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Item No. 1 PC: 11-5-92 SU-91-15 Page 7 relative to this project would be significant For this reason, a Statement of Overriding Considerations has been prepared and included in the staff report as Attachment B. Biological Resources (Oak Trees): The northern portion of the site contains an oak woodland of 245 oak trees. The oak woodland is composed of the following types: • Blue oaks: predominantly found in the northeast comer of the site, very dense and , characteristic of a woodland. • Valley oaks: found in the northwestem portion of the site, widely spaced in a manner more typical of an oak savannah. • Live oaks: approximately tern on the site, scattered throughout the woodland. The oak woodland is an important resource for wildlife. Oak trees provide acoms for food,shelter from climate extremes, breeding and nesting sites, and resting and roost sites. At present, cattle and horses heavily use this resource and thus limit the value to native animals. In the area to be residentially developed in this northern portion, there are 210 oak trees. The remaining 35 oaks are located on a proposed 6.6-acre park site. The residential portion of the north end of the project site will ultimately be designed to minimize the impacts on the oak trees; specifically, 79 clustered homes will be located in the areas without trees, with the areas under the trees being reserved as common open space to be left in a natural state. Prior to further residential development in this northern area, the developer will need to process another subdivision application to create these 79 residential parcels. Even with the proposed subdivision design, the Final EIR notes that 16 oak trees would be removed, and the drip lines of at least five others would be encroached upon due to proposed public road construction and related site improvements. Approximately 21 to 42 of the 210 oak trees in the area to be residentially developed could also be affected. One of the two letters in opposition to the project (see Attachment E) noted that the site's oak trees should be preserved. The EIR developed several mitigation measures to address the impacts upon the oak trees on the site. These include project designs to allow for tree conservation, erecting barriers under trees during construction, inclusion of oak management in the subdivision's homeowners'association, and replanting oak trees on a three to one ratio (three oak trees planted for every one removed). Biological Resources (Swainson's Hawks): While :ne biotics section of the EIR was being prepared, the biologists discovered that a pair of Swainson's hawks were using one of the oak trees on the site as a nest site. Development of the site could discourage this breeding pair from returning to this nest site as well as remove 124.73 acres of nesting and foraging habitat for the Swainson's hawk. The Swainson's hawk Is designated as a candidate species for listing by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Federal Endangered Species Act. The State of California listed the Swainson's hawk as a threatened species.