The City of West Hollywood invites the public to attend a virtual Housing Element Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Scoping Meeting. The Housing Element is a policy guide that provides an indication of the need for housing in the community, particularly the availability, affordability, and adequacy of housing, and serves as a strategy to address housing needs across the economic and social spectrum. Cities and counties are required by law to update their housing elements every eight years.

The Scoping Meeting is a necessary component that serves to include agencies, stakeholders, and the public in the decision-making process. In order to effectively address environmental concerns and alternatives, it is vital that a diverse cross-section of residents and community members participate to capture and share feedback about what should be considered as part of the environmental review process. During the meeting, the City and its consultant will provide general updates on the 6^th Cycle Housing Element and encourage public comment to identify environmental topics to prioritize in the EIR.

As part of the public outreach process, the City of West Hollywood will host a free virtual webinar about the Housing Element Environmental Impact Report on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 11 a.m. The virtual community meeting will encourage the exchange of ideas aimed to elevate awareness of what should be considered important regarding environmental topics, allow open discussion of public concern, and include relevant issues in the final written scope. Community members who are interested in participating can register and join on Zoom at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_P3hCvexZTcWXr22y-QBavg.

The City of West Hollywood encourages community members to join the meeting to discuss and to take part in this vital process. During the upcoming months, there will be a wide range of outreach and public engagement activities including online community surveys; community-wide workshops; and public hearings at meetings of the City’s Planning Commission and City Council. The Housing Element Update for the 6th Cycle will cover the eight-year planning period from 2021-2029 and is currently underway.

For additional information about the Housing Element Update, please visit www.weho.org/housingelement.

The City of West Hollywood’s role will be the preparation of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Housing Element update as described in the Notice of Preparation. The purpose of this Notice of Preparation (NOP) is to provide agencies, interested stakeholders, and the public with information describing potential projects and to request feedback on the scope and content of the environmental document, the potential environmental effects, and what alternatives there are for the project that should be analyzed within the EIR. Written responses to the NOP must be provided no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 to be considered.

For more information or to submit written commentary, contact the City of West Hollywood’s Project Development Administrator, Alicen Bartle, at abartle@weho.org or via mail to West Hollywood City Hall, 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069.

For more information about the City’s Rent Stabilization and Housing Division, please visit www.weho.org/housing.

If you require special accommodations to participate in the meeting, please call the City’s Rent Stabilization and Housing Division in advance at (323) 848-6450 or at rsh@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Individuals are advised to stay at home as much as possible and limit close interactions to those in your household. When in public, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone, even those who are vaccinated, to continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in in public.

West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

City of West Hollywood coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus and the City encourages community members to follow @wehocity on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and turn on notifications. For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood on social media, sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.