reported by: park avenue deposition service eir/apdx h - public meeting... · 23 report, make sure...

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4 LOS ANGELES MISSION COLLEGE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN

5 DRAFT PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

6 (EIR)

7 PUBLIC MEETING

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13 Los Angeles Mission College

14 Main Campus Center

15 13356 Eldridge Avenue

16 Sylmar, California 91342

17 Tuesday, November 28, 2006

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REPORTED BY: PARK AVENUE DEPOSITION

SERVICE

25 GRACE A. VERHOEVEN (800) 447-3376

CSR NO. 11419

PARK AVENUE DEPOSITION SERVICE

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_ 1 I N D E X

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3 PRESENTATION

4 SPEAKER PAGE

5 Janice King, Public Outreach . . . . . . . . . 3, 35

6 Ernest Moreno, President, L.A. Mission College 4

7 Dev Vrat, URS Project Manager . . . . . . . . . 7, 16,

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8 Brian Perkins, Leo A. Daly Architects . . . . . 11

9 David Miller, URS Traffic Engineer . . . . . . 25

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11 PUBLIC COMMENT

12 SPEAKER PAGE

13 Ysidro Espinoza, Public . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

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_ 1 SYLMAR, CALIFORNIA; TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2006

2 6:40 P.M.

3

4 PRESENTATION

5 JANICE KING,

6 MS. KING: Ladies and gentlemen, please take a

seat.

7 Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the

8 Draft EIR Meeting for the Mission College Facilities

9 Master Plan. The agenda for tonight's meeting you

should

10 have received at the sign-in table. If you don't have

11 one, please see Lindsay or Veronica for the agenda.

12 The goal for our meeting tonight is to

provide

13 information about the draft EIR and to also give you

an

14 opportunity to make comments on the Mission College

Draft

15 EIR; not the project itself, not the master plan, but

the

16 draft EIR. You will have the opportunity to present

17 comments about the master plan to the board of

trustees

18 early next year.

19 After our presentation tonight, you will have

20 another opportunity to go to our stations and speak to

21 our experts and give them your comments and questions.

22 Please do also write those questions down. Since we

will

23 not be receiving comments from the floor this evening,

it

24 is very important that you write your comments down

and

25 put it in the comment box at my left.


3

_ 1 If you prefer to make oral comments, we have

a

2 court reporter that will be happy to take your

statement.

3 You will also have the opportunity to look at the

draft

4 EIR if you wish. That document is at the sign-in

table

5 where you came in. If you do not provide comments

this

6 evening, it is important that you do submit your

comments

7 by December 4th.

8 At this time I would like to introduce the

9 president of Mission College, Mr. Ernest Moreno.

10

11 ERNEST MORENO,

12 MR. MORENO: Good evening, welcome. As you are

13 aware, L.A. Mission College has been working to

complete

14 the facilities master plan to respond to the demand

for

15 access to higher education facilities for the Sylmar

area

16 and the surrounding communities.

17 The projected increase in student enrollment

in

18 combination with the need for expanded academic

programs

19 will require several hundred thousand square feet of

20 additional building space, including classrooms,

21 laboratories, lecture halls, painting and sculpture

22 facilities and spaces, photography laboratories, music

23 practice rooms, food preparation areas, dining and

24 exhibition space, athletic facilities, storage, and

other

25 requirements unique to instruction within each

academic


4

_ 1 program.

2 Shortfalls in these types of facilities are

3 anticipated where the projected enrollment exceeds the

4 current planned physical facilities of the college.

5 If additional space is not provided, the facilities

would

6 prevent the college from offering a comprehensive

course

7 of study leading to much needed college degree and

8 certificate programs and job training.

9 L.A. Mission College and district staff have

10 read the transcripts and comments from the community

EIR

11 scoping meetings held in July. I am aware of most of

12 your concerns, including the Sylmar Community Plan

13 compatibility, increased traffic, and desire to

maintain

14 the immediate neighborhood tranquility and security.

15 L.A. Mission College has conducted community

16 meetings and has met with the Sylmar Neighborhood

Council

17 during the period since the scoping meetings to

discuss

18 the progress of the master plan and the EIR. Input

from

19 the community has been used to refine the master plan

and

20 proposed building layouts.

21 You have also expressed your concern in

knowing

22 the status of the college efforts to acquire the two

23 Harding Street properties. The district is finalizing

a

24 purchase and sale agreement with the Syrian Church.

The

25 church members are willing to sign the agreement after


5

_ 1 the EIR is certified by the board of trustees.

2 After the sale, the district will continue to

3 work with the church members to help them find an

4 alternative location and assist in the design of their

5 facility. The district also has everything it needs

to

6 proceed with the eminent domain on the Comstock

property.

7 District staff will be recommending to the board that

it

8 proceed with the eminent domain action on the Comstock

9 property after the EIR is certified.

10 The EIR consultant has attempted to address

all

11 of your concerns in the draft EIR. I encourage you to

12 visit the comment stations this evening or review the

EIR

13 further at home or in the library and provide your

14 comments to the college at your convenience. You will

15 also have an opportunity to comment on the draft EIR

as

16 presented to the board of trustees on December 13th in

17 downtown Los Angeles.

18 I'd like to make the following introductions:

19 Brian Perkins with Leo A. Daly Architects, master plan

20 architects; Dev Vrat from URS Corporation, EIR

21 consultant; David Miller, senior transportation

22 engineer, URS Corporation; in addition, Leo A. Daly

23 architects and URS environmental planners are

available

24 at the public comment stations to discuss the master

plan

25 and EIR.


6

_ 1 I'd like to turn this program over to Dev

Vrat

2 right now. Thank you.

3

4 DEV VRAT,

5 MR. VRAT: Thank you very much. I'd like to start

6 off this evening by just kind of giving an overview of

7 the environmental review process. The adoption of the

8 master plan is preceded by the environmental review

9 process. The purpose of the environmental review

process

10 is to disclose to the public and the decisionmakers

the

11 environmental effects of the project and to allow the

12 public to provide input into that process. And all

the

13 public input received on the draft environmental

report

14 will be considered in the preparation of the final EIR

15 which will be presented and considered by the district

16 board of trustees prior to its consideration of

adoption

17 of the master plan.

18 So this process started back in the summer of

19 2006 when we issued a Notice of Preparation of the EIR,

20 and we also released an initial study of 60

environmental

21 issue areas that could have potential for

environmental

22 effects. And that was our first stab at identifying

what

23 we believe might be the issue areas that we would need

to

24 look at in the Environmental Impact Report.

25 We provided the public a 30-day window in

which


7

_ 1 they could review that initial study and comment back

to

2 us if we got it right or if we missed something.

Usually

3 people that live in an area know more about a project.

4 They know more about the community than the

environmental

5 consultants. So your input is very valuable to us

6 because you live here, it's your community, we want to

7 know what your concerns are. We analyze those

concerns

8 in the draft Environmental Impact Report.

9 So during that 30-day period, we had scoping

10 meetings very similar to this meeting where we

presented

11 the results of the initial study, and we went around

the

12 room and listened to people, what your concerns were,

13 took down lots of notes and everything, and we

analyzed

14 the issues we heard about in the draft Environmental

15 Impact Report.

16 We also had a couple of neighborhood meetings

17 during that period to let the community know the

status

18 of the master plan and what was going on with the EIR.

19 So that resulted in the release of the public draft

EIR

20 in mid-October. And that document, again, was

released

21 for a 45-day public review period. So that gives the

22 public a chance to go through the Environmental Impact

23 Report, make sure that we did address the concerns you

24 raised during the scoping process, and if we didn't,

to

25 let us know that we didn't. Or if you can think of

ways


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_ 1 to improve the mitigation measures to lessen the

2 environmental effects, it's an opportunity for you to

3 comment on the adequacy of our analysis in the draft

4 document.

5 So we held one meeting back on November 6th

6 which was a meeting exactly like this one, very

similar

7 format. We presented the master plan EIR, and we had

8 comment stations where the public is encouraged to ask

9 questions and provide comments on the draft EIR. And

as

10 you can see here this evening on November 28th, the

11 second public comment meeting.

12 These are comment meetings where it kind of

13 familiarizes you with what's in the Environmental

Impact

14 Report. We really encourage you to look at the

document

15 itself which is available in the libraries, on the

16 college website, in the college library. Basically,

if

17 you want to get a copy of it, you can request a copy

and

18 we can send a copy to you on a CD. So we try to make

it

19 very readily available. We really encourage public

input

20 because it results in the best possible master plan at

21 the end of the day.

22 So we have until December 4th to give us

23 comments on the draft EIR. Once we get all those

24 comments, we will prepare responses, written responses

to

25 every single comment. And when the final EIR comes

out,


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_ 1 every single comment we receive will be published in

the

2 final EIR along with responses to those comments that

you

3 provide.

4 Responses can either change the Environmental

5 Impact Report itself, or it could say this is where

your

6 question is addressed in the Environmental Impact

7 Report. But we're required by law to respond in

writing

8 to every comment that we receive. So it's a very

serious

9 process.

10 So that document will be coming out, the

final

11 EIR, in January of next year. And they will be -- I

12 should have mentioned the first rectangle up there,

that

13 the draft EIR will actually be presented to the board

of

14 trustees of the district on December 13th. That will

be

15 in Downtown L.A. It will be a very similar thing.

There

16 will be a brief presentation of the master plan, a

brief

17 presentation of the draft EIR. It's basically a

18 presentation to familiarize the board members with the

19 master plan and the EIR. The public is invited to

that

20 meeting.

21 The actual certification of the EIR is

planned

22 for January of next year. And that, again, will take

23 place in a public hearing before the district board.

And

24 in that meeting, if the board so chooses, it may

certify

25 the final EIR and adopt the master plan.


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_ 1 With that, I'll turn it over to Brian from

2 Leo A. Daly. He'll give us a summary of the master

plan.

3

4 BRIAN PERKINS,

5 MR. PERKINS: Thanks, Dev. Tonight I want to walk

6 you through the master plan we developed working

closely

7 with the college, URS during the EIR process, and the

8 public. As we've gone through the process, we have

taken

9 into account a lot of the comments we've heard from

the

10 public, as well as working closely with traffic

11 consultant engineers throughout the whole process.

12 We've done several things. First of all, we

13 looked at the existing master plan. This is the

campus

14 as it exists today. The parking structure that you

see

15 outside is under construction. We're actually in the

16 campus center right here right now.

17 But this is really the starting place that we

18 took a look at. We're going to go through the program

19 that we were given tonight, as well as the phasing

plan

20 in terms of how this will be implemented, and then the

21 final master plan. Master plans are really meant to

be

22 flexible projections of the future. As much as

possible,

23 we try to project what the campus will need in the

24 different phases and to try to provide the right

25 facilities during those time periods.


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_ 1 The program that we were given really

includes

2 about nine major pieces. There are some existing

3 preapproved plans that you see here. The child

4 development center is already approved. The parking

5 structure, like I said, for 1,200 cars is under

6 construction, and then the plant facilities.

7 The main pieces that we are focused on as a

8 priority are the state-funded projects, including the

9 health, P.E., and fitness which is under design now,

the

10 family consumer studies, the bookstore, and the media

11 arts. The final pieces or future components of the

12 program are student services, educational buildings 5

and

13 6, functions to be determined, and then an additional

14 parking structure.

15 The site as we've talked about, and after the

--

16 if you haven't looked at some of the boards, after the

17 presentation, you're welcome to come over and take a

18 closer look at some of the boards. There is quite a

bit

19 of detail in there. It really does include a new site

20 location. The site that we've looked at for expansion

21 of the existing campus is down at the corner of

22 Harding Street and Eldridge and is bounded by Maclay

as

23 well. This site was chosen after the area to the

north

24 of the existing campus was not available.

25 Each of the phases we've looked at, including


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_ 1 Phase I, A and B, are on site and off site. The

onsite

2 pieces that we're looking at for the first part of

this

3 really are intended to try to keep the campus in the

same

4 type of environment that it is now. The buildings are

5 spaced apart with lots of areas for outdoor activities,

6 like the main quad. We intend to try to keep some of

7 those same type of amenities here on campus. It's not

8 just about the classes, but the activities that take

9 place before and after class.

10 The parking structure that's under

construction

11 is here. The first part of this phase, we looked at

12 doing the family and consumer studies with the book

13 store. That would be located about where you see the

14 plant facilities. Additionally, media arts will be

15 followed. And then this parking that was taken out

here

16 will be replaced by the new parking structure. The

plant

17 facilities is also part of this phase as well.

18 So there will be some remaining site parking

at

19 this phase. Additionally, we've looked at changing

the

20 parallel parking along the north side of Eldridge to

21 diagonal parking as a temporary measure, more than

22 anything, to provide more parking while the structure

is

23 under construction.

24 The east site, which is down at Eldridge and

25 Harding, is planned in the first phase to have the


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_ 1 health, P.E., and fitness center. In this phase the

road

2 will be continued through the same location that it is

3 now, but the health, P.E., and fitness center will be

to

4 the north part of this. And some temporary parking

will

5 be brought in with a possible drop-off location

adjacent

6 to it.

7 The second phase on the main campus will

include

8 the student services. That's the first part of that

9 which will really complete this whole zone. The

second

10 parking structure is actually right behind us.

11 The student services will be adjacent to the

12 media arts and family consumer. We looked at an area

13 where we can come in and actually create a nice public

14 outdoor space so that your first impression of the

15 college as you come out of the parking structure is

nice

16 as you proceed into the heart of the campus.

17 The other building on this part of the last

18 phase is more of a feature building. It could be more

of

19 a gateway welcoming building on the corner of Eldridge

20 and Hubbard. On the off-site area down at Eldridge

and

21 Harding, the final phase will include additional

parking.

22 This parking is intended to be an underground parking

23 structure, two levels that will actually be buried

into

24 the hillside along Maclay. So it will be day-lit from

25 the side, but from the Harding Street side it will be


14

_ 1 below grade. On top of that structure -- we'll look

at

2 educational Building No. 5...

3 At this point we're looking at continuing

4 Eldridge through to Maclay to facilitate easier

traffic

5 flow. As part of the EIR, we discovered that they're

6 having some traffic problems in this area. This

should

7 help to maintain the flow in and out of the campus

from

8 an additional location off of the highway so that

people

9 are able to enter the campus from Maclay as well as

from

10 Hubbard.

11 This area you can see here with the P.E.

12 building will be bridged across so that pedestrians

will

13 be able to cross back and forth to reach the buildings

14 there. And it's really meant to have an open space

near

15 the residential area on the south side.

16 This is more of a bird's-eye view. We do

this

17 just to try to mock up what the area will look like.

18 Unless you're in a plane, you probably never see this

19 view, but it really does help to orient you to the

main

20 campus. And about a third of a mile down the road is

the

21 Harding Street property that we're looking at for the

22 expansion. The wash runs down through here, the back

23 side in this area, and then the new parking structure

24 that's under construction as well as the new buildings.

25 The intent for the overall concept on the

campus


15

_ 1 is more of this Arroyo concept. This is from the

2 previous master plan that we continue to refine. This

is

3 an idea, more of a naturalistic environment versus a

4 green lawn type of environment. This is meant to have

a

5 little bit more of your indigenous low water-use type

6 plants, a lot of outdoor seating areas, areas for the

7 students to gather before and after classes. These

are a

8 few examples of other projects.

9 This is the overall master plan as you see

from

10 the aerial. It does include all the parts. As we

11 mentioned before, the boards do have a lot of detail.

12 You're welcome to come over and ask us some questions

13 afterwards. So with that, I will pass it back to Dev.

14 Thank you.

15

16 DEV VRAT,

17 MR. VRAT: Thank you, Brian. Now what I'd like to

do

18 is give you a brief summary of the results of the

draft

19 EIR. And it is draft, so you are able to comment on

it

20 and make adjustments as necessary.

21 First of all, I want to introduce you to the

22 concept of significant environmental impacts.

Basically,

23 what you want to do when you prepare an Environmental

24 Impact Report is to start out with the baseline

25 conditions of what's on the ground at the present time,


16

_ 1 what's your current environment. That's the baseline.

2 Then we have things called thresholds of significance.

3 In this case, we use the thresholds that are adopted

by

4 the State of California as well as some additional

5 thresholds which are provided by the district itself.

6 There's a threshold on sustainability which we analyze

in

7 the EIR.

8 If the impacts of the project on the

environment

9 exceeds this threshold that I'm speaking about, that's

10 called a significant impact. So once we identify a

11 significant impact to the draft EIR, we work to try to

12 come up with mitigation measures or some kind of ideas,

13 concepts, any idea you have that would reduce the

14 impacts. So our goal is to reduce those impacts to

less

15 than significant levels so that they're acceptable.

16 And if you look in the draft EIR in each

impact

17 area analysis, you'll find a set of mitigation

measures.

18 And one of the ways you can help us is if you have

19 additional ideas for either improving those mitigation

20 measures, modify them a little bit or whatever, we try

to

21 listen to your concerns at the scoping meetings. We

22 heard a lot of your concerns, and I think you'll find

23 that we did make a serious attempt to address your

24 concerns in the draft EIR. But if you could help us

25 improve upon the quality of the draft EIR and the

final


17

_ 1 EIR, that's where you can help us. But it's really

2 focused on helping us with these mitigation measures

to

3 make it a better project.

4 Now I'm going to go to the issue areas in the

5 document and let you know where we found significant

6 impacts. The first one is aesthetics. And we found

with

7 the development on the Harding Street site, it would

8 obscure views of the San Gabriel mountains. We have

some

9 pictures here on the side. I'll show you a few right

10 now. And we found less than significant impacts on

some

11 policy inconsistencies with the Sylmar Community Plan.

12 So first of all from the Harding Street

13 property, the first view is looking -- we're looking

down

14 Harding Street -- or toward Harding Street from Maclay

15 here, and the second view we've actually drawn in what

16 the development would look like up on the hill. So

17 that's not a substantial change. We do not believe

that

18 is a substantial change.

19 Now, the view from the intersection of

Eldridge

20 and Harding, we have Harding Street here looking

across a

21 vacant field, and you've got a nice view of the

mountains

22 in the background. When the campus is developed on

23 Harding Street, you can see this building here, the

P.E.

24 and fitness building and development on this side, the

25 parking structure on this side, and you cut off a

great


18

_ 1 deal of the views of the mountains. So we're calling

2 that a significant environmental effect.

3 The next one is the views of the main campus.

4 We try to take the worst case scenario. Looking

directly

5 across the street right now, this is the view. You

6 see the cars parked parallel. You see a little bit of

7 lawn, and you see some parking beyond that. You see

some

8 views of the mountains. You know, it's not an

9 outstanding view, but it's a view.

10 When we introduce the project here, now we

have

11 a building. You still have the trees, the cars are

12 parked diagonally instead of parallel. We don't see

that

13 as a substantial change. We did not call that a

14 significant effect.

15 Moving to air quality, we found that there

will

16 be construction-related exceedances of nitrogen oxide

17 standards. So these are federal standards for air

18 pollution contaminants. And during the construction

19 period, we're going to see exceedances of the nitrogen

20 oxide standard. And during operations of the master

plan

21 after it's developed, we'll experience operational

22 exceedances of Nox again, volatile organic compounds,

23 VOCs, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide emissions.

Each

24 of these have standards as well which will be exceeded

25 during the operations of the campus.


19

_ 1 A lot of these exceedances are a result of

cars

2 commuting to and from the campus, typical of any large

3 construction project in the Southern California air

4 quality basin.

5 Under biological resources, we did find some

6 sensitive plants on the Harding Street property which

7 we're taking a close look at right now. These plants

8 could be possible habitat for coastal gnat catcher.

So

9 we'll be conducting some habitat surveys during the

10 period between now and spring. And to make sure that

11 there's no nesting birds -- no, I'm sorry, that it's

not

12 a habitat for this gnat catcher. It's possible that

the

13 gnat catcher could come and land there and fly away.

We

14 want to make sure it's not a habitat.

15 And then the second thing is whenever you

have

16 tall trees, there's always a potential for raptors

17 roosting. Or certain periods of time birds lay eggs,

and

18 so there's a law that protects nesting birds. So

prior

19 to any construction, there will be inspections to make

20 sure that we don't disturb any birds.

21 Under cultural resources, we find there's

less

22 than significant impacts. And this is largely due to

23 finds that could be made during construction. We did

a

24 Phase I survey, a site record survey of what's out

there

25 now. We're unaware of any artifacts right now that

are


20

_ 1 present on these sites, but there's always the

potential

2 when you dig that you can find something.

3 So the types of things that you could

encounter

4 when you actually do the construction is

paleontological

5 resources, archeological resources which are either

6 Native American relics or early pioneer settlements,

7 different periods of development.

8 We all lay down our record that we've been

here,

9 and you can encounter those artifacts during

construction

10 periods. And there's also the potential for

encountering

11 human remains. There's always that potential. We

have

12 some mitigation measures which we would put into place

if

13 we encounter anything. And with the implementation of

14 those measures, we believe there would not be a

15 significant impact in this area.

16 Under geological resources, we all know this

is

17 a very seismically active area. There's a lot of

concern

18 about earthquakes. And there are some potential for

19 impacts due to surface fault rupture from an

earthquake,

20 ground shaking from an earthquake. The nature of the

21 soils are such that if there is an earthquake, it

could

22 liquify. There could be settlement during an

earthquake.

23 And there's presence of expansive soils which means

the

24 type of soil that's usually clayey soil where when it

25 gets water and it gets wet, it expands and it could


21

_ 1 displace your buildings.

2 So these are all things that once you're

aware

3 of it in an early stage like this, when we go into the

4 individual building design, we will do very detailed

5 geotechnical studies, and these buildings will be

6 designed to withstand these types of forces. So once

7 you're aware of the forces, you can design buildings

to

8 withstand them.

9 As you may know, modern buildings are much

safer

10 than older buildings, except maybe a wood-framed house

11 which I guess is probably the safest building to be in

12 in case of an earthquake.

13 Under water quality, there would be less than

14 significant impact. We did find that when we do the

15 development on the Harding Street property, there

would

16 be the use of fertilizers, et cetera, which could run

off

17 and introduce pollutants into that drainage there. So

18 there's extensive mitigation measures to make sure

that

19 doesn't happen, reduce the use of fertilizers, et

cetera.

20 Again, once we're aware of the problem, we can

identify

21 mitigation measures to minimize it. So we think

that's a

22 less than significant impact.

23 Under land use, we did an extensive analysis

of

24 the zoning ordinance, City of L.A. Zoning Ordinance,

and

25 also the Sylmar Community Plan. You'll find an

extensive


22

_ 1 policy analysis in the document. We did hear you;

that

2 was one of your concerns. You'll find an extensive

3 analysis there.

4 We find a significant impact on the main

campus

5 because it conflicts with the L.A. City Zoning

Ordinance.

6 However, there's a provision in state law that state

7 colleges may render the city zoning ordinance

8 inapplicable. So if the district so chooses, they

could

9 exempt themselves from that ordinance, and that impact

10 would go away at that point.

11 We find less than significant impacts on the

12 Harding Street site because right now there's a zoning

13 conflict. However, this conflict can be resolved

14 procedurally either through a -- by obtaining a

15 conditional use permit in conjunction with either a

16 general plan change or a rezoning. So it's just a

permit

17 process which could resolve that conflict.

18 Under noise we find there will be temporarily

19 significant impacts during construction. And I'm sure

20 you're familiar with those types of construction noise

21 effects. If you're not, they're explained in the

22 Environmental Impact Report.

23 There's a less than significant impact of

24 operational noise levels. And the types of noises

that

25 we will experience once the college is fully developed


23

_ 1 and operational are heating and air-conditioning

systems,

2 machinery, trash pickup type noises, and just

increased

3 human activity around the college site. There's no

doubt

4 about it, it's going to be noisier than before.

However,

5 the noise levels are not significant. And if you're

6 wondering why we think it's not significant, we

provide a

7 good explanation at the noise station. There will

also

8 be increased traffic. With increased traffic, you get

9 increased off-site noise.

10 Under public services, the document

determines

11 that it's a less than significant impact. We do find

12 there needs to be increased demand for campus police

13 protection, but this demand can be met with revisions

to

14 the existing contract with the sheriff. So right now

the

15 college contracts with the sheriff, the district

16 contracts with the sheriff to provide those services

to

17 the existing campus, and they can just modify that

18 contract to provide additional services to the

19 Harding Street property.

20 And there was another public concern about

what

21 happens if there's a major earthquake and the freeways

22 fall and we're isolated and we're cut off from

emergency

23 responders, et cetera. We consulted with the fire

24 department, and they indicated to us that they do not

25 believe that's a concern, that if one or both of the


24

_ 1 freeway overpasses did collapse, there's alternate

2 routes. They're not reliant on those overpasses.

They

3 would assess what routes are available, and they would

4 choose the shortest possible route. So the fire

5 department does not believe that this is a significant

6 concern.

7 I'm going to turn it over now to David Miller

8 who is our senior transportation engineer. He'll

explain

9 the traffic analysis much better than me.

10

11 DAVID MILLER,

12 MR. MILLER: Thank you, Dev. Before we get into

this

13 first slide, I'd like to give you a quick introduction

14 about how we did our analysis.

15 Based on the comments at the scoping from the

16 public, input from the college, and also the Los

Angeles

17 Department of Transportation, we analyzed the traffic

18 impacts at 20 intersections in the area, eight

roadways

19 segments. We also looked at the impacts to parking,

20 transit, and pedestrian facilities.

21 We try to take a wholistic approach of what's

22 going to happen when the college -- if the college

23 implements this plan. What we found was not too

24 surprising. There are significant impacts along the

25 major arterials in the area, Hubbard Street and Maclay.


25

_ 1 And this is what we expected to find. These are the

2 major routes in the area. They carry a lot of traffic

3 and often -- in several cases these intersections are

4 already exceeding the capacity. We also found some

5 localized impacts to the college.

6 Using a standard analysis approach, we took

7 traffic counts at 20 intersections and 8 roadway

8 segments, as I mentioned. We made sure we got all the

9 trips in the area counted and used traffic analysis

10 software to determine where those impacts would be.

11 As you can see from this slide -- it's a

little

12 hard to see, so I invite you to come back after we're

13 done. But what we found is we can mitigate almost

every

14 single one of the impacts to the intersection roadways

in

15 the area, and actually improve a lot of the existing

16 conditions with some technology enhancements, some

17 striping improvements, and other signalization.

18 We specifically looked at the neighborhood

19 closest to the college where the residents indicated

that

20 students were using as a pass-through. And when we

took

21 our traffic counts on the roadways, we did it in a way

22 not just to count the total number of cars on the road,

23 but to find out how the students were turning into the

24 neighborhood or not turning into the neighborhood. We

25 wanted to know what was really going on out there.


26

_ 1 We did find that there's a significant

impact,

2 the students are using this neighborhood to get to and

3 from the college. So we identified this as an area

where

4 the college would implement a neighborhood traffic

5 management plan to try and mitigate some of those

6 impacts.

7 In relation to the college itself, as part of

8 the master plan to go along with the parking structure,

9 the college would be implementing a new driveway and

10 entrance here to bring students quickly from Eldridge

11 into the parking structure to park quickly.

12 In addition, the existing entrance will be

13 enhanced with a turnaround drop-off area and also

access

14 to new diagonal parking. And then we've identified a

15 need for some transit site improvements here, possibly

a

16 bus turnout with shelters, shading, signage to get the

17 students to use transit more and to lessen the impact

on

18 the roadway there.

19 For the future Harding site, the intersection

20 will be improved to provide access to this surface

21 parking lot and provide in addition this turnaround

22 drop-off area so that people can easily access it and

use

23 the health, P.E., and fitness building.

24 On Phase II the college is showing extending

25 Eldridge through Maclay to provide new access in the


27

_ 1 area. Right now you need to go up Maclay and over

2 Harding, around Eldridge. This would allow you to go

3 straight through. As part of that, this intersection

4 here will be signalized to control traffic, as the

5 traffic is significant on Maclay right now.

6 So please feel free to come back and look at

our

7 boards. They show a little more detail, some more

8 information. You can ask me any questions, and I'll

be

9 happy to take down your comments as well. With that,

10 I'll turn it back over to Dev.

11

12 DEV VRAT,

13 MR. VRAT: Thank you, David. Another way we can

14 reduce environmental impacts is by looking at

15 alternatives to the project which would meet most of

the

16 objectives of the college, but would also reduce the

17 environmental effects of the proposed plan. So these

are

18 the alternatives that are considered in the

Environmental

19 Impact Report.

20 First of all, there's the "no project

21 alternative." That's what would happen if there was

no

22 new master plan. The environmental effects of that --

23 sounds good, right, no project? What that really

means

24 is the same enrollment increases, but without

25 accommodating that enrollment through new buildings,

new


28

_ 1 traffic improvements, et cetera. So you have the

growth

2 without the planning, without the facilities to

support

3 the growth. So that does not turn out to be the best

4 alternative.

5 Another one is a compressed plan at the LAMC

6 main campus. And this is one of the original -- when

we

7 launched the environmental process, we said that we

had

8 two plans. One of the plans was the concept of a

9 compressed where you try to do all of the development

on

10 the campus itself. The problem with that plan is it

11 involves a lot of grading, underground work, it's not

a

12 very friendly campus, it's very tight, it's more of an

13 urban-type development, it doesn't fit in the

community.

14 So that doesn't turn out to be the best plan.

15 If you're questioning what I'm giving you as

the

16 results, there's extensive analysis and explanation

that

17 supports -- of the findings of the draft EIR.

18 The next one is to look at an alternative

19 site. We had comments during the scoping meetings

that

20 this was too much for this neighborhood. We already

have

21 a campus, we don't want another campus, go someplace

22 else. So we did an extensive search for alternative

23 sites. Our screening process is presented in the

draft

24 EIR. We found one site. It's called the Terra Vista

25 site.


29

_ 1 And that site is looked at in the

environmental

2 document, and there's problems with that site, a lot

of

3 problems with regard to lack of infrastructure.

There's

4 another neighborhood. We'd be shifting problems from

one

5 neighborhood to another neighborhood. And there's

6 problems with -- it's a hill, so there would be a lot

of

7 grading, et cetera. So there is an analysis, an

attempt

8 to look at that site, give it serious consideration.

And

9 again, that did not turn out to be the environmentally

10 superior site.

11 The last one was -- oh, yeah, the idea of

12 expanding the existing remote campus centers. Right

now

13 the college conducts limited programs in various

14 community centers around the area. We sat down with

the

15 college to say, Why can't you just do this thing ---

you

16 know, expand the community centers to provide services

17 that way? Well, that doesn't provide for a campus

18 environment, scholastic environment, an integrated

19 campus. So when you read that, you'll see there's

issues

20 associated with that. So that was not determined to

be

21 the -- it doesn't meet the objectives of the college.

22 So then the last thing we looked at is to

reduce

23 buildout within the existing campus. Why do you have

to

24 go to 15,000? Why can't you pick a smaller number and

25 build less within the existing campus? So we did a


30

_ 1 comparative analysis of all the environmental effects

of

2 all these different alternatives. And the California

3 Environmental Quality Act requires that we, the

4 environmental consultant, identify what we believe is

the

5 environmentally superior alternative. We identified

that

6 reduced buildout within the existing campus, that has

the

7 least environmental impacts.

8 Does that mean that the college has to

approve

9 that alternative? No. We're just telling the college,

10 the district that that's the one that's got the least

11 environmental impacts. It may not meet all of the

12 objectives of the college. So the college at the end

of

13 the day can go ahead and approve the project, whatever

14 project it chooses to approve, but it has to consider

15 these alternatives, and it has to make findings about

why

16 it did or did not adopt the mitigation measures which

we

17 have identified in the Environmental Impact Report.

18 Before I get to this slide, I just want to

19 emphasize that point. If you're really concerned

about

20 this development, it's going to be happening in your

21 community, the best thing you can do is help us

improve

22 the mitigation measures. Because if the plan goes

23 forward, and there's a great likelihood that it will

go

24 forward, the best thing you can do is help us mitigate,

25 reduce the environmental impacts. So help us find --

go


31

_ 1 through the mitigation measures and see if you have

2 concerns, are your concerns being mitigated through

those

3 mitigation measures.

4 You can help us if you have a concern to say

5 please do this, that will make my life a lot better.

I'm

6 sure the district will consider those comments when

they

7 finalize the Environmental Impact Report and if they

8 choose to approve the master plan.

9 So finally, the Environmental Quality Act

10 requires us to disclose to the decisionmakers what the

11 areas of controversy may be when they consider the

12 adoption of the master plan. And through the scoping

13 meeting process, through this process, et cetera, this

is

14 what we believe are the areas of controversy. And if

you

15 think we missed some, let us know your comments, and

we

16 will tell the district, no, we made a mistake in the

17 draft EIR, those aren't the areas of controversy,

these

18 are the areas of controversy. It's just helping the

19 decisionmakers know what your concerns are.

20 So what we're going to convey to the district,

21 unless you tell us otherwise, is there's concerns

about

22 the compatibility of the Harding Street property with

the

23 Harding Street neighbors. That's an area of

controversy.

24 There's great concern that the college adequately

25 mitigate its traffic impacts, especially in the


32

_ 1 neighborhood. And there's concern, especially around

the

2 Harding Street property, about security and the

nuisance

3 impacts. Now that there's going to be a campus here,

4 they're concerned about graffiti, safety, what's going

on

5 over the block wall, et cetera. So we believe that's

a

6 concern.

7 We heard that you wanted us to look at an

8 alternative site that would not impact the Harding

Street

9 neighborhood, and we made a good faith effort to do

that.

10 You're concerned that the college respect the policies

of

11 the Sylmar plan. And if you look in the document,

you'll

12 find our policy analysis. We believe the plan is

largely

13 consistent with the Sylmar plan. It's not a perfect

14 match, but projects never are a perfect match.

15 Generally, we believe it is consistent with the Sylmar

16 plan.

17 If you look closely at the Sylmar plan,

you'll

18 see a lot of indications where they encourage the

19 development of schools, and there's special provisions

20 made for schools. So it doesn't have to be absolutely

21 compatible like a residential. It doesn't need to

look

22 like a residential, it just has to be compatible.

23 And then there's concern, again, expressed

24 earlier about the potential isolation of the college

and

25 the adjacent community in the event that an earthquake


33

_ 1 destroys the freeways, the overpasses. And it's not

the

2 responsibility of the college to take care of the

entire

3 community. But, again, we did run this by the fire

4 department, and we did not believe this was a

significant

5 concern. But nevertheless, it's an area of

controversy.

6 So at the end of the document, we take all

the

7 impacts and we apply all the mitigation measures.

8 Sometimes the mitigation measures, we couldn't come up

9 with enough mitigation measures to reduce these

impacts

10 to less than significant levels, and this is what we

call

11 unavoidable impacts. So if the master plan is

approved,

12 these impacts will take place.

13 And they are, as I summarized earlier,

regional

14 air quality impacts; the traffic impacts, one

15 intersection, Hubbard Street westbound on-ramp to the

210

16 Freeway. All the other intersections can be, as David

17 indicated, either mitigated or actually improved from

18 existing conditions. But this intersection, there's

19 going to be a problem here. There will be temporary

20 construction noise impacts.

21 The aesthetic impacts of that facility

22 development on the Harding Street property, there's no

23 doubt about it, the view of the mountains is not going

to

24 be the same after the project as before. And there's

the

25 possible zoning conflict on the main campus if the


34

_ 1 college does not take advantage of its exemption from

2 local zoning ordinances. Okay, Janice.

3

4 JANICE KING,

5 MS. KING: Again, I'd like to invite you to remain

6 and talk to our specialists that are stationed at the

7 back of the auditorium, and also to submit your

comment

8 sheet about the environmental issues with mitigation

9 measures in the draft Environmental Impact Report, and

10 also any other comments that you may have. Please do

put

11 the comments in the comment box located on my left.

12 And if you decide not to give it to us today,

13 you can mail it in. The address is at the bottom of

the

14 comment sheet, or you can e-mail. That address is

there

15 as well. Thank you for coming.

16

17 PUBLIC COMMENT

18 YSIDRO ESPINOZA,

19 MR. ESPINOZA: I'm Ysidro Espinoza. I live at

20 13000 Cranston Avenue, the corner of Altano and

Cranston.

21 And I was talking to -- what's his name? I forgot the

22 name of the guy there, the one in the black suit.

He's

23 the one talking to the people over there.

24 THE REPORTER: Brian, I think it is.

25 MR. ESPINOZA: Brian, okay. Write all of this

down.


35

_ 1 The guy that supposedly wanted to build the houses,

he

2 told me that they would knock my block wall down and

3 extend, give me four feet into the field where the

side

4 of the housing that they want to build. Did you

5 understand what I said?

6 Now, I want to know if the college gets it,

if

7 they're going to do the same thing as what the

builders

8 said they would do if they would go ahead and build

9 houses. And I want to know if the college gets it, if

10 they'll do the same thing. Did you get that?

11 Okay, then maybe I can add something else.

If

12 the college gets the piece of land there, I would like

to

13 see some sort of trees planted from Eldridge to Altano,

14 which is about two blocks, to have privacy besides my

15 block wall. You got that? That will be all.

16 I would like to know, too, from Altano to

17 Harding, because there's other neighbors there too

that

18 would probably -- I've never seen anybody mention or

19 question that. Maybe I'm the first one. I want to

know

20 if the college builds, if they would extend from

Altano

21 to Harding the four feet that the house builder was

22 willing to give us. I want to know if the college

will

23 do the same if they succeed in building their

structures

24 there in the field. That's it.

25 (Off the record.)


_ 1 REPORTER'S CERTIFICATE

2

3 STATE OF CALIFORNIA )

)

4 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )

5

6 I, Grace A. Verhoeven, a Certified Shorthand

7 Reporter within the County of Los Angeles, State of

8 California, do hereby certify:

9 That the said hearing was taken down by me

in

10 shorthand at the time and place therein stated and was

11 thereafter reduced to print by Computer-Aided

12 Transcription under my direction;

13 I further certify that I am not of counsel

or

14 attorney for either of the parties hereto or in any

way

15 interested in the event of this cause and that I am

not

16 related to either of the parties thereto.

17

18

19 Witness my hand this __________ day of

20

21 ____________________, 2006

22

23 _____________________________

24 GRACE A. VERHOEVEN

25 CSR NO. 11419


reported by: park avenue deposition service eir/apdx h - public meeting... · 23 report, make sure...

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