COMMUNITY IMPACT STATEMENT ON ABBOT LOFTS (1645-1647 Abbot Kinney Blvd.)

Grassroots Venice Neighborhood Council

Community Impact Statement

Abbot Lofts (1645-1657 Abbot Kinney Blvd.)

Case Nr: APCW 2004-3297-ZC-CO-CU-SPE-ZV-ZAA-SPP-MEL

September 10, 2004

Community Impact Statement

Abbot Lofts

SUMMARY [99 words]

The GRVNC expresses its support of the Abbot Lofts Project (“Project”) due to the benefits this mixed-use project will bring to the community. The requested zone change and exceptions to the Venice Specific Plan should be granted, not because of Mello Act compliance, but because of the Project’s unique location, sensitivity of design to that location, commitment to environmentally responsible design, lack of adjacent neighbors whose air and space will be negatively impacted, provision of open space, and extension of retail development on Abbot Kinney coupled with residential rental housing, thus furthering the goal of creating a “walkable Venice.”

FULL COMMENT

We find that the Project offers a number of benefits to the community:

1) The community has expressed support of Abbot Kinney as a retail street of specialty shops, cafes, and galleries. This mixed-use project will extend retail to Venice Blvd, making it a more vibrant street and contributing to the “walkability” of the neighborhood.

2) The Project is designed to function as a “gateway” to Abbot Kinney. We feel the design accomplishes this in a number of ways:

a) Retail storefront will be visible from Venice Blvd.

b) The 15-foot public right-of way along Venice Blvd. will be landscaped and fitted with benches, thus providing not only pleasant public open space but a signal that Abbot Kinney is a pleasant, walkable street.

c) That the architectural plan will break up massing on the façade facing Venice Blvd. The current design provides an interesting face to Venice Blvd. Rather than proposing a sheer massive wall, there is a substantial break between front and rear residential units with a visual corridor. The Project also provides a varied roofline.

d). The 3 large palm trees, which mark the corner, will be retained.

3) The developer has signaled a desire to make the building not just a “gateway” but a “green gateway” to Venice and, at the suggestion of community members, is exploring, what further “green technology” can be feasibly incorporated into the building, e.g. exterior rolling shutters and a solar element beyond those presented in the developer’s presentations.

At this time, the building is incorporates passive solar design utilizing substantial fenestration that provides both ample light and cross-ventilation, greatly reducing need for artificial cooling, heating and lighting. According to the architect,

“Passive natural cross ventilation is achieved through operable windows positioned on opposite sides of every unit. An added benefit of this strategy is that units gain large amounts of daylight from each side of the unit, providing balanced glare free natural light.”

Further energy efficient measures that will be incorporated into the project include:

- Dual glazed and low emissivity windows systems

- Energy star ratings for appliances

- Low wattage, efficient light sources for certain indoor and outdoor applications

- Low flow water usage devices in toilets and shower heads

- Drip irrigation

- Shade giving courtyard landscaping, if/where possible

- Efficient gas heating appliances

- Bike parking and storage

4) The applicant has chosen to provide rental housing, including two very-low-income Mello Units on site, rather than choosing some other possible use less beneficial to the community on a retail street, such as “artist”-in residence or offices.

GRNVC would like to stress that the provision of on-site Mello units does not in and of itself provide justification for height and other exceptions to the Specific Plan. In addition, GRVNC supports the recent settlement entered into by the City which holds that for projects with 20 units or more Mello units are feasible on site. Automatic height and setback exceptions should not be granted in return for Mello Act Compliance. GRVNC holds that providing affordable housing, especially in the coastal zone, is a civic obligation recognized in the Coastal and Mello Acts and we expect compliance to be a given.

While the developer in his application states, “Twenty of the proposed housing units will be market rate units oriented towards middle-income tenants,” GRVNC notes that the market rate charged for apartments in Venice is so high that it is generally not affordable for middle-income tenants. GRVNC seeks clarification of this statement and encourages the developer, where possible, to offer the “market rate” apartments at a rate truly affordable to the middle classes.

The Project does not demolish any housing units or displace any current residents of Venice.

5) The required Beach Impact Zone parking will be on maintained on site. In addition, more than the required parking will be provided.

6) The Project provides private and shared open space to residents on the podium level.

7) The Project incorporates bicycle parking in its design.

Mitigated Negative Declaration:

GRVNC takes exception to one item in the mitigated negative declaration, which states:

III.d1. Air Pollution (Stationary)

Adverse impacts upon future occupants may result from the project implementation due to existing ambient air pollution levels in the project vicinity. However this impact can be mitigated to a level of insignificance by the following measure:

The applicant shall install air filtration system(s) to reduce the diminished air quality effects on the occupants of the project.

GRVNC does not see the sense of requiring expensive noise and pollution generating air filtration systems which themselves add to Stationary Air Pollution and can, in fact, expose residents to molds which can plague HVAC systems. In properly designed buildings, HVAC systems are especially unnecessary here in Venice, which enjoys an almost continual breeze and temperate climate.

We also feel that, as the developer has stated that the non-Mello apartments are targeted for middle income residents, and as “market-rate” in Venice is actually not generally affordable to middle-income tenants, reducing building costs by, e.g., not requiring expensive air-conditioning systems, can have the effect of making the buildings more accessible to moderate income residents. For these reasons we propose the mitigation measure be changed to:

The applicant shall design the building so as to ensure cross-ventilation in all rooms, reduce reliance on artificial heating and cooling and need for daytime artificial light, and incorporate further “green” building technology such as solar energy and rolling shutters where feasible.

With this exception, GRVNC is in accordance with the mitigated negative declaration.

The developer and architects presented the Proposed Project on three separate occasions to the Land Use and Planning Committee, answering questions and concerns from the public and the committee and signaling a desire to incorporate community suggestions into the project. At its Aug. 3 meeting, the LUPC voted unanimously to recommend approval of the project to the GRVNC Board of Officers with tha above change to the mitigated negative declaration.

At its September 13, 2004 meeting, the GRVNC Board voted to approve the foregoing Community Impact Statement.