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The California Department of Finance projects San Joaquin County's population to grow from 563,600 to 920,900 by 2020,putting continued pressure on agricultural lands for conversion(CDC 2002).The San Joaquin County General Plan 2010(San Joaquin County 2000)estimates that between 2000 and 2040, 110,000 acres of - Important Farmland in the county(17%) could be converted to urban uses. Additional conversions can be expected from implementation of habitat restoration and water storage projects associated with the CALFED Bay- Delta Program,the SJMSCP,and other regional efforts. The loss of an estimated 760 acres of Important Farland at the College Park site is considered a cumulatively considerable(i.e., significant and unavoidable)impact when considered in connection with the significant _ cumulative losses that would occur as a result of the project,past farmland conversions, and planned future development proposed in the Mountain House community,the surrounding cities,and San Joaquin County as a whole.The project applicants would participate in the SJMSCP by contributing fees, on a per-acre basis, for _ agricultural lands that are developed.The San Joaquin Council of Governments(SJCOG)would use these fees, in part,to purchase conservation easements on agricultural lands,providing greater protection to these farmlands in the county.However,this measure cannot fully mitigate the proposed project's cumulatively considerable contribution to the loss of agricultural land in San Joaquin County; therefore,cumulative impacts are significant and the project's incremental contribution to them is significant and unavoidable as well.t Yet, it should be noted that the proposed project's incremental contribution(also deemed to be significant and - unavoidable) was previously disclosed by the County in 1994 and approved through the adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations as part of the MHMP EIR process.Accordingly,the proposed project would not result in impacts on agricultural resources(i.e., loss of valuable farmlands)above and beyond those already _ identified in a previous CEQA analysis. 6.3.2 GENERAL PLAN POLICIES AND ZONING Impacts involving land use plans or policies and zoning generally would not combine to result in cumulative impacts.The determination of significance for impacts related to these issues,as considered in Appendix G of the State CEQA Guidelines, is whether a project would conflict with any applicable land use plan or policy adopted for the purpose of reducing or avoiding environmental impacts. Such a conflict is site-specific and is typically addressed on a project-by-project basis. As described in Section 4.3,"General Plan Policies and Zoning,"implementing the proposed project would not result in significant land use planning impacts(after implementation of mitigation); the project's ultimate consistency with local land use plans,policies,and zoning is ensured through amendments to revise the MHMP, which is the implementing document of the County's General Plan for the overall Mountain House community. Further,to the extent that proposed land uses have been identified,related projects in San Joaquin County are apparently consistent with environmental plans and policies.Future development within the proposed project area - would be required to conform to the San Joaquin County General Plan 2010,the Mountain House New Community Master Plan (as amended 2004),and the San Joaquin County Development Title.Because no significant land use impacts would occur on a project-specific basis,the proposed project would not contribute to _ potential cumulative impacts related to policies and zoning. Some contend that the provision of agricultural easements could represent a feasible mitigation measure for this impact. However,many disagree,stating that preservation of existing agriculture at a different location still results in a net loss of farmland.In addition,San Joaquin County,like most other counties in the state,does not have an agricultural easement program,and the County would have to establish such a program before it could require individual development projects to participate in such a program. EDAW College Park at Mountain House Specific Plan III Draft EIR Cumulative Impacts 6-6 San Joaquin County