City of Los Angeles Issues Draft EIR for USC Development
Largest Project in South L.A. Will Create 12,600 New Jobs, Generate $5 Billion Impact
Los Angeles — The City of Los Angeles today released the Notice of Completion of a draft Environmental Impact Report for the University of Southern California development project that would create a mixed-use housing, retail, academic and entertainment complex adjacent to USC’s University Park campus.
Upon full build-out, the project will create an estimated 12,600 jobs and generate more than $1 billion in construction-related economic impact. A projected $3.8 million in tax increment to the Community Redevelopment Agency through year 2030 would make this the single largest addition of incremental tax revenue in South Los Angeles.
The proposed project is located on land already owned by USC, and would provide new retail — including a full-service grocery store, drugstore, restaurants and cinema — that would serve the community near USC as well as USC students and faculty. The project would also provide more than 5,000 new beds for student housing adjacent to the University Park campus.
The project, which has been in development for four years, will both enhance the academic mission of the university and revitalize and transform the community, according to Tom Sayles, USC vice president for government and community relations.
“This project was developed to provide USC with badly needed additional student housing, provide new academic space, and to create a vibrant retail space that will serve both our surrounding community and our academic community,” Sayles said. “It will create thousands of new jobs, both during construction and once the facilities are operational, and provide Los Angeles City and County with some $5 billion in economic impact over the course of the project.”
The city’s draft Environmental Impact Report includes assessments of impacts in aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, hazards and solid waste, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning issues, noise, traffic and parking, employment, population and housing, public services and recreation resources.
A 45-day public review and comment period begins today, with final comments due to the city not later than July 12. The City Planning Department will host a public forum on the document the evening of Wednesday, June 16, 2010, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Expo Center, Senior Ballroom, 3980 South Menlo Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90037.
The report is available online at the Department of City Planning’s Web site, cityplanning.lacity.org (click on “Environmental” and then “Draft Environmental Impact Reports”).
The report is available to the public at the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, at 200 North Spring Street, Room 750, Los Angeles.
The city has additional viewing stations at the following library branches: Central Library, 630 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071; Exposition Park, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Branch Library, 3900 South Western Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90062; Junipero Serra Branch Library, 4607 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037; Vermont Square Branch Library, 1201 West 48th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037; and Jefferson Branch Library, 2211 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90018.
In addition, USC is making copies available at the USC Community House, and the USC Community Computing Center located in the University Village.
Contact: James Grant at (213) 740-6156 or grantjr@usc.edu
