Guiding The Future Of The Santa Monica Mountains North Area
The Santa Monica Mountains North Area (North Area) includes approximately 33 square miles of unincorporated Los Angeles County lands within the Santa Monica Mountains, located about 25 miles west of the City of Los Angeles. The North Area is characterized by a mix of predominantly semi-rural and rural uses, including urbanized areas, rural residential, ranches, vineyards, and open space. It also includes California State Parks lands and portions of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area administered by the National Park Service. The North Area, along with the general Santa Monica Mountains area, supports a diverse range of animal and plant species and habitat types in one of the highest populated counties in the state.
Because of the variety of uses and differing needs of residents in the North Area, the County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning (DRP) recently updated the North Area Plan (NAP) (originally adopted in 2000) and Community Standards District (CSD) (adopted in 2005 and previously amended in 2015), which include policies and standards to protect biological and recreational resources in the North Area. DRP’s revisions to the NAP and CSD would achieve the following objectives:
Strengthen existing environmental resource policies.
Identify policies and standards that will support the surrounding communities’ current rural and semi-rural lifestyle.
Align with the policies and development standards in the 2014 Santa Monica Mountains Local Coastal Program to ensure consistency in policies between the Coastal Zone and North Area.
Aspen assisted DRP in preparing a biological assessment and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate the updated policies and standards for the North Area. The detailed biological assessment documented biological data in the North Area and presented a tiered habitat ranking system and sensitivity indicators to assist with identifying protection levels for sensitive species. DRP used the information from the biological assessment to develop and revise policies in the NAP and development standards in the CSD for the protection of biological and recreational resources. Aspen project staff participated in multiple community meetings for the NAP and CSD to address the approach to managing sensitive resources in the North Area and to present findings of the biological assessment. During these community meetings, community members identified the following issues that are now addressed in the updated NAP and CSD: protection of trees and scenic resources, protection of existing equestrian uses on properties, and protection from noise and traffic associated with special events at venues.
Aspen also completed a Draft EIR to evaluate 14 environmental issue areas, cumulative impacts, and project alternatives of the DRP’s proposed updates to the NAP and CSD. The Draft EIR included a detailed discussion of fires in the project area, focusing on reducing and maintaining a low density in the North Area and establishing an expedited permit process for rebuilding after a disaster. To address concerns over noise, Aspen worked with the County Public Health Department to prepare a Noise Technical Report, which identified the noise baseline for the project area, documented noise measured at event sites and other selected areas, and recommended noise thresholds based on evaluation of existing noise sources. This information was used to develop the noise thresholds included in the updated NAP and CSD.
Aspen assisted the DRP with responding to 87 written comment letters on the Draft EIR and oral comments presented at the public meeting. Preparation of the Final EIR included the response to comments, changes to the draft document based on comments received, and the mitigation implementation and monitoring plan. Aspen supported the DRP with the public meeting on the Draft EIR and public hearings before the Regional Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, all of which were held virtually on Zoom. The Commission and Board unanimously certified the EIR and approved the NAP and CSD Update.