City Planning Commission

11. CPC-2021-2642-SP Council District: 1 – Hernandez\nCEQA: ENV-2021-2643-EIR Last Day to Act: 02-01-24\nPlan Area: Downtown (Central City North); Northeast Los Angeles; Continued from: 12-07-23\nSilver Lake – Echo Park – Elysian Valley\nPUBLIC HEARING – Completed September 27, 2023\nPROJECT SITE:\nThe Project Area comprises the entire area within the boundaries of the existing Cornfield Arroyo Seco\nSpecific Plan (CASP), which includes approximately 1,600 assessor’s parcels and approximately 600 acres\n(1.0 square mile) of land. The Project Area is located to the northeast of Downtown Los Angeles and is\ngenerally bordered by the communities of Chinatown to the west, Lincoln Heights to the east, and Cypress\nPark to the north. Thoroughfares include North Figueroa Street at the north, North Spring Street and North\nMain Street at the south, and North Avenue 19 and North San Fernando Road near the center portion of\nthe Project Area. The Los Angeles River, Arroyo Seco, Interstate 5, State Route 110, and Metro A Line\n(formally L Line and Gold Line) pass through the Project Area, which also includes the Los Angeles State\nHistoric Park.\nPROPOSED PROJECT:\nThe Proposed Project is an update of the Cornfield Arroyo Seco Specific Plan (CASP). The Proposed\nProject replaces the existing CASP (Existing CASP) with a new Specific Plan (Proposed CASP) that\nincludes revised zoning regulations, incentives, and boundaries, for the purpose of encouraging affordable,\nmixed-income, and permanent supportive housing production. The Proposed Project strengthens the\nCASP’s affordable housing requirements, including the recalibration of the CASP’s current incentive zoning\nsystem; establishes a new Community Benefits Program that incentivizes new publicly-accessible open\nspace and community facilities; includes provisions that facilitate the production of new 100 percent\naffordable housing and permanent supportive housing on public land; increases the zoning capacity for\nhousing in targeted areas; and adopts a modernized zoning system based on the City’s New Zoning Code.\nREQUESTED ACTIONS:\n1. Conduct a public hearing on the Proposed Project as described in this Staff Recommendation Report;\n2. Approve the Staff Recommendation report as the Commission Report;\n3. Approve and Recommend that the City Council adopt the Findings in the Staff Recommendation\nReport;\n4. Recommend that the City Council instruct the Director of City Planning to amend the Environmental\nProtection Measures (EPMs) pursuant to Division 4C.12 (Environmental Protection) of the New Zoning\nCode as appropriate to implement the MMP;\n5. Find that the City Planning Commission has reviewed and considered the Draft Environmental Impact\nReport (EIR) (City EIR No. ENV-2021-2643-EIR and State Clearinghouse No. 2021040206), as shown\nin Exhibit A.5, and direct staff to prepare a Final EIR, EIR findings, a Statement of Overriding\nConsiderations, and a Mitigation Monitoring Program (MMP) for City Council consideration;\n6. Recommend the City Council adopt the Resolution in Exhibit A to certify a Final EIR, adopt EIR findings\nand a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and adopt a Mitigation Monitoring Program;\n7. Approve and Recommend that the Mayor approve and the City Council adopt, pursuant to Section\n11.5.6 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) and City Charter Section 555, the Resolution in\nExhibit A to amend the General Plan as follows:\na. Amend the Downtown and Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Maps, as shown in Exhibits\nA.2 and A.3; and\nb. Amend the Citywide General Plan Framework Element, as shown in Exhibit A.4;\n8. Approve and Recommend that the City Council adopt, pursuant to LAMC Sections 12.04 and 12.32\nand City Charter Section 558, the proposed ordinance to amend the Zoning Map, as shown in Exhibit\nB.2;\n9. Approve and Recommend that the City Council adopt, pursuant to LAMC Section 12.32 and City\nCharter Section 558, the proposed ordinance to repeal the existing Cornfield Arroyo Seco Specific\nPlan and to establish the proposed Cornfield Arroyo Seco Specific Plan, as shown in Exhibit B.1;\n10. Approve and Recommend that the City Council adopt the New Zoning Code Ordinance to amend\nChapter 1A (“New Zoning Code”) of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to add new regulations to Division\n8.3 (Special Districts) of Article 8, as shown in Exhibit C.1, and Amend the accompanying Zoning Code\nMaps established in Division 1.5 (Zoning Code Maps) of Article 1 of the New Zoning Code, as shown\nin Exhibit C.2;\n11. Approve and Recommend that the City Council adopt, pursuant to LAMC Section 12.32.S and City\nCharter Section 558, the proposed ordinance to amend the Cypress Park and Glassell Park\nCommunity Design Overlay (CDO) boundaries, as shown in Exhibit B.3;