Hillside Development & Cumulative Impacts

Following relates to City Council File #07-161

Sunland-Tujunga is not the only community concerned with this issue.
CUMULATIVE IMPACTS, CEQA and the CITY OF LOS ANGELES

The impacts of hillside development are a concern for many areas of our city and all stakeholders are invited to attend!

This community forum will discuss the issues, laws, and community concerns related to the cumulative impacts of hillside development, piecemeal development and related topics.  This discussion will examine the laws, and the ways in which the City of Los Angeles addresses these impacts currently, as well as suggestions for changes that will make processes and hillside protections better and more in keeping with California Environmental Quality Act guidelines.  

Councilmember Huizar has a motion on cumulative impacts which will be coming back to the City Council Planning & Land Use Management committee on June 19 which instructs the following:

* Move the Planning Department report back with recommendations for quantitative thresholds for determining whether a Mitigated Negative Declaration or a full Environmental Impact Report is required.

* Move that City Planning and Building & Safety report back on the feasibility and implementation for a specialized environmental unit which could service both departments.

* Move that determinations of “no impact” be documented to explain how this determination was made on environmental forms for projects within hillside areas.

* Move that relevant departments initiate and implement necessary changes or upgrades to equipment and technology that will allow GIS, ZIMAS or another technology to track and map related development.

* Move that the City Attorney report back on requiring developers to disclose on application forms any development on parcels in a 2,000 foot  radius with which they, or those related to them, have a financial interest, or on which they have permits or an application pending.

* Move that City Planning add an electronic subscription notice to the Early Notification System to allow members of the public to subscribe and receive electronic notices of MNDs and EIRs as well as receive electronic notice of entitlement applications.

* Move that City Planning require notification of MNDs and EIRs be posted in a publicly visible location on the subject property and that notices be mailed to adjacent parcels.

* Move that Building & Safety, City Planning and City Attorney report back on implementation of requiring a public hearing for all haul routes related to hillside development, and on the feasibility of limiting the number of project sites that can be active in an area at the same time.

* Move that City Planning report back on re-evaluating the criteria of ministerial actions in hillside areas.

Hillside development affects communities throughout Los Angeles, so tell your friends and neighbors about the forum and attend ready to learn and provide input on this important citywide issue.  

Friday, June 8, 2007
7-9pm
Carlin G. Smith Recreation Center
511 W Ave 46, Los Angeles, CA  90065 (Mt. Washington)