South LA Fast Food Health Impact Assessment

Transcription

1 South LA Fast Food Health Impact Assessment Draft April 3, 2013

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PURPOSE Decades of research indicate that an individual s health is not solely impacted by their biological predisposition or the events that occur in their doctor s office. Societal and environmental factors play a dominant role in the trajectory of an individual s health. A rich and diverse food resource environment provides individuals with greater opportunities to make choices that support healthy living. South Los Angeles (South LA) validates this research: it has both a high concentration of fast food restaurants and, unfortunately, equally high rates of obesity and chronic disease. In response to the inequities and impact of South LA s food resource environment, the City of Los Angeles instituted an Interim Control Ordinance that temporarily banned the development of new stand-alone fast food restaurants in South LA from 2007 to The ban was followed by a General Plan amendment limiting new stand-alone fast food restaurants from locating within a ½-mile radius of an existing fast food establishment. The overarching goal of the ordinance was to promote greater commercial diversity by preserving South LA s limited land for healthier alternatives to fast food. Pending updates to the three South LA Community Plans will modify these policies. A Community Plan serves as a blueprint for development in a specific community. The draft new Community Plan for the West Adams-Leimert Park-Baldwin Hills area of South LA was released for public review in September This land-use document will establish the blueprint for development throughout the entire South Los Angeles area for the next 20 years, providing the community with a rare opportunity to fundamentally influence its future. TOPIC in TODs near schools Costs to developer for receiving an exemption CURRENT GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT ½ mile distance requirement for free standing fast food restaurants with exemption for Council District 10 North of 10 Freeway No special designation of TOD areas No special designation of school areas PROPOSED WEST ADAMS PLAN POLICIES ½ mile distance requirement for free standing fast food restaurants with exemption for entire CD 10 portion of West Adams except in TODs ¼ mile density boundary in designated TOD areas Restriction of fast food restaurant development adjacent to or near schools in designated areas $23,000 exemption filing fee Approximately $17,000 exemption filing fee 1 P a g e

3 TOPIC Pedestrian corridor design standards for free standing fast food TOPIC Density limitations for drive through fast food restaurants in TODs CURRENT GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT No special designation of pedestrian corridors CURRENT CRENSHAW SPECIFIC PLAN 750 foot density boundary for drive thru restaurants in Hyde Park and Leimert Park No special designation of free No special designation of TOD areas PROPOSED WEST ADAMS PLAN POLICIES 30 ft. setback in pedestrian corridors PROPOSED CRENSHAW AMENDMENT 750 foot density boundary for drive thru restaurants in Hyde Park and Leimert Park ½ mile density boundary for free standing fast food restaurants (except in CD 10) ¼ mile density boundary in designated TOD areas has conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to examine the impact of the current density regulation of fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles and the potential impact of the proposed New Community Plan and corresponding implementing ordinances. According to the Centers for Disease Control, HIA is a process that helps evaluate the potential health effects of a plan, project or policy before it is built or implemented. An HIA can provide recommendations to increase positive health outcomes and minimize adverse health outcomes. HIA brings potential public health impacts and considerations to the decision-making process for plans, projects, and policies that fall outside the traditional public health arenas, such as transportation and land use 1. This HIA contains an in-depth analysis of South LA s current and pending land-use policies towards fast food restaurant development. KEY FINDINGS - IMPACTS OF CURRENT POLICIES IMPACT ON FAST FOOD PROLIFERATION: An analysis of US Census County Business Patterns Data, Environmental Health Division Data, and LA City Planning Department data reveals that the current fast food regulations have slowed the development of stand-alone fast food restaurants: only one standalone fast food restaurant was established in regulated areas since they were adopted in Additional data reveal that other potential stand-alone fast food restaurant developments in South LA have been deterred by the increased exemption fees. Results from the study also indicate that despite P a g e

4 the slowed development of stand-alone restaurants, the overall number of fast food restaurants in South LA is still increasing, albeit at a slower rate than before. IMPACTS ON HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES: South Los Angeles is known as a built out community with limited parcels available for development, many with irregular shapes and sizes. Restricting fast food restaurant development to preserve South LA s limited land for healthier uses is a strategy that can have a positive impact on the community. Studies have shown that residents living in close proximity to grocery stores experience improved Body Mass Index outcomes, a calculation of weight and height to assess obesity. Since the 2007 ICO, seven new grocery stores have developed in South LA. CHANGES IN HEALTH INDICATORS: Recent public health data indicate that between 2007 and 2009, South LA experienced a 2.2% reduction in the number of adults who consumed fast food 4-5 times a week. In addition, between 2007 and 2011, obesity rates in South LA decreased by nearly 3% (35.4% to 32.7%), the largest decrease in obesity rates in LA County. With this reduction, South LA no longer has the highest obesity rate in LA County. Similarly, diabetes rates in South LA decreased by over 2% (13.9%- 11.7%) between 2007 and South LA transitioned from being the community with the highest rate of diabetes in the County to having the 3rd highest rates of diabetes. Although a reduction in fast food restaurants is certainly not the only factor contributing to this decrease in negative nutrition-related health behaviors and health outcomes, evidence suggests the changes in the food retail environment facilitated by South LA s fast food regulations and other policy initiatives may have played a role. KEY FINDINGS - PROPOSED NEW COMMUNITY PLAN The proposed New Community Plan (NCP) for West Adams limits free- to one per ½ mile radius. In addition to this policy, the new regulations include: (1) geographical exemptions from the ½ mile density policy along geopolitical boundaries (CD 10) encompassing the majority of the community plan area; (2) reduced fast food density boundaries in Transit-Oriented Districts; and (3) limitations on the development of fast food restaurants across the street from, on the same street as, or adjacent to public schools in designated areas. This HIA examines the impacts of these modifications to existing fast food policies on health-related outcomes in the population. IMPACT OF CD 10 EXEMPTION: The September 13 th draft of the West Adams Community Plan Implementation Ordinances (CPIO) reverses current policy and exempts nearly the entire Council District 10 portion of the Community Plan Area from the half-mile fast food density regulations. This exempted region not only encompasses well over half of the West Adams Community Plan s geographic area, but also contains some of the most densely populated areas within the community plan region. In fact, 2008 population estimates reveal that the CD 10 portion of the West Adams Community Plan area contains approximately 143,750 people, nearly 80% of the community plan area s total population. As a result, the study concluded that the CD 10 exemption will significantly undermine the positive impact of current regulations on curbing fast food restaurant development. The exemption once again subjects a significant portion of the area s population and limited land to the development of autocentrically designed fast food restaurants. Research reveals that auto-centric designs have negative impacts on the quality of life, respiratory health, and pedestrian safety of communities. Additional 3 P a g e

5 research reveals that close residential proximity to fast food results in negative BMI impacts. Therefore, the health impact projections of the CD 10 exemption include negative influences on the land-use related and nutrition-related health of the population. CD 10 EXEMPTION IMPACTS HEALTH OUTCOMES MAGNITUDE OF HEALTH IMPACTS LIKELIHOOD OF OUTCOME STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE DIRECT OUTCOMES RESULTING FROM POLICY Reduced nutrition High-level impacts Possible Medium Decreased quality of life Small or Moderate Possible Medium level impacts More air pollution Small or Moderate Possible Medium exposure level impacts More pedestrian injuries _ Insufficient evidence _ Decreased physical activity _ Insufficient evidence _ TRANSIT-ORIENTED DISTRICTS: The proposed NCP also reduces fast food distance boundaries from ½ mile to ¼ mile in designated transit-oriented districts (TODs). However, TODs in CD 10 are among the few places not exempt from the proposed fast food density regulations. Therefore, a portion of the commercial areas around transit nodes within the CD 10 region will be subject to some fast food density regulations and will not be completely open to continued fast food development. Based upon previous development trends within the South LA community, the research team determined that despite the reduced distance, the proposed policies in vulnerable TOD sub-areas will protect them from continued fast food restaurant proliferation. LIMITATIONS ON SCHOOLS: Additionally, the NCP contains policies that restrict the development of new stand-alone fast food restaurants from being on the same street, across the street from, or adjacent to schools within designated commercial corridors and node areas. This policy will be enforced in conjunction with the ½ mile density regulations for new stand-alone fast food restaurants and will serve as additional protection for children against targeted fast food concentration in the region. Schools within the CPIOs designated nodes and corridors in Council District 10 will also be subject to these regulations, providing additional safeguards for residents located in the vulnerable area of Council District 10. Based upon empirical evidence, the proposed policy to restrict the development of fast food restaurants near schools can help reduce the disproportionately negative health outcomes of children in the area. 4 P a g e

6 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSIONS The proposed NCP contains policies that are likely to positively impact the health of South LA residents. However, loopholes in the proposed policies would allow for the continued proliferation of fast food restaurants in certain parts of South Los Angeles. As a result, this study recommends the following polices aimed at some of these concerns: 1. ELIMINATE GEOGRAPHICAL EXEMPTIONS: Disallow specific areas from being exempted 2. REVISE CURRENT TERMINOLOGY: Expand regulations to non-stand-alone restaurants 3. PROVIDE HEALTHY FOOD INCENTIVES: Exempt Healthy restaurants from regulations 4. INCORPORATE HIAs: Integrate HIAs into Planning s program/ project review process. Findings from this study reveal that since the area s 2007 fast food regulations, notable improvements in nutrition-related health outcomes have occurred in the area. Improvements in South LA s food resource environment, supported by the area s current land-use policies on fast food restaurant development, have contributed to these health outcome improvements. However, the proposed NCP s reversal of the current policy through geopolitical exemptions and relaxed density requirements could continue the proliferation of fast food restaurants and significantly undermine the positive progress currently taking place in South LA. To truly protect the vulnerable populations of South LA, policies that both restrict the development of new fast food restaurants and incentivize the development of healthier alternatives must be established. These policies can substantially contribute to efforts aimed at improving future development throughout the South LA area. Look for the complete report soon at: For more information, contact: Breanna Morrison, Policy Analyst 3731 Stocker Street, #201 Los Angeles, CA bmorrison@chc-inc.org, Inc P a g e