Hillel 818, Foundation for Jewish Campus Life

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All information and documents contained herein were submitted to the  Department of City Planning official case file.

Address:  17729 W. Plummer Street
Case No.  ZA 1985-1216-CUZ-PA1

See a Graphic Summary Overview for a visualization of the project.   Click Here

 

Who is Hillel 818

Hillel 818, Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, is part of a global network of Hillels on over 500 campuses worldwide. Hillel 818, at California State University Northridge (CSUN), was founded in 1960 and is one of the oldest student groups on the CSUN campus. For over 60 years, Hillel has provided services to students from CSUN, Pierce College, Los Angeles Valley College, and College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita.

Hillel 818 offers counseling and a variety of fun and exciting programs for all major Jewish holidays during the school calendar year. Students come to Hillel so they can connect with their Jewish peers for social programs and to study.

Hillel 818 prepares a kosher dinner every week for Shabbat, which is open to all students in the Valley, free of charge, and are generally themed. Hillel welcomes all students to enjoy Shabbat, meet new friends, share in a communal meal, and celebrate with other students.

Project

There are three components to the Project:

  1. The scope of work includes renovation of the existing one-story building and addition for office and assembly space. The existing building is 5,950 square feet and the proposed addition is 1,044.8, totaling 6,994.8 square feet. The scope of work also includes resurfacing/striping of the parking lot with the addition of eight (8) short and long-term bicycle spaces and one parking stall, new exterior facade, infill of exterior walls, new exterior doors and windows, new interior partitions and doors, and partial new roof.
  2. Construct one single face wall sign  at 36” x 96” to replace two signs including a double face monument sign  at 36” x 96” and single face wall sign at 24” by 96”.””
  3. Construct a six-foot wall and fence with sliding vehicle entrance gate along the street frontage.

Code Request

There are two requests.

  • One is a Plan Approval, pursuant to Section 12.24-M of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, to add 1,044.8 square feet to the existing building.  The prior approval, Case No. ZA 1985-1216(CUZ), authorized 5,950 square feet.  The Plan Approval includes modifying Condition Nos. 6, 7, 11, 13, and 16 (See REQUESTED MODIFICATIONS OF CONDITIONS TO Case No. ZA 85-1216-CUZ, below).
  • The second request is pursuant to 12.24-F of the Los Angeles Municipal Code for relief from Section 12.21-C,3(b) to permit the east side yard at 12 feet – 8 inches and west side yard at 7 feet.

MODIFICATION OF CONDITIONS IN PRIOR APPROVAL CASE No. ZA 85-1216-CUZ

On February 19, 1986, the City of Los Angeles Office of Zoning Administration approved the  continued use and maintenance of an existing religious, educational and counseling student center on an RA-1 zoned site; and, the expansion thereof by a one-story, 3,000-square-foot addition providing a larger meeting room, new restrooms, and a kitchen.

The approval also granted  a variance from the provisions of Article 2, Chapter I of said Code to permit  reduced side yards observing a combined width of 20 feet, in lieu of the 46 feet required; and, a reduced westerly side yard for the involved structure or 7 feet, in lieu of the 10 feet required.

The following are requested modifications to the February 1986 approval:

Condition No. 6 

That 38 on-site parking spaces shall be maintained on the site.

Justification:  Condition No. 6 should be updated as deemed necessary by the Zoning Administrator.  In Case No. ZA 85-1216-CUZ, the Zoning Administrator imposed parking based on occupancy resulting in 38 required parking spaces.  The current parking regulation is based on a ratio of one stall per 500 square feet.  This applied to the Project requires two additional parking stalls. When applied to the building total square feet (i.e., 6,994.8), the ratio results in 14 parking spaces.

The Project intends to continue providing 38 parking spaces, as required in Case No. ZA 85-1216-CUZ, and will add one parking stall and eight (8) bicycle parking (2 long term and 6 short term).

Condition No. 7 

That any signs displayed on the premises shall be limited to a conservative identification or directional type only, in keeping with the sign provisions of Section 12.21-A, 7 of the Municipal Code, and shall be submitted to and approved by the Office of Zoning Administration prior to the installation.  The existing two (2) signs along the Property frontage may be replaced with one (1) sign similar in size.

 Justification:  The Project intends to replace two previously approved signs with one sign of similar size of those previously approved.  The proposed signs will be installed on the frontage wall. (See Exhibits)

Condition No. 11 

That the occupancy of the involved counseling center shall not exceed that permitted by the Department of Building and Safety. but in no event shall said occupancy exceed 160 patrons.

Justification:  In Case No. ZA 85-1216-CUZ, the Zoning Administrator imposed a maximum occupancy of 160 persons, based on available parking. The request is to amend Condition No. 11 to allow occupancy based on Department of Building and Safety occupancy for the building.

Condition No. 13 

That a 6-foot-high solid masonry wall shall be constructed along the northerly rear lot line, and the easterly and westerly side, and front lot lines of the site.

Justification:  The request is to amend Condition No. 13 to permit a six-foot wall and fence with sliding vehicle entrance gate.  As noted in the submitted news article (attached, hyperlinked), the additional wall/fence is proposed for security.

As cited in a recent City Council Resolution (attached, hyperlinked),  the Anti-Defamation League’s most recent “Audit of Anti-Semitic” incidents in the United States recorded 1,879 acts in 2018, with a dramatic increase in physical assaults, including the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, a wave of anti-Semitic robocalls targeting Jewish schools, JCCs and synagogues, and a significant number of incidents at K-12 schools and on college campuses.   Further, the FBI, which compiles hate-crime data based on reports from local law-enforcement agencies, found the number of such incidents rose 29 percent in 2018 from 2015 and in California alone, anti-Semitic hate crimes surged by 21 percent from 2017 to 2018, and reports of anti-Semitic incidents have continued to make headlines in 2019.

Condition No. 16

16. The use hereby authorized is conditional upon the privileges’ being utilized within 180 days after the effective date hereof, and if · they are not utilized or construction work is not begun within said time and carried on diligently to completion this authorization shall become void and any privilege or use granted hereby shall be deemed to have lapsed unless a Zoning Administrator has granted an extension of the time limit, after sufficient evidence has been submitted indicating that there was unavoidable delay in taking advantage of the grant. Once any portion of the privilege hereby granted is utilized, the other conditions thereof become immediately operative and must be strictly observed. Furthermore, this conditional use approval shall be subject to revocation in the manner as provided under Section 12.24, I of the Municipal Code if the conditions imposed are not strictly observed.

Justification:  Condition No. 16 should be updated or deleted, as deemed necessary by the Zoning Administrator.

Community Outreach 

Letters in SUPPORT:

Planning 101 – Relevant  Land Use and Planning Tools

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