1. Is this a new project?

141 Avenue 34 (“Project”) is an update to a project previously approved by the City in 2016—that can be built by-right today. The current developer proposes a less-impactful project that completely eliminates the construction of 30,000 square feet of traffic-intensive office space, while increasing the number of dwelling units to 468 from 372—and more than doubles the number of affordable housing units (from 31 to 66).

The overall size of the Project, and its traffic and environmental impacts have all been reduced from those of the currently approved project. These impacts include fewer vehicle trips, lower height, less FAR, more public open space, and a more artful and contextual project design.

The currently proposed project is the only version before the City for its consideration—the prior version is already approved and can be built by the Project applicant or another developer—by right at any time. However, the Project applicant believes the updated and smaller, less impactful, better designed Project will produce better short- and long-term impacts on the site, and for the neighborhood.

2. Are these luxury units?

The units are a mix of 66 affordable and include a large number of studios and one bedrooms that will be priced at market rates.

3. Does the Project provide public open space?

Yes, the Project proposes approximately 1.5 acres of landscaped public open space with seating and shade among the Project’s proposed community-serving retail uses. The open space along Pasadena Avenue will be open to the public. The space will be safe, welcoming and beautifully landscaped.

4. Why is the vehicle entrance to the Project at the rear west side of the building and not on Pasadena Avenue?

Zoning explicitly forbids entry from Pasadena Avenue. Additionally, under City Department of Transportation policy, new projects are generally required to not place their primary vehicle ingress and egress points on major streets such as Pasadena Avenue or in any situation where they can be put on a smaller street such as Avenue 34. This policy is in place to limit congestion and the danger of accidents on major streets from people slowing down to turn into driveways and from people coming out of building driveways. In accordance with this policy, the Project’s primary vehicle access point is located at the rear west side of the building per the Department of Transportation. The developer has commissioned a traffic engineer to perform an extensive traffic study, which has been accepted and approved by the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

5. Does the Project include a vehicle turn-around on Avenue 34?

No. In direct response to community concerns, the developer has ensured that the Project design does not include a vehicle turnaround, “bulb” or any other vehicle turnaround features on Avenue 34.

6. Is the Project under parked?

No. The Project as currently proposed provides over 20% more parking spaces than required by the City code, and the commercial parking spaces will be available to residents and resident visitors during off-business hours. The Project applicant is acutely aware of the community’s concerns regarding pressures on off-street parking. The applicant is committed to working with the community in good faith—on an ongoing basis—to ensure the parking impacts on the neighborhood are kept to a minimum.

7. Will the project impact street parking on Avenue 34?

The Project applicant has committed to work with the community to take steps to ensure that future residents and guests do not negatively impact street parking on Avenue 34. The applicant is willing to assist the community in working with the City to implement parking restrictions on Avenue 34 in a manner that would limit or eliminate the ability of future Project residents and guests from parking on Avenue 34. The Project applicant has requested the community’s partnership in addressing this important issue.

8. Would the Project’s vehicles exit onto Artesian Avenue?

While it is inevitable that some people exiting the Project going down to the 5 freeway would likely use Artesian Street, the traffic engineers have concluded that the majority of future Project residents would exit the Project and travel away from Artesian Avenue down Avenue 34 toward Pasadena Avenue.

9. Are there any concerns related to the Project about contamination on neighboring sites?

While the property to the north of the Project site has had a history of contamination and cleanup, a Phase I analysis of the Project site (in addition to multiple borings) has indicated it is not impacted by subsurface contamination. Nevertheless, during construction the Project applicant will comply with the various regulatory requirements in place to test soils for contamination during the site preparation and earth moving construction phases to verify no contamination is present. If any contaminants are detected, the Project applicant will develop a work plan—in conjunction with appropriate regulatory oversight agencies and in accordance with legal requirements—to ensure that no impacts from the contamination occur. These processes are built into the checks and balances over the regular course of any development in the City of Los Angeles. Both the regulations and engineering methods to safely remove any contaminated soil from a development site, and to put protective measures in place for the protection of current and future residents are well developed and proven safe and effective.

10. What additional pedestrian and vehicle safety measures is the Project considering?

The Project applicant is proposing several voluntary safety measures to improve safety on all surrounding streets, including Pasadena Avenue, Avenue 34, Artesian Street and Avenue 33. These measures are not mandated but are being voluntarily developed in consultation with a variety of community stakeholders.

The Project applicant is working with Metro on the design and installation of signage and a lighted signal on Artesian and Avenue 33 at the Gold Line crossing to ensure driver safety where Artesian Street and Avenue 33 meet the Gold Line tracks. These measures will address an important safety issue currently impacting the community.

The Project applicant is also considering the installation of a pedestrian-activated crosswalk across Pasadena Avenue adjacent to the Project site, and another striped crosswalk across Avenue 34 at the Pasadena Avenue intersection. These measures would significantly improve pedestrian safety in the area.

Additionally, the applicant is proposing to work with the City to install striping on Avenue 34 and additional way-finding and safety signage both on Avenue 34 and Artesian Street between Avenue 34 and Avenue 33.

Finally, the Project Applicant is working on a plan to develop Avenue 34 consistent with the City’s Vision Zero policy, which could include a variety of signage, lighting and other safety measures that would increase safety and visibility on Avenue 34, and for the entire community.

11. Does the Project propose “luxury” apartments?

The Project is proposing to provide new units, not luxury units. Notably, the Project here proposes only 96 units in addition to the 372 currently approved units to be built on the property (468 total). Of those 95 additional units, 35 of the units are affordable units priced for persons making 50 percent of the county median income (the Project includes a total of 66 affordable units). That means one third of the additional units proposed by the Project will be affordable units. Apart from the affordable units, the Project’s market rate units will not and cannot be priced for a “luxury” market in order to be viable in Lincoln Heights. Rather, the Project’s market rate units will be, and must be, priced for the Lincoln Heights marketplace – these are not Downtown LA luxury units. And as stated, the rent on 66 of the new units will be provided at capped affordable rents. Accordingly, the Project is not a “luxury” development, it merely proposes a mix of new affordable and market rate units at a range of affordability levels that will add needed housing to the heavily constrained Lincoln Heights housing market.