Wilshire Boulevard Temple seeks to update its facilities to accomodate its evolving spiritual, educaiton, community and administrative programs. The current facilities on the 3.9-acre Temple property (Project site) total approximately 124,000 square feet. The project applicant proposes to demolish approximately 51,000 square feet and develop approximately 172,000 new square feet of facilities, for a total of approximately 245,000 square feet on the Project site at buildout (121,000 net new square feet). Additional parking also would be provided.

The Project site encompasses a city block in the Mid-Wilshire community of the City of Los Angeles and is bordered by Wilshire Boulevard on the south, 6^th Street on the north, Harvard Boulevard on the east, and Hobart Boulevard on the west. Regional access to the Project site is provided from the Hollywood (U.S. 101) Freeway, 1.7 miles to the north, and the Santa Monica (I-10) Freeway, 1.75 miles to the south.

The Project site currently contains approximately 75,000 square feet of Temple-related facilities; approximately 36,600 square feet of elementary school facilities; and a 13,650-square-foot office building, for a total of approximately 124,000 square feet. The Project site also contains surface parking for the Temple (78 spaces) and on-site office building (25 spaces), accessible from Harvard Boulevard. The Temple is a designated City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and in the California Register of Historic Resources. The historic Temple building and historic school wing would remain. The 20,000-square-foot 1963 school building on the east side of the Project site and 13,650-square-foot 1953 office building at the corner of 6^th Street and Harvard Boulevard would be removed.

The proposed project defines three districts on the Project site: the Community District, School District, and Parking District. The Community District would contain the historic Sanctuary and a new five-story building containing Temple administration facilities and event/reception halls and spaces. The School District would be divided in two: School District East would encompass the existing 1929 school wing and a new four-story school building housing a nursery school and parenting center, and School District West would contain a new four-story elementary school for kindergarten through sixth grade as well as a gymnasium. A six-level parking structure would occupy the northern portion of the Project site, or Parking District. The parking structure would contain parking for 500 vehicles, a net increase of 397 parking spaces over existing conditions, in three subterranean levels and three above-ground levels, with an outdoor play area on the top deck and approximately 9,000 square feet of storefront space on 6^th Street for the Temple’s social services programs. Total on-site square footage at buildout would be approximately 245,000 square feet.

Entitlements sought for the proposed Project include a Site Plan Review and ancillary authorizations, as determined by LA City Planning and may include, but are not limited to: relief from street dedications/widening requirements or Zoning Administrator adjustments relating to setback adjustments.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED:

Aesthetics, Air Quality and Climate Change (i.e., emission of criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases), Cultural Resources (i.e., historical resources), Geology and Soils, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Noise, Transportation/Circulation, and Water Conservation.

DOCUMENT REVIEW AND COMMENT:

If you wish to review a copy of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) or the documents referenced in the Draft EIR, you may do so at the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning at 200 North Spring Street, Room 750, Los Angeles. Copies of the Draft EIR are also at the following library locations:

1) Dr. Mary McCleod Bethune Regional Library - 3665 S. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90007
2) Los Angeles Central Library - 630 W. 5^th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071
3) Junipero Serra Branch Library - 4607 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037
4) Jefferson Branch Library - 2211 W. Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90018
5) Pio Pico-Koreatown Branch Library- 694 S. Oxford Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90005
6) Wilshire Branch Library - 149 N. Saint Andrews Place, Los Angeles, CA 90004
7) Felipe de Neve Branch Library - 2820 W. 6^th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057

The Draft EIR is also available online at the Department of City Planning's website [www.cityplanning.lacity.org/ (Click "Environmental," and then "Draft Environmental Impact Reports")]. The Draft EIR can be purchased on CD-rom for $7.50. Contact Hadar Plafkin at 213-978-1357 to purchase one.

If you wish to submit comments following review of the Draft EIR, please submit them in writing by February 22, 2011. Please direct your responses to:

Hadar Plafkin, City Planner/Environmental Review Coordinator
Los Angeles Department of City Planning
200 N. Spring Street, Room 750
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 978-1343 (fax)

hadar.plafkin@lacity.org (e-mail)

Please select from the menu below to view each section of the Draft EIR in PDF format.

For Draft EIR Volume I Sections: