MIKE BONIN City of Los Angeles Councilmember, Eleventh District April 22, 2015 City Planning Commission 200 North Spring Street Room 272 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Via email Re: Archer School for Girls - Case No, CPC-2014-666-VCU-ZAA-SPR Dear Honorable Commissioners, The Archer School for Girls’ proposal is before the City Planning Commission on April 23, 2015. This project has been one of the more controversial development projects that I have dealt with since taking office. Archer is a world-class institution in a terribly complex location, surrounded by a residential neighborhood and one of the worst traffic choke points in the City. For large parts of the day, traffic near the school is at a standstill, locking residents in their homes as motorists take as much as 45 minutes to drive a single mile. This is why, back in October 2014, I challenged Archer to do better. I challenged Archer to scale back its proposed plans and come up with a project that addressed a long and detailed list of requirements. A copy of my Open Letter to Archer, dated October 2, 2014, is attached in Exhibit 1 While many of the issues that I outlined in my letter have been addressed in the version of the project recommended to you in the staff report, many have not, or at least not fully. That is why, as described below, I am urging the Commission to require some additional changes to the project to make sure it meets the high bar I set. Traffic Traffic ranks above and beyond all other issues as the central issue I hear about the most from Brentwood and the surrounding neighborhoods - especially those neighborhoods that rely on Sunset Boulevard as ingress or egress for their homes, or as their primary (or only) east-west option. Although the recommended conditions require additional trip caps and mitigation ‘measures designed to remove traffic impacts under CEQA, that does not go far enough to reduce the real impacts of the project’s traffic burden on the neighborhood. Westchester Office ity Halt West Los Angeles Office 7166 W. Manchester Houlevard 200 N. Spring Street, Room 475 1645 Corinth Avenuo, Room 201 Los Angeles, CA 90045 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Los Angeles, CA 90025, 310) 368-8772 (213) 473.7011 (310) 575-8461 (610) 410-3946 Fox (2131 474-6926 Fax (310) 575.8305 Fax 8I, therefore, am calling for additional limits for special events, interscholastic athletic competitions, and school operations designed to ensure that there are not too many special events, that traffic related to those events stays at today’s levels, that games between Archer and other schools do not overwhelm the neighborhood, and that Archer continues to implement the highest standards in managing school operational traffic, The additional limits I am requesting are attached in Exhibit 2 In addition to traffic impacts on the community, I asked Archer to address a number of concerns related to neighborhood character to ensure that the project does not impact the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhood. Archer made a number of changes in direct response to my requests. However, there is more work to be done on some of the issues. iLL i lential Lot One such issue is the neighborhood’s concern about the use of the Barrington and Chaparal residential lots for school purposes. As you know, Archer currently owns lots on Barrington and Chaparal, which the school originally proposed to fully incorporate into the project. In response to community concerns about how use of the residential lots would impact the character of the neighborhood, I called for Archer to remove the aquatics center and to preserve a residential lot on Barrington. In the recommended project, Archer has carved out a lot on Barrington that will be preserved for residential use and will be maintained by Archer in a manner consistent with all residential development standards and requirements. That lot will not be developed as part of this project. The parcel on Chaparal remains part of the project, and itis the proposed location for the Performing Arts Center. While Archer has designed that building to be consistent with residential height limits and setback requirements, I am still concerned that the building is not in keeping with the scale of the houses along Chaparal. Therefore, I request the following: © Require that the Performing Arts Center be developed in accordance with residential development standards, including height limits, setbacks, and the maximum floor area limits that would apply to a residential use under the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance. Additional Limits to Address Noise and Intensity of Use The project, as recommended, includes use of Archer’s facilities for non-Archer related purposes or for activities that go beyond the scope of Archer's core educational operations. Such activities increase the intensity of use on the site, Therefore, I request that the Commission: ‘© Prohibit use of the campus for summer school or other summer programs.‘© Prohibit use of the campus for commercial filming Archer has proposed an underground pedestrian pathway that will bring people directly from the parking garage to the buildings on campus to minimize the noise impacts of campus operations, The North Garden serves as a transition area from the parking garage to campus during the day when the underground pathway is not required to be used. The recommended conditions require use of this underground pathway beginning at 8 pm on weekdays. However, activities that bring people to the Chaparal side of campus generally end around 6 pm on ‘weeknights and typically do not occur on weekends under current operations. The recommended conditions also allow for the North Garden to be used for daytime instruction for small groups To ensure that the underground pathway and North Garden are used in ways that will minimize noise impacts on the neighbors, I request the following. © Require use of the underground pathway beginning at 6 pm, Monday through Friday, and all day on Saturdays. Additionally, require design and/or structural treatments to ensure that the pathway is used during the specified time periods. © Prohibit the use of the North Garden for any formal classroom or other daytime instruction Construction Schedule The community has consistently asked that any additional construction allowed in this area be limited to no more than 3 years. The staff report recommends a 3-year construction period, however, the way that itis calculated would allow for construction to take place during a much longer period overall. Therefore, in order to ensure that 3 years of construction, in fact, means 3 years, I request the following: © Construction of the entire project authorized by this grant shall not exceed a maximum of 3 years as measured from the date construction starts to the date construction stops. Alll project phases must be completed within the 3-year period, In order to minimize disruption from construetion vehicles accessing the property, | request that the Commission require the following: © Prohibit construction workers from parking on-site, All construction workers shall be required to park off-site at a remote location and be shuttled to the project, site. ‘There shall be no construction worker parking in the Barrington Village Public Parking Lot. Conclusion have intentionally set the bar high for this project, and this standard is something that will inform my evaluation of all school proposals along the Sunset Boulevard corridor in the future, As a City, we need to ensure that our schools can continue to offer excellent,competitive, and top-notch educational opportunities in a way that is compatible with the communities where they are located. With the recommendations in the staff report and the additional requirements I outlined, which will result in the toughest traffic conditions for any school in the area (or perhaps in the City), the Archer project is something that I believe is appropriately scaled to the site and is. something that I can support. I respectfully request that your Commission incorporate the additional requirements and support the project as revised. ‘Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Regards j / ge pif ee MIKE BONIN” Councilmember, 11" DistrictEXHIBIT 1October 2, 2014 Dear Friends, We have the most beautiful and vibrant neighborhoods in the city — and some of the most congested roads. Like you, I can’t drive down Sunset in the afternoon without planning for maddening traffic delays. That's why traffic is my first and top concern with any development proposal. Looking at potential traffic impacts is the lens through which I have approached the ‘Archer School for Girls” application to expand and modernize its campus on Sunset Boulevard. ‘The Archer proposal is one of the more controversial developments I have dealt with since taking office last year. Archer is a world-class institution in a terribly complex location. A phenomenal school for bright, talented young women, surrounded by a residential neighborhood and one of the worst traffic choke points in the City. In considering support for this project, T need to weigh three major concerns: the regional impact on traffic; the quality of life impacts on neighbors; and the educational impact on the bright young women and girls who attend Archer. Archer’s expansion plan laid out in its Draft EIR is ambitious ~ and it is immediately obvious that that plan would cause more traffic and congestion, and detrimental impacts to neighbors, making it 2 bad fit for Brentwood and the surrounding communities. As much as I love the school and admire its mission, that plan is clearly not right for our neighborhoods. I have told the applicant that I cannot support a proposal unless dramatic changes are made Hearing the concerns of neighbors, the Brentwood Homeowners Association, the Brentwood Community Council and many, many others, 1 am insisting that Archer make the following changes, big and small, impacting traffic concerns, neighborhood issues, and the physical footprint of the proposed project: Traffic Issues ‘+ Eliminate ALL significant traffic impacts from school operations. + Maintain or improve all of the traffic management practices that Archer currently has in place. Archer does a great job of managing its school-related traffic, including by mandating and achieving a high percentage of students who take the bus. + Increase the required percentage of students who must take the bus to get to school * Continue to ensure that all student carpools (whether driven by @ student or a parent) have at least three Archer students in the car, + Expedite the construction schedule. + Reduce the size of the subterranean parking garage to reduce the amount of traffic that ‘can come to the schoo] and to reduce the construction and excavation-related impacts. + Further reduce the size and number of events and carefully schedule the timing of the events to minimize traffic impacts on the neighborhood and the region. + Implement operational measures to reduce or eliminate all potentially significant and unavoidable impacts from outdoor athletic activity WESTLA crry Hau WESTCHESTER 1o45 CORINTH AVE, #201 200 N. SPRING ST #475 7106 W MANCHESTER AVE LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 Los ANGELES. CA 90012 Los ANGELES. CA 90045 310-575-8401 213-473-7011 310-568-8772 Eee‘cighborhood Impacts Hold no non-Archer related events at the school - in particular, no wed school, or non-Archer related speaking events Host no interscholastic athletic tournaments. Install no lights on the athletic field. Reduce the size and configuration of the North Garden area to ensure that it is not a gathering space, but instcad a passageway from the subterranean parking into the gym. Redesign the project to add an underground tunnel for access to the parking garage from the building for evening events, and require that everyone attending evening events use the underground tunnel to access their cars when they leave. Eliminate the row of parking spaces along the southern edge of the parking structure that was proposed to remain uncovered, and replace that with an expanded landscape buffer Move the parking structure farther from the western property boundary, resulting in an increased setback from the adjacent residential uses. Design the buildings to have main entrances opening to the interior of campus to minimize any noise spillover into the neighborhood. Move the existing athletic field farther from adjacent residences to allow for additional landscaping and buffering, Return the softball field to its original orientation at the southeast corner of the athletic field. Reduce the proposed hours of operation for field use, and strictly limit Saturday field use. Reduce the number of school functions and events. Eliminate school functions on the athletic field except for Upper School Graduation Prohibit schoo! functions in the North Garden. Strictly limit the time and size of athletic competitions. gs, summer Physical Footprint Eliminate the aquatics center proposed for the residential property on Barrington. Carve out a residential parcel on Barrington that will not be part of the project. Reduce the size of the proposed performing arts center on the residential lot on Chaparal Street from 650 to 395 seats. Mandate that the performing arts center on Chaparal Street comply with residential development standards such as front-yard setbacks and height limits: Install additional trees along Chaparal Street and a second row of trees on the south side of the wall to create a double row of landscaping on Chaparal Street, Reduce the North Wing renovation by approximately 9,000 square feet. Reduce the massing, width, and length of the multipurpose gym facility, and improve the design and articulation of the building. Relocate the visual arts center to behind the performing arts center on the Barrington side of the site WesT LA cry HALL WESTCHESTER 1645 CORINTH AVE. #201 200 N. SPRING St #475 706 W. MANCHESTER AVE LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 [Os ANGELES. CA 90012 LOS ANGELES. CA 90045, 310-575-8461 213-473-701) 310-568-8772 ice+ Reduce the overall square footage of the project. + Retain a significant amount of the existing campus as open space. Even if Archer makes those changes, there will, of course be outstanding issues and many details to resolve as the project moves through the planning process. For example, neighbors continue to voice concerns about a multipurpose gym facility proposed on the school's current footprint. The neighborhood cannot handle another building that generates traffic or noise impacts — and I am insisting that Archer demonstrate that there be no significant operational impacts from the building. Archer is a great school, with deep roots in our community, and it provides a transformative experience for many young women. I want Archer to continue to thrive on the Westside, but as I consider its development proposal, its stellar reputation does not erase the considerations created by the complicated location of its campus. mission to build a first-rate school, it should also strive to be a and I believe that, working together, we can all As Archer continues it first-class neighbor. I believe it can do that make this project right for Brentwood. Regards, MIKE BONIN Councilmember, District 11 WESTLA WESTCHESTER ToS CORINTH AVE. #201 200 N.SU'RING ST #475 Tog W_ MANCHESTER AVE LOS ANGELES. CA 9002 Los ANGELES, CA 90012 LOS ANGELES. CA 90045 310-575-8461 213-473-7011 310.568.8772 EeeEXHIBIT 2Addi imits for Special Events ‘The community has repeatedly expressed frustration at the amount of traffic on this stretch of Sunset Boulevard during the key afternoon peak commute times, This area cannot handle more visitors coming to Archer's campus during the week at these times for special events. Therefore, additional conditions on the project are necessary to ensure that there are not too many special events drawing visitors to campus, that the size of the events is strictly regulated, and most importantly, that the number of cars generated by those events is limited to today’s traffic levels. 1, therefore, ask for the following additional limits related to traffic from special events: © Limit special events to no more than 65 events per school year with the following attendance caps a. 15 events with a maximum of 100 attendees b, 32 events with a maximum of 200 attendees ©. 12 events with a maximum of 300 attendees d. S events with a maximum of 500 attendees e. Levent with a maximum of 800 attendees (for Upper School Graduation only) ‘© Oftthe 65 special events, 41 events may start no earlier than 7 pm on Monday-Friday, 4 may take place between 10 am and 2 pm Monday-Friday, no more than 16 may take place on Saturday, and no more than 4 may take place on Sunday. © Anadditional 6 other events are allowed per academic year for up to 80 guests, so long as they occur only in the Main Building (including the North Wing). Only 2 of these may ‘occur on a Saturday during the day. © Inaddition to the maximum trip caps in the recommended conditions, limit the number of vehicles arriving on campus generated by guests for special events on Monday-Friday that start between 6-7 pm to no more than the aggregate number of 3,145 vehicles during each academic school year to maintain the number of such vehicles at today’s levels. This trip cap was reached by multiplying the total number of events Archer currently can have starting between 6-7 pm on weekdays by the existing average number of vehicles, per event as analyzed in the EIR. In no event shall the maximum number of vehicles arriving during 6-7 pm for an event exceed the caps identified in the recommended conditions. © Limit the total number of permanent striped parking spaces on-site to 164 spaces. ‘The recommended conditions require that Archer prepare a Transportation Management Program and establish Transportation and Parking Management Requirements, To ensure that those plans and requirements are in place well in advance of when they will be needed, T request the following requirement © Archer prepare and submit these two plans to DOT for review and approval at least 6 months before the earlier of either the Academic Year in which Archer will hold more than 47 events or the issuance of the first Certificate of Occupancy for a building or facility authorized by this grant.Additional Limits for Interscholastic Athletic Competitions To address potential traffic impacts from games, as well as to ensure that such athletic activity does not unduly impact the quality of life in the neighborhood, | ask for the following additional limitations related to games that Archer teams play against other schools: Limit interscholastic athletic competitions to a maximum of 98 days, including a maximum of 40 days of such games on the athletic field. © Prohibit athletic tournaments in order to further minimize the number of visitors to campus ‘© Limit interscholastic athletic competitions to Monday-Friday. Prohibit athletic competitions on Saturdays and Sundays, Therefore, no athletic competitions and Special Events will occur on the same day on the weekends. No Special Events and Interscholastic athletic competitions may happen concurrently during the week. Additional Limits for School Operations Although Archer is not proposing an inerease in the maximum enrollment cap, which is 518 under the existing CUP, the staff report removes the language identifying 450 as the targeted enrollment. I request that you restore the original language and that you add the following additional requirement that ensures impacts from any students above the target of 450, but below the maximum of 518, will not result in any additional traffic impacts: © Require that Archer bus 75% of the students up to 450 students. Further require that 100% of all students over 450 and up to the maximum of $18 either be bused, join an existing carpool, walk, or bike so that there will be no new trips associated with such students