One of the largest and oldest Korean churches in the United States plans to dramatically increase its Los Angeles campus by replacing its nearly 50-year-old facility with a 3-story, 27,772-square-foot sanctuary, 57,536-square-foot community center and two levels of subterranean parking with 380 spaces.

Public hearings were held last week and earlier this spring for the entitlements needed by the Berendo Street Baptist Church, which is located in the heart of LA's Koreatown. Among the entitlements needed are a Site Plan Review and Zoning Administrator's Adjustments for reduced yard setbacks for the new buildings and the subterranean parking. The project's draft MND was published last month; no potentially significant environmental impacts were determined by the Planning Department.

The church was organized in March 1957, only the second Korean Baptist church in the United States. It has been called the "mother ship" of Korean Baptist churches in the U.S. because of its activist role in training Korean Baptist ministers and the missionary services that its members have traditionally provided around the country.

The Zoning Administrator's Determination Letter on the new project has yet to be issued. Typically, the ZA's office issues its ruling 4-6 weeks after the public hearing, so the church should know by early October whether it can proceed with its ambitious growth plan.

Berendo Street Baptist Church is located at 975 S. Berendo St.

ZA-2013-0001-ZAA-SPR
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=189871&caseNumber=ZA-2013-1-ZAA-SPR&fuseaction=case.summary

ENV-2013-0002-MND
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=189872&caseNumber=ENV-2013-2-MND&fuseaction=case.summary

Korean Council to meet in L.A.
http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles%20May08/Art_May08_LA1.html

History of the Korean immigrant Baptist church movement:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+history+of+the+Korean+immigrant+Baptist+church+movement+in+the...-a0130777643

UPDATE (11:31 p.m.) : The developer has asked for a continuance from the City Planning Commission to "re-think the project and to perform additional community outreach," according to a copy of the developer's letter posted on the LA-32 Neighborhood Council website (here).

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Developers of a controversial mixed use project in Northeast Los Angeles will have to overcome Planning staff and neighborhood opposition when they present their case to the City Planning Commission on Thursday.

City Terrace LLC is proposing a 45,388-square-foot Charter Elementary School, a 20-unit multi-family residential structure and a 2,363 square-foot cafe on a vacant, 4.8-acre hillside lot in the 2500 block of North Eastern Avenue in El Sereno.

The development requires a Zone Change (with new Height District) and General Plan Amendment in order to be built as constructed. But the Planning Department staff report on the project just released recommends that the City Planning Commission denies both requests, which would kill the project if the CPC concurs.

The project has received a lot of attention from local residents, neighborhood groups and media. At a recent, special meeting of the LA-32 Neighborhood Council, the developer's presentation caused an "audible gasp" from neighbors who were surprised at its size and complexity, according to Curbed LA.

Opponents have created a website (http://90032.org/) to gather opposition signatures and collect documents produced by the developer and Planning Department.

The City Planning Commission meeting Thursday starts at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Room 350.

Preserve El Sereno website:
http://90032.org/

Curbed LA:  No Love For School/Apartment Project on El Sereno Hillside
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/no_love_at_all_for_schoolapartment_project_on_el_sereno_hillside.php

Eastsider LA:  El Sereno mixed-use project meets with resistance
http://www.theeastsiderla.com/2013/07/el-sereno-mixed-use-project-meets-with-resistance/

A wave of protest may great members of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners when they meet Thursday in San Pedro.

The Los Angeles Conservancy is rallying supporters, asking them to attend the board's monthly meeting to demand that the commissioners upgrade their commitment to preserving historical assets at the West Coast's largest port.

Thursday's meeting is critical, since the commissioners are scheduled to vote on the final Environmental Impact Report for the Port of Los Angeles Master Plan Update. Conservationists feel the Port is not making a strong enough commitment to preserving historic buildings and sites.

"The Los Angeles Conservancy strongly believes that the historic buildings of Terminal Island should be preserved and reused rather than demolished," the Conservancy wrote in its position paper. "The proposed Port Master Plan Update limits opportunities to revitalize these places through adaptive reuse and, in some cases, calls for their demolition."

Port Department staff members, in their report to the commissioners, say that they have identified facilities associated with the former Japanese Fishing Village as being eligible for listing as a historic resource and have updated the draft Master Plan to accommodate the preservation of historical resources.

This isn't the first time that conservationists have expressed disappointment in the Port operations. A year ago, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Harbor's Terminal Island as one of America's most endangered historic places.

"Terminal Island presents an incredible opportunity to transform a vital piece of America's industrial past for new uses while also preserving an important part of our nation's cultural history," the president of the trust told Bob Pool of the Los Angeles Times.

The commissioners meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro.

Los Angeles Conservancy Terminal Island website:
https://www.laconservancy.org/issues/terminal-island

LA Times:  Not a safe harbor for history
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/07/local/la-me-port-preservation-20120607

Port of Los Angeles Board of Commissioners agenda:
http://www.portoflosangeles.org/Board/2013/August%202013/08_08_13_Regular_Agenda.asp

Port of Los Angeles Draft EIR Motion:
http://www.portoflosangeles.org/Board/2013/August%202013/080613_Item_4.pdf

The Cultural Heritage Commission votes today on a whether to designate another West Adams home as a City Historic-Cultural Monument.

The Herman Kerckhoff Residence (1325 W. Adams Blvd.) is "an architectural treasure and cultural landmark," according to the West Adams Heritage Association. The 114-year-old home "exhibits character-defining features of Shingle-style" architecture, was the home of a prominent Los Angeles family in the early 20th century and was designed by a significant architectural firm, according to the staff report prepared by the Office of Historic Resources.

WAHA credits councilman Bernard Parks and his staff for fast-tracking the motion through the City Council so that the CHC can vote today on whether to designate the home a HCM. The WAHA expressed concern in its own report that the home's interior built-ins and fixtures could be sold off without this designation.

"While the freestanding contents of the house can be sold without objection, the fixtures and built-ins that are intrinsic to the historic character of the house, if stripped and sold, would cause serious and irreparable damage," the WAHA said in its report on the house.

The CHC votes today on the motion at its regular meeting, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at City Hall (Room 1010). The CHC has already designated 11 other sites on West Adams Boulevard as Historic-Cultural

West Adams Historic Association report:
http://www.westadamsheritage.org/read/1263


Office of Historic Resources staff report:
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=192470&caseNumber=CHC-2013-2174-HCM&fuseaction=case.summary