City Council Agenda Report
November 19, 2024
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: Jesus M. Gomez, City Manager
BY: Alex Hamilton, Interim Director of Community Development Gena Guisar, Contract Planner
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 24-58 - FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT STATE CLEARING HOUSE NO. 2022070103 / RESOLUTION NO. 24-56 - GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 2022-01 (2024-01) / RESOLUTION NO. 24-57 - ZONE CHANGE NO. 2022-01 (2024-02) / ORDINANCE NO. 24-1754 - ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT NO. 2022-02 (2024-04) TO ESTABLISH SPECIFIC PLAN AREA NO. 17, THE “NORWALK TRANSIT VILLAGE SPECIFIC PLAN”
Background:
The following staff report supplements the staff reports for the City Council public hearings held on October 15, 2024, and November 6, 2024, in consideration of the Norwalk Transit Village Specific Plan (“Specific Plan”).
The October 15, 2024, staff report and attachments can be found on the City’s website at the following link: 10/15/24 Meeting (refer to Public Hearing Item No. 11). The November 6, 2024, staff report and attachments can be found on the City’s website at the following link: 11/06/24 Meeting (refer to Public Hearing Item No. 11).
The October 15, 2024, public hearing was continued to November 6, 2024. Staff received numerous comments via e-mail in opposition to the project, several of which included detailed comments related to the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Responses to the EIR comments are included as attachments to this staff report. The November 6, 2024 meeting was continued to November 19, 2024, to provide adequate time to respond to comments related to the Final EIR received prior to the November 6, 2024 City Council meeting.
The public hearing will resume tonight to allow individuals who have not previously testified an opportunity to provide comments on the project.
City Council November 19, 2024
Norwalk Transportation Village – Environmental Report, General Plan Amendment, and Creation of Specific Plan Area No. 17 Page No. 2
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Discussion:
The following is a synopsis of substantive comments received and the City’s responses.
Responses to technical comments regarding the Final EIR are included as attachments to this staff report.
Off-Street Parking
One commenter stated that they were uncertain if the proposed site design included adequate parking for the proposed Specific Plan area. The commenter expressed concern that residents of the Norwalk Manor Townhome community often park on the streets in their neighborhood and worried that residents of the Norwalk Transit Village project would do the same.
Response: A comprehensive parking study was completed for the project which confirmed adequate parking would be provided per the Specific Plan to accommodate the proposed mix of land uses on site. The project’s site design incorporates an integrated mobility and parking strategy with narrow, multimodal streets and Class II and III bike lanes and bike parking. Off- street parking objectives aim to provide sufficient parking on-site while also encouraging transit use.
The proposed site plan includes dedicated off-street parking within garages for all residential uses, including parking garage structures positioned within the core of the multi-family developments. The parking design will allow the Norwalk Transit Village project to function as a self-contained development that addresses its parking requirements on-site. The Specific Plan’s residential parking requirements by use, are listed as follows:
Use Requirement
Market Rate Multifamily
Apartments 1.75 spaces per unit
Affordable Multifamily
Apartments 1.25 spaces per unit
Student Micro-unit 0.75 space per unit
Senior Unit 0.75 space per unit
Townhomes 2 spaces per unit
Residential Guest Parking 0.25 spaces per unit
The non-residential off-street parking requirement is designed to accommodate the parking demand on-site similar to the residential standards, as follows:
City Council November 19, 2024
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Use Requirement
Non-residential in Planning Area 1
1 space/250 SF of Net Leasable Area
(per Norwalk Municipal Code)
Hotel
1 space/2 guest rooms; plus parking for any
restaurant/retail uses as computed separately.
Electric Vehicle Charging Per CALGreen
The Specific Plan proposes bicycle parking as follows:
Use Requirement
Residential Short-Term 1 space per 10 units
Residential Long-Term 1 space per 3 units
Commercial Short-Term 1 per 1,000 SF
Commercial Long-Term
1 per 1,000 SF, but not less
than 4 per building
Building Height
A commenter expressed concern that the proposed building heights would be too high and would block her view of the local mountains.
Response: The proposed Specific Plan allows heights up to 65 feet and five stories. In addition, buildings in Planning Area Nos. 3, 4 & 5 are limited to 45’ and 3 stories within 65’ from the Planning Area property line. There is an approximate 96’ separation area with landscaping, trees and a masonry wall that serves as a buffer between the single-family homes to the south and the multi-family buildings. Buildings in excess of four stories must include a minimum eight foot step back at the fifth story.
Planning Area No. 6, which abuts the entirety of the northern property line, has a height limit of 35’ and three stories, which is similar in scale to the abutting townhome community. Planning Area 6 will also include a buffer area with landscaping, trees and a masonry wall.
Affordable Housing
Comments in this category included the statements that the provision for 40% affordable housing units was too much and the project should cater to Norwalk’s middle class.
Response: The State Surplus Land Act (SLA) mandates that at least 40% of the project’s residential units shall be affordable, of which 50% shall be affordable to very low-income households and the remaining 50% shall be affordable to households whose incomes are equal to or less than 75% of the maximum income of lower income households. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) describes the 2024 Area Median Income (AMI) as $98,200 for a family of four. To provide perspective, a few examples of very low-income jobs that would qualify for HUD’s AMI would be secretaries, truck drivers, medical assistants and City Council November 19, 2024
Norwalk Transportation Village – Environmental Report, General Plan Amendment, and Creation of Specific Plan Area No. 17 Page No. 4
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paralegals. Lower income jobs would include teachers and those in manufacturing and construction trades.
As stated in the October 15 staff report, existing law authorized the Director of the State Department of General Services (DGS) to sell or lease the project site to the County of Los Angeles by January 1, 2015, at market value upon terms and conditions and subject to reservations and exceptions the DGS determined were in the best interests of the State, and, after January 1, 2015, authorizes the DGS to sell the property to any other party at market value through a competitive bid process.
Assembly Bill (AB) 518, which was enacted in 2020 and effective January 1, 2021, authorizes DGS, until January 1, 2025, to sell the property to the City of Norwalk at fair market value upon terms and conditions DGS determines are in the best interests of the State. The bill authorizes DGS, notwithstanding those provisions, to sell the property below fair market value for purposes of providing housing to persons and families of low or moderate income. After January 1, 2025, the bill authorizes DGS to dispose of the property in accordance with specified procedures and priorities otherwise applicable to the disposal of surplus property by DGS. The bill exempts the sale of the property from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Under the provisions of AB 518, which amended Government Code Section 11011.28, the City is pursuing the purchase of the project site from the State and proposes a Specific Plan and mixed-use development.
Environmental Impact Report
Multiple letters included comments related to the EIR were received prior to the November 6, 2024 City Council hearing.
Response: The City’s CEQA consultant, Michael Baker International (MBI) prepared response memos addressing these comment letters. The response memos to the letters are available on the City’s website as Attachment Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 (link found in the attachment section).
Statement of Overriding Considerations
The City is required to balance the economic, legal, social, and other benefits of a project against its unavoidable environmental risks when determining whether to approve a project. If the specific benefits of a project outweigh the unavoidable adverse environmental effects, those effects may be considered “acceptable.” The Norwalk Transit Village Specific Plan project has one significant impact related to greenhouse gas (GHG). The City has balanced the benefits of the proposed project against the significant and unavoidable impacts associated with the proposed project and has adopted all feasible mitigation measures with respect to GHG emissions. It’s important to note that many in-fill urban projects fail to meet this threshold. Also, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has no established GHG thresholds, instead operating on interim measures.
City Council November 19, 2024
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The City Council finds that the project’s benefits of implementing the proposed Norwalk Transit Village Project outweigh the project’s significant unavoidable impacts, and those impacts, therefore, are considered acceptable in light of the project’s benefits. The City Council finds that each of the benefits described is an overriding consideration, independent of the other benefits, that warrants approval of the project notwithstanding the project’s significant unavoidable impacts.
Commitment to Local Hiring
Multiple commentors stated a concern regarding no commitment to local hiring.
Response: The City, as the project proponent and applicant, will not build the project and is not in a position to directly negotiate with labor unions. The City’s development partner has met with the various local trade union representatives who recently commented on the project to review their concerns and will continue to have ongoing discussions with these labor union groups. It should also be noted that the Affordable Housing component (40% of all residential units) will require prevailing wage for construction workers.
Conclusion:
As the Public Hearing and City Council’s consideration of the Norwalk Transit Village Specific Plan resumes this evening, it should be noted that the public comments received to date do not warrant a change in any of the analysis that were previously prepared in the EIR. City Council will continue to receive comments, ask questions, and discuss the proposed project prior to rendering a decision.
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends City Council:
a. adopt Resolution No. 24-58, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF NORWALK
ADOPTING ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS PURSUANT TO THE CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT, CERTIFYING THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR SPECIFIC PLAN AREA NO. 17, THE “NORWALK TRANSIT VILLAGE SPECIFIC PLAN” (SCH #2022070103), APPROVING A MITIGATION
MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM, AND ADOPTING A STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS;
b. adopt Resolution No. 24-56, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWALK APPROVING GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 2022-01 (2024-01)
ADDING A SPECIFIC PLAN AREA LAND USE DESIGNATION AND CHANGING THE CURRENT DESIGNATION FROM INSTITUTIONAL (I) TO SPECIFIC PLAN AREA NO. 17;
c. adopt Resolution No. 24-57, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWALK APPROVING ZONE CHANGE NO. 2022-01 (2024-02) TO RE-ZONE City Council November 19, 2024
Norwalk Transportation Village – Environmental Report, General Plan Amendment, and Creation of Specific Plan Area No. 17 Page No. 6
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THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 12300 BLOOMFIELD AVENUE FROM INSTITUTIONAL (I) TO SPECIFIC PLAN AREA NO. 17; and
d. introduce by title only Ordinance No. 24-1754, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF NORWALK ADOPTING ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT NO. 2022-02 (2024-04) ESTABLISHING THE SPECIFIC PLAN AREA NO. 17, THE “NORWALK TRANSIT VILLAGE SPECIFIC PLAN”, and schedule for adoption.
Attachments:
1. Resolution No. 24-58 including Exhibit A Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and Exhibit B CEQA Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations
2. Resolution No. 24-56 including Exhibit A Existing General Plan Land Use Designation and Exhibit B Proposed General Plan Land Use Designation
3. Resolution No. 24-57 including Exhibit A Existing Zoning and Exhibit B Proposed Zoning
4. Ordinance No. 24-1754 including Exhibit A
5. EIR Responses to Adams Broadwell Letter dated October 15, 2024
6. EIR Responses to Unite Here Local 11 Letter dated October 15, 2024
7. EIR Responses to Mitchell Tsai Letter dated November 6, 2024
8. EIR Responses to Adams Broadwell Letter dated November 6, 2024 *Attachment Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are posted on the City’s website at:
https://www.norwalk.org/city-hall/departments/community-development/planning/advanced- planning-projects/norwalk-transit-village and available in the Community Development Department.