Modern Schoolhouse (5117 Eagle Rock) ENV-2025-3216-CE
Summary
SCH Number
2026010093
Public Agency
City of Los Angeles
Document Title
Modern Schoolhouse (5117 Eagle Rock) ENV-2025-3216-CE
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
1/6/2026
Document Description
The proposed project is a Project Compliance and Design Review (Design Review Board) for a change of use from Retail to Day Care (Child Care) and interior tenant improvements within a portion of an existing two-story commercial building. The project consists of 1,183 square feet of floor area on the ground floor for childcare and 2,976 square feet for an outdoor play area at the rear of the property. The project shall be permitted to provide a minimum of zero automobile parking spaces pursuant to California Government Code Section 65863.2 (AB 2097). Tenant improvements are proposed for the interior only. No exterior modifications to the existing building are proposed.
The subject site is located at 5119, 5119 ½, 5121, 5121 ½ North Eagle Rock Boulevard on the west side of the street between Las Flores Drive and Colorado Boulevard. The site is located within Subarea II of the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan and the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan and is developed with a two-story multi-tenant commercial building constructed in 1923. The building is a designated historical resource. The lot encompasses approximately 7,003 square feet. It is zoned [Q]C4-1XL and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Neighborhood Commercial. Properties to the north and west are zoned R1-1, and properties to the south and east are also zoned [Q]C4-1XL and improved with commercial uses. The site is separated from the residential uses by a driveway on the north, and a masonry wall on the west. The neighborhood properties are generally improved with older one-story residential buildings and one- and two-story commercial buildings with neighborhood commercial uses such as retail, office, and restaurant. The site is located in the central portion of the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan in Subarea II, which allows for a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.0 to 1. No changes to the existing floor area are proposed.
Contact Information
Name
Debbie Lawrence
Agency Name
City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning
Job Title
City Planning Associate
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Miguel Acosta
Agency Name
Skedio Studio
Job Title
Representative
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Cities
Los Angeles
Counties
Los Angeles
Regions
Southern California
Cross Streets
Eagle Rock Blvd & Las Flores Dr
Other Location Info
PROJECT LOCATION:
5119, 5119 ½, 5121, 5121 ½ North Eagle Rock Boulevard – Las Flores Drive and Colorado Boulevard
Other Information
NAME OF APPLICANT / OWNER:
Sukhjit Athwal, The Modern Schoolhouse / Bradley Keyes, 5117 Eagle Rock, LLC
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15301 / Class 1
Reasons for Exemption
The project is exempt because Categorical Exemption Class 1 (Existing Facilities) allows for 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 use beyond that existing. The project is a change of use from Retail to Day Care and interior tenant improvements within an existing commercial building. The proposed use is allowed by the subject site’s zoning. None of the exceptions to the Categorical Exemption Under CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 applies to the proposed project. (a) Location: The project is not located within a hillside area or within the Santa Monica Mountains Zone, the subject site does not contain an officially mapped environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern. The site is identified as having low potential for biological resources and mountain lions; (b) Cumulative Impact: The project will not result in significant cumulative impacts from successive projects of the same type in the same place; (c) Significant Effect: The project will not have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. Most adjacent lots are developed with commercial buildings or residential uses, and the subject site is of similar size and slope to nearby properties. The project site is located in a typical urbanized area of the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan, and the project would be consistent with the designated zoning and would adhere to all requirements of the LAMC, with the approval of the SPPC/DRB Director Determination. The project is not unusual for the vicinity of the site and is similar in scope to other existing commercial uses in the area. Furthermore, there is not a reasonable possibility that the project would have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. The project site is not located in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone; (d) Scenic Highways: The project is not in the vicinity of a state scenic highway and will not damage scenic resources in a state scenic highway; (e) Hazardous Waste Sites: The project site is not on a list compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5 related to hazardous waste sites. According to Envirostor, the State of California’s database of Hazardous Waste Sites, the subject site is not identified as a hazardous waste site. (f) Historical Resources: Per ZIMAS, SurveyLA, and/or Historic Places LA, the building is designated by the City of Los Angeles as Historical-Cultural Monument No. LA-1213. Known as the Jennie C. Brayton Building, it was listed on November 25, 2020. Per Planning Department Office of Historic Resources staff in an email dated November 6, 2025, the proposed plans do not impact the integrity of the building’s HCM designation. The project will require clearance from the OHR during the permit process. Therefore, the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.
County Clerk
Los Angeles
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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