City Planning Commission

9. DIR-2021-7344-SPR-TOC-HCA-1A Council District: 1 – Hernandez\nCEQA: ENV-2020-5078-CE Last Day to Act: 06-08-23\nPlan Area: Westlake\nPUBLIC HEARING REQUIRED\nPROJECT SITE: 550 South Union Avenue;\n1701, 1709, 1715, 1717 and 1717 1/2 West 6th Street\nCity Planning Commission 5 June 8, 2023\nPROPOSED PROJECT:\nConstruction, use, and maintenance of a seven-story, mixed-use building containing approximately\n105,622 square-feet of floor area, comprised of 17,224 square-feet of commercial floor area and 88,398\nsquare-feet of residential floor area, on a 29,058 square-foot site, resulting in a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of\n3.63:1. The Project includes the demolition of two, one-story commercial buildings and a surface level\nparking lot. The Project will include 100 dwelling units, 10 of which will be reserved for Extremely Low\nIncome Households. The building will rise to a maximum height of approximately 92 feet. A total of 72\nvehicle parking spaces, 125 long-term bicycle parking spaces, and 32 short-term bicycle parking spaces\nwill be provided within the subterranean parking garage, the ground floor, and the second floor. The Project\nincludes 16,478 square-feet of open space, consisting of a 2,066 square-foot gym on the second floor, a\n4,466 square-foot courtyard and a 977 square-foot community hall on the third floor, a 7,219 square-foot\nroof deck, and 1,750 square-feet of private open space. Additionally, the Project requires the export of\n21,400 cubic yards of earth and the removal of one non-protected tree on-site with a trunk diameter greater\nor equal to eight inches.\nAPPEAL:\nAppeals of the December 23, 2022, Director of Planning's determination which:\n1. Determined that, based on the whole of the administrative record, the Project is exempt from the\nCalifornia Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Article 19, Section 15332,\nClass 32, and there is no substantial evidence demonstrating that an exception to a categorical\nexemption pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2 applies;\n2. Approved with Conditions, a Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) Affordable Housing Incentive\nProgram for a Tier 3 project with a total of 100 dwelling units, of which 10 units will be reserved for\nExtremely Low Income Households for a period of 55 years, along with the following Base and\nAdditional Incentives:\nBase Incentives:\na. Density. Increase the maximum number of dwelling units by 37 percent to allow a maximum\nresidential density of 100 units in lieu of the 73 dwelling units otherwise allowed.\nb. Floor Area Ratio (FAR). An increase in the FAR to 3.63:1 in lieu of the 1.5:1 FAR in the C2-1\nZone; and\nc. Parking. Provide automobile parking at a ratio of 0.5 parking spaces per residential unit and a 30\npercent reduction in non-residential parking for a mixed-use project to allow for a minimum of 50\nresidential vehicle parking spaces and 22 non-residential parking spaces, in lieu of the 110\nresidential vehicle parking spaces and 26 non-residential parking spaces otherwise required.\nAdditional Incentives:\nd. Setbacks. Utilization of RAS3 yard setback requirements for the residential portion of a TOC\nproject in the C2-1 Zone;\n3. Adopted the Conditions of Approval and Findings.\nApplicant: Benbaroukh, LLC\nRepresentative: Ugonna Mbelu, Icon & Ikon, Inc.\nAppellants: 1. Enrique Velasquez, Coalition for an Equitable Westlake MacArthur Park\n2. Carlos Rene Marroquin Cabrera\n3. Laura Guido\n4. Vilma Yaneth Cabrera Lopez and Santos Oxlaj Hernandez\n5. Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER)\nRepresentative: Richard Drury, Lozeau Drury, LLP\nCity Planning Commission 6 June 8, 2023\nStaff: Erick Morales, Planning Assistant\nerick.morales@lacity.org\n(213) 202-5440