GENERAL PLAN AMMENDMENT

VESTING ZONE CHANGE

VESTING TENTATIVE TRACT MAP

3990 and 4000-4010 E. CHEVY CHASE DRIVE

APPLICANT

4000 Chevy Chase, LLC

6671 Sunset Blvd #1575

Hollywood, Ca 90028

323-463-5611

REPRESENTATIVES

Allan Abshez, Partner

Loeb & Loeb, LLP

10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 2200

Los Angeles, CA 90067

310-282-2099

Eric Lieberman

QES, Inc.

14549 Archwood Street, Suite 308

Van Nuys, CA 91405

818-997-8033

REQUEST

For the construction use and maintenance of a new 13,600 square foot two-story commercial office structure up to 30 feet in height (not including parapet walls), and preservation of existing buildings consisting of 63,139 square feet designated as Historic-Cultural Monument 1116 (the “Albert Van Luit Complex”) and 130 automobile parking spaces and 116 bike parking spaces, the following entitlements are requested:

  • Pursuant to procedures set forth in Section 11.5.6 of the Municipal Code, a General Plan Amendment to the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan from the Low Residential to Commercial Manufacturing; and
  • Pursuant to Section 12.32Q of the Municipal Code, a Vesting Zone Change from R1-1-RIO, OS-1XL-RIO and A1-1-RIO to [T][Q] CM-1-RIO
  • Vesting Tentative Tract Map No. 74731 for Merger and Resubdivision Purposes

JUSTIFICATION AND FINDINGS

A. General Plan

1. Framework. The General Plan Framework is a guide for the City to implement growth and development policies by providing a comprehensive, long-range view of the City of Los Angeles as a whole. It allows for amendments to the community plans which further refine land use boundaries and categories to reflect local conditions, parcel characteristics, existing land uses, and public input. The General Plan Framework does not address the Property with specificity.

2. General Plan Land Use Designation. The Property is located within the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan on Chevy Chase Drive at the southerly extent of an industrial area. Directly across the street from the Property is the 31-acre Griffith-Metro Region Central Service Yard, which is an industrial facility used by the City for the parking of trucks and heavy equipment, park maintenance and workshop buildings, and the open storage of sand, rock, and gravel for concrete, and other building supplies. A residential neighborhood comprised of single family and multiple family residences is located to the east of the Central Service Yard and the Property. Equestrian uses are located to the south of the Property. Verdant Street, an unimproved City right of way, and North Atwater Park are located to the west of the Property.

The Property is comprised of two primary parcels (subdivided into multiple legal lots) which were zoned M2 until 1972. The M2 zone permitted operation high-intensity industrial uses, a full range of commercial uses, and equestrian uses. The portion of the Property commonly known as 3990 Chevy Chase Drive was operated as a contractor’s equipment storage yard and more recently has been operated as a moving and storage company. The larger portion of the Property commonly known as 4000 Chevy Chase Drive was developed by Albert Van Luit & Co. as a wallpaper manufacturing factory in 1950, and a showroom/office was added in 1965. The factory building and 3990 Chevy Chase parcel currently have a community planning designation of Minimum Residential and the office/showroom is designated Low Residential.

In 1972, the Property and other adjacent property zoned M2 were replanned and rezoned A2. The objective of such rezoning was to eliminate high-intensity industrial uses such as the wallpaper factory without jeopardizing then-existing stables and equestrian facilities. After such rezoning, the Albert Van Luit & Co. factory was closed and the Complex was used for non-conforming uses, such as storage and warehousing. Subsequently, between approximately 1990 and 2000, the Property was subject to multiple rezoning actions effecting its various portions. The Property is presently zoned a combination of A1, A2, Open Space, and the office/showroom building is zoned R1. The factory building and office/showroom buildings have become significantly deteriorated and are in substantial disrepair.

In 2014, the Applicant initiated an application for a General Plan amendment to Low Medium II Residential and a zone change to RD2-1-RIO to enable the demolition of the all of the improvements at the Property and the redevelopment of the Property with 60 small-lot homes, as well as a tentative tract map for small-lot subdivision. Subsequently, an application was filed to nominate the Albert Van LuitCComplex as a City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument. On May 16, 2016, the Applicant withdrew its applications for the proposed small-lot subdivision project. On May 18, 2016, the Albert Van LuitCComplex was designated as a Historic Cultural Monument by the City Council of Los Angeles.

In designating the Albert Van LuitCComplex as a Cultural Historic Monument, the Council found that the factory and office/showroom buildings “embody the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural-type specimen, inherently valuable for study of a period, style or method of construction,” and that the office/showroom is a “notable work of a master builder, designer, or architect, who individual genius influenced his or her age” (Edward Killingsworth). Accordingly, the Councilmember for the District undertook a dialogue with the property owner and interested community members to identify a feasible strategy that could bring about preservation and restoration of the Albert Van LuitComplex.

The City’s General Plan does not call for agricultural use of the Property. The Framework Element of the City of Los Angeles contains no objectives, policies, land uses or programs for agricultural use, and does not mention agriculture as a land use category. The Conservation Element of the City of Los Angeles General Plan states that “[b]y the time the city's new zoning ordinance was adopted to implement the plan (1947), farmers already were selling their holdings and moving their businesses outside the city. Zone changes and subdivisions rapidly transformed farmlands into residential tracts to provide homes for workers in the burgeoning aeronautics and other industries that were established during and following World War II. Between the 1940s and 1960s the Los Angeles economy shifted from an agricultural to an industrial and commercial economy. Today only the Pierce College parcel remains. The college master plan, approved in 2000, designates the parcel for agricultural and related uses. The only objective, policy, land use or program for agriculture in the City’s Conservation Element is as follows: “Objective: retain in agricultural use, as appropriate, the last state designated significant agricultural parcel within the city, the Pierce College parcel.

The purpose of the OS zone, which applies to portions of the Property, is “to provide regulations for publicly owned land” (LAMC Section 12.04.05), and such zone is not intended to be applied to privately-owned land such as the Property.

3. General Plan Text. The Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan contains no objectives, policies, land uses or programs for agriculture, and does not mention agriculture as a land use category. The Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan includes the following relevant land use goals, objectives, policies and programs:

Objective 3-2

“Provide for existing and future industrial uses that contribute job opportunities for residents and minimize adverse environmental and visual impacts on the community.”

Policy 3-2.1

“Designate lands for the continuation of appropriate existing industry and development of new industrial parks, research and development uses, light manufacturing, and similar uses that are compatible with nearby uses, provide employment opportunities, and have minimal impact on the environment.”

As recognized by the City’s findings in designating the Albert Van LuitComplex as a Cultural Historic Monument, the Albert Van LuitComplex is a special purpose facility designed for industrial use. The Complex is significantly deteriorated and is in substantial disrepair. The current OS zone is not intended for privately-owned property and the A1, A2, and Open Space zoning designations of the factory building and premises do not provide a reasonable range of uses sufficient to enable economically feasible restoration of the factory building consistent with the objectives of the Historic Cultural Monument designation. Similarly, the office/showroom building was designed by Edward Killingsworth to function as an office/showroom, which is not consistent with its current R1 zoning designation.

The proposed Commercial Manufacturing planning designation and [Q]CM-1-RIOzone would provide for uniform planning and zoning of the Property consistent with the City’s objective of encouraging restoration and reuse of the historic Albert Van LuitComplexwithout allowing high-intensity industrial uses or jeopardizing nearby equestrian facilities.

With [Q]CM-1-RIO zoning in place, restoration of the Albert Van LuitComplex would occur subject to the oversight of the Cultural Heritage Commission in accordance with Section 22.171.14 et seq. The proposed [Q]CM-1-RIOzone would not allow high-intensity industrial uses, but would rather provide for office and/or light manufacturing at the Property contributing job opportunities for residents while minimizing adverse environmental and visual impacts on the community consistent with Objective 3-2. The [Q]CM-1-RIO zone would also further the Policy 3-2.1 by permitting uses such as office and/or light manufacturing at the Property, which would enable the Applicant to attract tenants who would invest to restore the Albert Van LuitComplex.

As conditioned, the proposed project is consistent with the General Plan and the proposed Commercial Manufacturing land use designation and will serve to implement the goals and objectives of the adopted Community Plan and the proposed Commercial Manufacturing land use designation. The proposed [Q]CM-1-RIO zone is in substantial conformance with the purposes, intent and provisions of the General Plan, and will have no adverse effect on the General Plan, plans or any other plans being created by the Department of City Planning.

B. Entitlement Findings

1. Zone Change, L.A.M.C. Sec. 12.32-F: The recommended zone change is in conformance with the public necessity, convenience, general welfare or good zoning practice in that:

The [Q]CM-1-RIO zone is consistent with the proposed Commercial Manufacturing land use designation, which allows for a corresponding zone of CM. The site plan proposed for the proposed[Q]CM-1-RIOzone will retain the existing Albert Van Luit factory and office/showroom buildings which are comprised of 63,139 square feet, while providing new site enhancements and landscaping, and enabling their feasible restoration and reuse. An approximately 15,810 square foot two-story building could be developed at 3990 Chevy Chase Drive. The total square footage proposed project would be 78,949 square feet resulting in a floor area ratio of approximately .59:1 at the Property. Vehicular access would to parking for all of the buildings would be from the present driveway located at 4000 Chevy Chase Drive. There would be no vehicular access from Verdant Street.

Parking for the existing and proposed buildings has been planned to serve office use, which is the most intensive use permitted by the proposed [Q]CM-1-RIOzone from a traffic and parking perspective. Approximately 159 parking spaces would be required per City Code. LAMC Section 12.21.A.4 permits replacement of up to 20% of required automobile parking with bicycle parking at a ratio of four bicycle parking spaces for each automobile space. The project would provide 130parking spaces. The remaining 29 space requirement would be satisfied by 116 bicycle parking spaces as permitted by LAMC Section 12.21.A.4 that would be provided in addition to the 24 bicycle parking spaces required by City Code. Parking is configured so that parking for the factory building, the office/showroom, and the new building can be operated separately; allowing the buildings to be operated by either a single user or separate users. Solid landscaped wallsare proposed along the southern and eastern property lines as shown in the site plan to buffer the parking area from the adjacent equestrian facility. An existing, though unused, bridle trail easement entering the Property from the south would be retained.

The project will reintroduce opportunities for local employment at the Albert Van LuitComplex, which has been substantially underutilized since the 1970’s. Renovation and reuse of the Albert Van LuitComplex will enhance security at the adjacent North Atwater Park by providing “eyes on the park.” The project is also convenient to major streets, such as Pacific Avenue and Los Feliz Boulevard, and primarily constitutes reuse of a facility previous used for more intensive industrial activity. As a reuse and infill facility, the project will have adequate access to existing City services and infrastructure.

For these reasons public necessity, general welfare and good zoning practices are demonstrated.

12398590.2
226977-10001