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Committee remands Castellammare four‑lot project for new CEQA analysis, cites landslide and fire risks
Summary
The Planning and Land Use Committee remanded a four‑lot Pacific Palisades project to the West LA Area Planning Commission for new CEQA analysis after residents and council staff raised landslide and post‑fire access concerns.
The Planning and Land Use Committee voted unanimously to find that “there is a potential for significant impacts” related to a proposed project of four new single‑family dwellings (with accessory dwelling units) in the Castellammare/Pacific Palisades area and remanded the item to the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission for a new CEQA clearance.
Councilmember Traci Park had asked the committee to grant the appeal and require a site‑specific environmental impact report (EIR) because of post‑fire slope instability, damaged bulkheads and limited access for residents and emergency responders. Payam Musafavi, attorney for the appellants, told the committee the project was proposed on top of the Tremonto landslide and that the project’s mitigated negative declaration (MND) and the citywide housing element EIR do not address site‑specific landslide, drainage or access risks that exist after January's fires. Musafavi said, “An EIR is not optional here.”
Dozens of residents and experts representing the Castle Lamar Mesa Homeowners Association and neighboring associations described burned and smoldering bulkheads, visible slope cracking, hauling routes constrained by narrow roads, and the risk to Pacific Coast Highway if the slide reactivates. Speakers told the committee that nearly half of Castellammare homes were lost in the fires and that recovery and safe rebuilding require site‑specific engineering and mitigation.
Chair Blumenfield proposed — and the committee approved — a motion to find substantial evidence of potential significant impacts given the property’s location in an active landslide and in the Palisades burn area; to remand the environmental analysis to the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission; and to instruct the Planning Department to prepare new CEQA clearance, including consideration of a site‑specific EIR and consulting with the Bureau of Engineering and Department of Building and Safety. The motion also directed the department to evaluate whether the developer should be required to contribute to a city‑led assessment of the Casa Lamar landslide.
The committee recorded an aye vote from all five members and the committee chair instructed staff to transmit Council District 11’s communication and the recommended findings to the West LA APC for reconsideration.
