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IMPACT Visual Quality—Alteration of Visual Character from Required 7-foot Sound Wall along Grant Line 4.14-5 Road at Grant Line Village. The proposed project would require a 7-foot sound wall along Grant line Road at Grant Line Village, the visual effects of which were not evaluated in the MHMP EIR. The sound wall would be required to comply with county landscaping requirements and the visual impact would be temporary.A fess-than-significant impact would occur. As indicated by Viewpoint Nos.4a and 4b,Figure 4.14-4,northerly views from Grant Line Village currently consist of grazing land in the foreground and residential development associated with Specific Plan I in the background. As indicated by Viewpoint No.4c,easterly views down Grant Line Road from Grant Line Village currently consist of grazing land and residential front yards in the foreground and the Grant Line Road mature trees in the background. The MI-IMP and MHCSD Design Manual require landscaping and walls along Grant Line Road,including along the Grant Line Village frontage,with the development of each specific plan.MHMP Policy 4.5(h)requires the development of a community wall on the project sides of Grant Line Road. MHMP Policy 4.5(h)requires an East/West Arterial Landscape treatment along Grant Line Road,including the planting of large canopy trees on either side and in the center median of the roadway.MHCSD Design Manual Chapter 3 requires that east/west _ arterials(such as Grant Line Road)use plantings reminiscent of the native Oak Savannah with evergreen canopy trees on sculptured berms and shrub masses on both sides and the center median of the roadway.In addition,as indicated in Section 4.13,"Noise,"a 7-foot sound wall is required at this location to mitigate project traffic noise impacts on Grant Line Village. r A visual simulation showing the views from Viewpoint Nos.4a,4b,and 4c with development of the sound walls and landscaping is presented as Figure 4.14-4.As indicated,views of the existing grazing lands and/or residential front yards in the foreground and of Specific Plan I residential development in the background would be replaced with views of a landscaped noise wall with canopy trees.This change would not represent substantial degradation of the existing visual character or quality of the views because the sound wall and roadway would be landscaped and planted with canopy trees in accordance with MHCSD Design Guidelines.This change would also not represent a substantial adverse effect on an existing scenic vista because,although it would change the current views within approximately 3 years when Grant Line Road would be widened and the sound wall and landscaping developed,these views would be changed within approximately 5 to 7 years regardless of whether the College Park project is developed.This is because urban development north of Grant Line Road has already been planned for and approved at a programmatic level under the adopted MHMP,and is currently undergoing precise planning as part of Specific Plan 11(which is anticipated to be approved in 2005).Therefore,development of the sound wall and landscaping would at most accelerate the change in the scenic vista of a private vantage point.A less- than-significant impact would occur. Mitigation Measure 4.14-5:Visual Quality—Alteration of Visual Character from Required 7-foot Sound Wall along Grant Line Road at Grant Line Village. No mitigation is required. 4.14.4 RESIDUAL SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Residual significant visual quality impacts would remain from removal of the approximately 188 mature trees along both sides of Grant Line Road(Impact 4.14-1)because no feasible mitigation is available to reduce the impact to a less-than-significant level.The impact would remain significant and unavoidable.No residual significant visual quality impacts would result with implementation of mitigation measures for Impact 4.14-2. College Park at Mountain House Specific Plan III Draft EIR EDAW San Joaquin County 4.14-21 Visual Quality