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4.14 VISUAL QUALITY This section provides a focused evaluation of the visual quality impacts of the proposed project as seen from the vantage points identified in Figure 4.14-1.r It includes an evaluation of the following: The visual impact associated with the removal of existing mature trees along Grant Line Road(Viewpoint No. 1); _. . The visual impact associated with the development of 7-foot sound walls consistent with the Mountain House Master Plan(MEMP)maximum along portions of Grant Line Road and DeAnza Boulevard(Viewpoint No. 1); The visual impact associated with development of a 30-acre recycled water storage pond on the 137-acre Pombo property(Viewpoint No. 2); Light and glare impacts associated with the development of lighted recreational facilities at the proposed ` community park and community college(Viewpoint No. 3); and The visual impact on Grant Line Village associated with the development of a 7-foot sound wall along at the Village's Grant Line Road frontage(Viewpoints Nos. 4a,4b, and 4c)2 . 4.14.1 PHYSICAL SETTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS The 815-acre proposed project site is located in the western margin of California's central valley at the foot of the Diablo Range(see Figure 3-1 in Chapter 3,"Project Description"). Site elevation ranges from approximately 160 feet above mean sea level(msl) in the southwest to approximately 60 feet msl in the northeast.The site is relatively flat in the east,transitioning to rolling hills in the west.Views are available on and across the site of the Diablo Range in the west and the Sierra Nevada out in the distance to the east.The site is visible from several public roadways, including Interstate 205 (I-205),Mountain House Parkway, and Grant Line Road(Figure 3-2). The elevated I-205/Mountain House Parkway overpass and the segment of I-205 near the Alameda County line in the west offer fleeting elevated views of the project site. The project site and off-site infrastructure locations are currently largely agricultural(see Figure 4.2-1 in Section 4.2,"Land Use and Agriculture"). These areas are predominantly fields of alfalfa and grazing areas.Two operating dairies are located in the eastern portion of the project site, on either side of Grant Line Road,along Mountain House Parkway.An existing residential neighborhood of approximately 55 homes (Grant Line Village) is located in the northwestern portion of the project site along Grant Line Road. Four existing residences are located in the north-central portion of the project site,and one existing residence is located on the south side of Grant Line Road, half way between Mountain House Parkway and the Alameda County line.The 30-acre Pombo property(Figure 4.2-1),the off-site infrastructure location located at the southeast comer of Mountain House Parkway and Byron Road where interim land disposal of treated wastewater is proposed, contains agricultural fields and grazing land, as well as a residence and farm structures.Views of the Pombo property are available from both Mountain House Parkway and Byron Road. I Per page 4.8-3 of the MHMP EIR,`Potential visual impacts are determined with regard to places of public access(e.g., open space and roadways)rather than private locations or buildings." These are termed"public vantage points"in this section. z The MHMP EIR did not evaluate the visual impacts on Grant Line Village associated with the development of a sound wall at this location because the visual impact evaluation in the MHMP EIR was restricted to visual impacts on public vantage points and Grant Line Village is a private vantage point. College Park at Mountain House Specific Plan III Draft EIR EDAW San Joaquin County 4.14-1 Visual Quality