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source noise under this alternative could affect future residences,which are considered a noise-sensitive use. Therefore, stationary source noise impacts would be greater under this alternative.[Greater] Visual Quality Both the Traffic/Air Emissions Reduction Alternative and the proposed project would: convert the project site from an agricultural to an urban setting(significant impact); include street widening that would require the removal of approximately 200 mature trees along both sides of Grant Line Road,altering the visual character of the area(significant and unavoidable impact); require the development of 7-foot sound walls(the MHMP maximum)along portions of Grant Line Road and DeAnza Boulevard(less-than-significant impact); and include the development of outdoor lighted community park facilities(less-than-significant impact). Although fewer residential units would be developed under this alternative,more office commercial would be developed, and there would be little difference in the overall visual effect between the two scenarios associated _ with this difference.Also,this alternative would result in cluster development on five of the residential parcels that would be developed with more traditional single-family detached medium-density residential(R/M)units under the proposed project.Although a large portion of each parcel would be in a collective turfed open space on each of these parcels under this alternative,as opposed to no collective turfed open space under the proposed project,the balance of the 815-acre project site would still be developed with urban uses under each scenario. Therefore,there would be little difference in the overall visual character of the two scenarios associated with this difference.For these reasons,visual quality impacts would be similar for the two development scenarios. [Similar] 5.3 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED AND REJECTED s Several alternatives to the proposed College Park project were considered by the County but rejected from further consideration in this Draft EIR during the scoping process.These include an affordable housing alternative in the currently designated R/VL(very-low density residential)portions of the College Park site,several off-site alternatives that were considered in the MHMP EIR(Tracy,North Livermore), several off-site alternatives for the college considered in the Delta College EIR(2002)(i.e.,Antenna Farm in Tracy,California,Cordes Business Park, Eleventh Street in Tracy,Farmworld), and a reduced project alternative where all uses would be uniformly reduced. The alternatives that were considered but eliminated from further consideration are described below. 5.3.1 AFFORDABLE HOUSING ALTERNATIVE California as a whole has experienced a dramatic increase in housing prices since adoption of the MHMP in 1994, particularly within the past several years. Although R/H housing would be more affordable than proposed R/VL housing,it would be financially infeasible for College Park developers to provide housing affordable to all on-site employees without subsidies from the County of which funds are not currently available.Increased densities were considered to aid with housing affordability but would result in an exceedance of the capacity of the Mountain House W WTP,which assumes no more than 16,000 units within the entire Mountain House community; therefore,this alternative was eliminated from further consideration. 5.3.2 OFF-SITE ALTERNATIVES As described in the MHMP EM the off-site Tracy and North Livermore alternatives were rejected from further consideration because they would not meet the MHMP goal of creating a distinct new community and were found in the MHMP EIR to be infeasible because the off-site locations are not owned by the College Park developers, College Park at Mountain House Specific Plan III Draft EIR EDAW San Joaquin County 5-25 Alternatives to the Proposed Project