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outside of Mountain House would not meet the goal of creating a distinct new community and would not be consistent with the Master Plan goals, particularly the goals of providing an adequate supply of housing for all income groups in'the community and creating a financially and fiscally viable community resulting in a positive economic impact on.the.County. The proposed project is necessary.to the public, because it would.support the implementation of Specific Plan III by providing residential deirelo'pment to ensure an adequate supply of housing for all income groups in the. community. As discussed in the Findings and Statement of Overriding Considerations adopted by the County in conjurctionwith the'certification of the Specific Plan III EIR, implementation of.Specific Plan 111 would allow for a great deal of choice for potential residents when deciding to buy, share, or rent a home in San Joaquin County,which in turn would cause prices and rents o vary considerably and allow increased housing opportunities for a.variety of income levels. (San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Order B-05-1289 at attachment A, pages 34-35.)- , The rationale with respect to the second finding ("there is no degradation of the habitat or numbers of any rare, threatened, or endangered plant,or animal species as a result of the project") is as follows: Elimination of the wetland area on site would not degrade the habitat or numbers of any,threatened, or endangered plant or animal species, because there are no rare, threatened, or endangered plant or animal species on the site, and the site does not provide suitable habitat for any rare, threatened, or endangered plant or animal! species_ The wetland area does not provide likely suitable habitat for any rare, threatended,or endangered plant species. (EIP Associates,Special-Status Species Survey and Habitat Assessment Analysis(May 2006) page,12.) There are only eight special-status plant species listed within the region surrounding the project site. (Habitat Assessment page 7.) Six of those species are not likely to occur due to the extremely disturbed environment present within site and the lack of any remnant foothill or valley grassland habitats. (Habitat Assessment page 12.) a site survey confirmed the absence of any of the six species. (Habitat Assessment page 12.) With regard to the other two species, rose mallow(a plant listed as rare, threatened, or endangered in California but more common elsewhere)and Mason's liaeopsis(a plant listed as rare in California and elsewhere), the site contains riparian scrub and perennial freshwater marsh similar to the Deltaic habitats with which rose mallow and Mason's liaeopsis are typically associate, but the elevation of the site and the absence of rose mallow and Mason's liaeopsis during site surveys confirm that the site does not provide likely suitable habitat for either species. The wetland area also does not provide likely suitable habitat for any rare, threatened, or endangered animal species. EIP identified only nine special- status wildlife species as being potentially within the region surrounding the project site. (Habitat Assessment page 8.) Of these nine species, only three are rare,threatened, or endangered species: California red-legged from ("CRLF"),Swainson's hawk, and San Joaquin kit fox. (Habitat Assessment pages 8-11.) 2