOE Basic Grid Map A-13372), a Liquefaction area and is located 1.27 kilometers from the Raymond Fault, specific Regulatory Compliance Measures (RCMs) in the City of Los Angeles regulate the grading and construction of projects in these particular types of “sensitive” locations and will reduce any potential impacts to less than significant. Regulatory Compliance Measures (RCMs) include requirements to conform with the California Building Code and the City’s Landform Grading. These RCMs have been historically proven to work to the satisfaction of the City Engineer to reduce any impacts from the specific environment the project is located. Thus, the location of the project will not result in a significant impact based on its location. With regard to potential cumulative impacts during the construction phase of the project, there may be active construction activity in the vicinity of where the subject property is located at the same time that the project undergoes construction. However, Regulatory Compliance Measures will help ensure that cumulative impacts related to construction activity are addressed. The subject project submitted a Construction Traffic Management Plan for review by the City’s Department of Transportation (LADOT), pursuant to the LADOT’s Hillside Development Construction Traffic Management Guidelines released on June 16, 2020. These guidelines state the purpose of a Construction Traffic Management Plan is to address transportation concerns specific to hillside communities, including narrow streets, limited emergency access, and location in a Very High Fire Severity Zone. The proposed project will be subject to the conditions detailed in the Project’s Construction Traffic Management Plan, included in the case file, which was reviewed and stamped-approved by LADOT on July 21, 2025. The conditions imposed address any potential cumulative effects of various projects of the same type in the same area. Therefore, the subject project will have no cumulative impact on the City’s circulation system. The subject site is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). This does not support an unusual circumstance as the City has thousands of similar developments of the same size and scale in VHFHSZ. Additionally, the existing regulatory compliance measures will ensure there is no potential for an impact. Such areas are subject to existing emergency plans and regulations that govern development in fire hazards areas: ? Adopted emergency response plans and emergency evacuation plans applicable to the City of Los Angeles, include the City of Los Angeles Emergency Operations Plan and the Los Angeles County Operational Area Emergency Response Plan (OAERP). The OAERP defines responsibilities and provides guidance to agencies and jurisdictions within the County Operational Area on how to interface with the Operational Area Coordinator during emergencies and disasters.1 The City’s Emergency Operations Plan and Annexes identify roles, responsibilities and required actions for various City departments, particularly LAFD and the LAPD. In addition to their emergency response plans, both the City and County also designate Disaster Routes, which are freeway, highway or arterial routes pre-identified for use during emergencies. Disaster routes are not the same as evacuation routes. The Evacuation Annex of the City’s Emergency Operation Plan provides that “[p]rimary evacuation routes consist of the major interstates, highways, and primary arterials within the City and Los Angeles County.”2 Disaster routes are used to bring emergency personnel, equipment, and supplies to impacted areas, while evacuation routes are used to move an affected population out of an impacted area. The closest County-designated primary (i.e. freeway) Disaster Route to the project site is State Route 110.3 ? Fire, Building, and Zoning Code. Properties in VHFHSZs must comply with the requirements of Fire Code Section 57.322, which requires brush clearance within 200 feet of any structure. LAFD performs microenvironment weather analysis to check for irregular weather patterns and changes, which alerts LAFD to conditions such as windy days combined with low humidity. LAFD uses a Burning Index4 to determine when to call a Red Flag Day.5 A Red Flag Day is when the potential for a fast-moving brush fire is extremely high, when wind speeds are 25 mph or more and the humidity is 15 percent or less. On those days, illegally parked cars in VHFHSZ areas may be towed if their presence would prevent roadway access needed by LAFD. LAFD also has a significant air response ready to deploy, including water-dropping helicopters, and the mission of LAFD Air Operations includes brush fire suppression.6 LAFD also has access to additional helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, bulldozers, and fire engines through mutual aid agreements with the state, County, and other cities in the region. In addition to attacking wildfires from the sky, LAFD also has ground resources such as fire engines and trucks. Chapter 33 of the City’s Fire Code provides requirements designed to reduce risk of fire ignition during construction. These include, but are not limited to, prohibition of smoking except in areas approved by the LAFD, refueling of equipment in appropriate locations, preparation of a fire prevention program, and designation of fire watch personnel during occurrence of hazardous construction activities. The Fire Code (LAMC Section 57.4906.5.2) also requires the management of hazardous vegetation and fuel, as well as maintenance of defensible space in wildland-urban interface areas. The Fire Code also includes regulations that address building materials and construction methods for construction in VHFHSZs, that are intended to reduce exterior wildfire exposure As mentioned, the project proposes the construction, use, and maintenance of a new 2,493.10 square foot, single-family dwelling including a 330.50 square foot attached garage on a 5,103.80 square foot lot, in an area zoned and designated for such development. All adjacent lots are vacant or developed with single-family dwellings, and the subject site is of a similar size and slope to nearby properties. The project proposes a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.50:1 or 2,493.10 square feet on a site that is permitted to have a maximum FAR of 0.50:1 or 2,493.30 square feet. The project proposes a building height of 38 feet seven (7) inches, which is not unusual for the vicinity of the subject site and is similar in scope to other existing low residential in the area. As identified in the Biological Resources Report dated March 11, 2025, by Marcus C. England, the project will have no impact on any species or riparian habitats identified as a candidate, sensitive, or special status species in local or regional plans, policies, or regulations; federally protected wetlands; and the movement of any native resident or migratory fish or wildlife species. While the site is previously undisturbed, it is surrounded by development and therefore is not, and has no value as, a habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species. Therefore, the subject project will have no cumulative biological impact to the project site and its surroundings. Prior to any work on the adjacent public right-of-way, the applicant will be required to obtain approved plans from the Department of Public Works. As there currently is no approved right-of-way improvement plan and for purposes of conservative analysis under CEQA, Planning has analyzed the worst-case potential for removal of all street trees. Note that street trees and protected trees shall not be removed without prior approval of the Board of Public Works/Urban Forestry (BPW) under LAMC Sections 62.161-62.171. At the time of preparation of this environmental document, no approvals have been given for any tree removals on-site or in the right-of-way by BPW. The City has required a Tree Report to identify all protected trees/shrubs on the project site and all street trees in the adjacent public right-of-way. As identified in the Tree Report prepared by Cris Falco, Consulting Arborist (WE-7490B) on April 28, 2025, there are four (4) trees onsite, of which three (3) are Protected Trees/Shrubs and zero (0) Significant Trees. Two (2) Protected Trees and one (1) non-Protected Tree are proposed for removal as part of the project. There are no street trees. Eight (8) trees will be planted on a 4:1 ratio for the two (2) Protected Trees being removed. This Tree Report was reviewed by the Urban Forestry Division on July 9, 2025. Thus, there are no unusual circumstances which may lead to a significant effect on the environment.