Frequently Asked Questions
*Information provided on these pages is based on preliminary development plans and some details may change during the approval process, project development and construction.
Parking | Traffic | Access | Proposed Center | Operations | Coral Trees | Barry Building | Green Building | Construction | Entitlement Requests
Parking
By providing parking in excess of Municipal Code requirements, the employees who chose to drive to work will have sufficient on-site parking.
Will there be a charge for parking?
Currently, it is presumed that there will be a free parking validation period, the duration of which has yet to be determined.
Will parking be limited to customers?
Currently, there is no intention to allow parking for general public. Parking will be for customers and employees.
How many parking spaces are required per code? How many are proposed?
The City will require 325 parking spaces. Green Hollow Square features 427 parking spaces (65 spaces at ground level; 362 spaces at subterranean level including 200 tandem spaces). This provides approximately 102 parking spaces in excess of City’s parking code.
Traffic
How much traffic will be generated to the site?
The proposed center will generate new trips to and from the center. However, given the vision to create a neighborhood-serving, one-stop shopping experience catering to Brentwood residents, the majority of customers will likely come from the local area. For an in-depth analysis of the traffic generation, please see a copy of the traffic analysis included in the Draft Environmental Impact Report.
Is the developer going to contribute funds to help solve the known regional traffic concerns?
Per the City’s Department of Transportation requirements, the applicant will pay approximately $854,000 in Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) Fees. As required by the West Los Angeles Transportation Improvement and Mitigation Plan, the TIA Fees are paid into the City’s General Fund and earmarked for regional measures to help mitigate trip-related impacts. The developer will work with the 11th Council District office to make sure the fees are spent in a manner that is desired by the community.
What are the anticipated traffic impacts resulting from the proposed Green Hollow Square center?
The center will impact several intersections in its immediate vicinity during peak traffic hours. Measures to address existing and future traffic congestion issues have been studied and will be included in the traffic analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Report.
Access
Will Saltair be used as an entrance or exit to the proposed commercial center?
No. Neither Saltair Avenue nor Saltair Terrace will be used as an exit or entrance point to the proposed commercial center.
Proposed Center
The original center proposed an approximately 49,300 square-foot commercial center made up of two new, two-story buildings containing tenant spaces for retail, restaurant and other local services in an open-air setting with courtyards and pedestrian pathways on a site that was approximately 95,700 square feet. The buildings were to be built above a one-level subterranean parking garage and contain at-grade parking towards the northern portion of the site. As an alternative to at-grade and subterranean parking on the northwest portion of the proposed Green Hollow Square site, the applicant was looking to develop a combination of one residential unit with at-grade parking to the east and one level of subterranean parking below the residential unit.
After having listened to the community’s feedback, the applicant decided to incorporate an adjacent property to the east into the proposed site in order to create additional space for at-grade and subterranean parking, rather than use the northwest portion of the center site (the two residential lots on Saltair Avenue) for such parking. Therefore, the current Green Hollow Square proposal incorporates the neighboring property and increases the size of the site by about 20,000 square feet to a total of 73,300 square feet (plus about 3,700 square feet for outdoor dining areas). 105,000 square feet of development area is allowed per current zoning standards. This increased size will allow for the addition of office use, retail and neighborhood-serving spaces. The restaurant space allotment has decreased due to community requests.
Will the proposed center have an effect on the surrounding home values?
According to the October 2009 edition of Urban Land, a new study released in mid-August 2009, “Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities”, states that homes in more walkable neighborhoods – those with a mix of common daily shopping and social destinations within a short distance – are worth more than similar homes in less-walkable neighborhoods.
Like the Barry Building, the proposed center will create a neighborhood gathering space with three new two-story buildings offering groupings of small tenant spaces. Each proposed building will be two-stories in height and offer an open-air setting with courtyards and pedestrian pathways, thus creating a pedestrian-friendly environment similar to that of the Barry Building.
Does Green Hollow Square comply with the San Vicente Scenic Corridor Specific Plan and Guidelines?
The center has been designed to comply with the Specific Plan height requirements, landscape requirements, architectural requirements and open space requirements, so as to comfortably fit in as an integral part of the Brentwood community.
Will the home on Saltair Terrace, owned by the applicant, become part of the development?
No. The applicant does not intend to incorporate their privately owned property into the proposed commercial center. A private home will be built on this property.
No. There will be no pedestrian access points via Saltair Terrace.
Will Green Hollow Square be visible from Saltair Avenue?
The appearance from Saltair Avenue will remain residential. One single-family home is proposed (where there are currently two homes on two residential lots) as part of the applicant’s development vision. Only the rear 100 feet of depth of the two residential lots are proposed for re-zoning to allow surface and subterranean parking for the commercial center.
Will an alternative include the Barry Building?
It is anticipated that the center’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will study the environmental impact of the alternative of retaining the Barry Building.
Operations
Where will the loading docks be located?
Two loading areas are proposed at the northwest and northeast corners of the commercial buildings. These loading areas have been located so as to maximize the distance to the residential areas to the north.
Will loading and trash pick-up hours be limited?
The applicant is willing to work with the adjacent residential property owners to reasonably limit both the loading and trash operation times so as not to unduly disturb these owners.
Where will the trash areas be located?
Two trash areas are proposed alongside the entry and exit driveways, just south of the loading areas at the northwest and northeast corners of the commercial buildings. Like the loading areas, the trash areas have been located so as to maximize the distance to the residential areas to the north.
How will the lighting be tailored such that there is no impact to the adjacent neighbors?
Lighting for the proposed center has yet to be determined; however, it will ultimately be designed such that it is appropriately shielded and directed onto the site to avoid any spill-over or reflection onto nearby residential properties. Potential impacts with respect to lighting are being studied in the Environmental Impact Report.
How will the adjacent neighbors be protected from the activities on-site?
Green Hollow Square has been designed such that a well-landscaped parking area would be developed to the rear of the site, providing a buffer between the commercial buildings and the adjacent residential properties. A cantilevered area with planters, abundant landscaping, and screening walls is proposed along the north and northwest perimeters of the proposed site. The proposed outdoor dining areas and outdoor sales areas are designed to be fully integrated within the courtyards, paseos, and terraces of the commercial buildings, away from the neighboring uses.
Will the restaurant hours be limited? Will alcohol sales be limited to certain hours?
Specific tenants have not yet been identified for the center, however the developer will work with the community to agree upon appropriate hours of operations and alcohol sales.
Coral Trees
Will the coral trees along San Vicente Blvd. be impacted by Green Hollow Square?
The commercial center itself will have no direct effect on the coral trees. If the community supports the implementation of suggested u-turn and/or left-turn lane improvements, which are aimed at easing traffic congestion, some coral trees may be impacted. These impacted trees would be replaced with other coral trees. These recommended traffic improvements and any resulting impact to the coral trees would require coordination with a tree expert and approval by the Department of City Planning, the Board of Public Works, and the Urban Forestry Division of the Bureau of Street Services. The potential impacts to coral trees are being studied in the EIR.
Barry Building
How can the Barry Building be demolished if it is a historic landmark?
The City’s current Historic Preservation Ordinance does not prohibit the demolition of a cultural-historic monument. Rather, it requires the preparation and certification of an EIR before a demolition permit can be granted.
Green Building
How will Green Hollow Square comply with “green” building standards?
Green Hollow Square will meet the Standard of Sustainability (the equivalent of LEED at the Certified level).
The following LEED areas of conservation will be included in the proposed plans: water and waste conservation measures, use of green sustainable materials, energy conserving glazing and fenestration materials, non reflective roofing materials, insulated wall and roof systems, high energy efficient HVAC systems, energy efficient electrical and lighting systems
Construction
How long will the construction period be?
It is estimated that construction of Green Hollow Square can be between 18 – 24 months.
What will the construction haul routes be?
The haul routes have yet to be determined. However, any haul route must be approved by the Department of Building and Safety, subject to a public review and approval process.
Will traffic on surrounding streets be impacted by construction-related activities?
The applicant will comply with all requirements set forth by the City departments involved with construction activities and can work with the community to address their concerns.
Entitlement Requests
What entitlement requests are being made?
The following are the requests related to the Los Angeles Municipal Code:
General Plan Amendment from Residential to Neighborhood Commercial: to allow the eastern most +/-100 feet of the residential lots to be used as surface and underground parking for the commercial center
Zone Change with Height District Change: to allow for the change from residential to surface and subterranean parking (see above), consistent with the existing parking zoning which covers the rest of the parking area
Vesting Zone Change: add the vesting designation to the existing Commercial and Parking zones, as may be approved by the City
Conditional Use Permit: to permit on-site and off-site sales of alcoholic beverages
Zone Variance: to allow outdoor eating areas for restaurants that are not on the ground floor and outdoor eating areas that are more than 50% of the dining area of the associated restaurants
Zone Variance: to allow outdoor sales areas including kiosks, sales carts, etc., in the patios and paseos
Site Plan Review
The following are the requests related to the San Vicente Scenic Corridor Specific Plan:
Specific Plan Amendment: to expand the boundary of the Specific Plan to include the requested parking zone area (Please note that this was requested by the Department of City Planning.)
Project Permit Compliance Review
Preliminary and Final Design Review by the San Vicente Design Review Board
What is the entitlement process timeframe?
The anticipated entitlement schedule for the proposed Green Hollow Square center lasts from current-day through Summer of 2011, which entails submission of the appropriate environmental documents, public review of the documents, and multiple public hearings to discuss the proposed center. Since some tasks are outside of the control of the Green Hollow Square team and hearing dates must be agreed to by each decision-making body and/or its staff, the anticipated timeframe is an estimate only.