Scoping Meeting
As part of the EIR scoping process, the City of West Hollywood will hold a virtual public scoping meeting. The purpose of the scoping meeting is to share information regarding the proposed project and environmental review process and to receive comments regarding the scope and content of the environmental analysis to be addressed in the EIR.

YOU MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE SCOPING MEETING VIA THE ZOOM PLATFORM:
If you'd like to make a public comment, please use the "raised hand" emoji in the Zoom platform when staff calls for speakers.

Invite link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87457527061

Call-in Information: +1 669 900 6833 US
Zoom Meeting ID: 874 5752 7061

Dial in Codes:  *6 = unmute
Dial in Codes:  *9 = lets the host know you want to speak

IF YOU’D LIKE TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN COMMENT:
To better facilitate the remote meeting, members of the public who wish to comment are strongly encouraged to submit an E-Mail with their comments to the project planner:

Project Planner:
Antonio Castillo, Senior Planner
acastillo@weho.org     323-848-6854

NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT & SCOPING MEETING

Pursuant to California Public Resources Code Section 21165, the City of West Hollywood is the Lead Agency responsible for preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) addressing potential impacts associated with the development of the proposed 1000 North La Brea Avenue Project (proposed project). 

Purpose of Notice of Preparation
Under the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and its Guidelines, the City, as the Lead Agency, must evaluate the potentially significant environmental effects of the proposed project. The City has determined that an EIR will be prepared to assess the proposed project’s effects on the environment, identify significant impacts, and identify feasible mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate potentially significant environmental impacts. An analysis of alternatives to the proposed project will also be included in the Draft EIR, including the No Project Alternative. The purpose of this Notice of Preparation (NOP) is to inform reviewers of the City’s intent to prepare an EIR and to provide an opportunity for interested agencies and persons to comment on the scope and content of the EIR.

Project Description
The project involves the demolition of on-site buildings and structures and the removal of two mature trees for the construction and operation of a new 34-story (352-foot-tall) mixed-use residential and commercial building with 514 apartment units and 30,000 square feet of commercial/retail use on the ground floor. Apart from the 30,000-sf commercial/retail space, the ground floor would include an entry plaza open to the public, a café outdoor seating area, and a residential lobby. Floors two through six would consist of a parking garage with 521 parking spaces and 394 bicycle parking stalls for residents and patrons. The project would provide an additional 153 parking spaces in a subterranean parking garage. The parking garages would have separate access points. Vehicles would enter and exit the subterranean parking garage via driveway at the ground floor along North La Brea Avenue. Vehicles would enter and exit the aboveground parking garage via a driveway at the ground floor along Romaine Street. Floors seven through 34 would include the 514 apartment units, consisting of 128 affordable and workforce units and 386 market-rate units. In addition to apartment units, floor seven would include two outdoor gardens with seating and an indoor gathering area for residents within one of the gardens; floor 17 would include a fitness room, lounge/recreation room, and outdoor garden with seating; floor 18 would include a yoga room, library, and outdoor swimming pool with a pool deck and firepit; and floor 19 would include an outdoor garden with seating. The rooftop would include an outdoor garden with seating, mechanical rooms, and an emergency helipad atop the roof. The roof would exceed the 352-foot height of the building by an additional 25 feet. The project would also integrate seven billboards with varied dimensions throughout all facades of the building. Of the seven proposed billboards, the bottom billboard, located between the ground floor and floor six, would be digital whereas the other six proposed billboards would be static.

Potential Environmental Impacts
An Initial Study has been prepared for the project and is available on the City’s Current and Historic Preservation Planning webpage. The Initial Study contains a description of the project, its location, and preliminary determinations of the environmental resource topics to be addressed in the EIR. As determined by the analysis in the Initial Study, the potential environmental effects of the proposed project to be addressed in the Draft EIR will include, but may not be limited to the following: Aesthetics, Air Quality, Cultural Resources, Energy, Geology and Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Land Use and Planning, Noise, Public Services, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, and Utilities and Service Systems. These topics, together with other CEQA-mandated analyses including Alternatives, Cumulative Effects, and Growth Inducement, will be addressed in the EIR.

This NOP is being circulated pursuant to California Resources Code Section 21153(a) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15082. Public agencies and the public are invited to comment on the proposed scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the Draft EIR. A 30-day comment period is provided to return written comments to the City. All comments should be directed to the City at the following address:

Antonio Castillo, Senior Planner
Community Development Department
City of West Hollywood
8300 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90069-6216

E-mail:  acastillo@weho.org

Responses to this NOP should be sent at the earliest possible date, but not later than 30 days after issuance of this notice. The response deadline is December 22, 2023. This NOP and the Initial Study for the proposed project are available for review at the Community Development Department (8300 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California 90069), at West Hollywood Library (625 North San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood, California 90069), and on the City of West Hollywood website, www.weho.org.