On behalf of the City of Los Alamitos, EPD analyzed the Village 605 project, which included demolition of two office buildings and a vesting tentative tract map, major conditional use permit, and major site plan review to construct a 113,880-square-foot commercial center (including a 365 by Whole Foods) on approximately 9.6 acres located on Katella Avenue and Interstate 605 (I-605) in the City of Los Alamitos.

The project site was across the street from single-family residential and adjacent to a middle school, a freeway onramp, and Los Alamitos City Hall. Due to the site’s elevation drop and distance from the I-605, a freeway pylon sign was proposed on the site to provide visibility to travelers on the freeway. The sign was 120 feet tall and 50 feet wide, and included a digital commercial center identification sign of approximately 1,130 square feet. EPD drafted an EIR Addendum substantiating that the commercial center was consistent with the scope and type of development analyzed on the project site as part of the Los Alamitos General Plan EIR. The primary environmental issues involved traffic; construction and operational noise; aesthetics; light, glare, and shading (from the project’s pylon sign); and land use compatibility.