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S MOUNTAIN HOUSE NEIGHBORHOODS KAND L INITIAL STUDY 5.ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST 2.AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY RESOURCES Significant Impacts Identified in 1994 MEIR The 1994 MEIR identified the following two significant agricultural impacts of the Master Pian: 1) Development of the proposed project would result in the loss of approxi- mately 3,600 acres of Prime Farmland. (The 1994 MEIR identified this impact as significant and unavoidable.) As mentioned above,the exceptions to the Prime Farmland designation included Neighborhood K and L as they contained lesser quality"Unique Farmland,"grazing land, irrigated pasture, other lesser quality farmland,or urban development. 2) Conflicts between urban and rural land uses would occur, particularly where existing agricultural operations abut planned residential development. (The 1994 MEIR[page 6-251 also discussed pressures on - adjoining agricultural lands as a potential growth-inducing impact of the proposed project.) The 1994 MEIR also identified the following cumulative impact: 3) Cumulative loss of agricultural land in the Central Valley due to urbanization. The 1994 MEIR did not address forest resources. Findings Related to Significant Impacts Identified in 1994 MEIR For the above potential agricultural impacts,the Master Plan was amended in "+ accordance with some of the recommendations of the 1994 MEIR mitigation measures. For Impact No. 1 above,the Master Plan (Section 17.13.4[a])was amended to refer to a countywide agricultural mitigation fee. If such a fee were adopted within the County,funds could be used to purchase conservation easements to a protect agricultural lands and the applicant for Mountain House could participate in the fee program. In November 2007,the County adopted an agricultural mitigation ordinance that provides for dedications of development rights on agricultural land or, in certain instances,a fee. However,the dedications of development rights or fee would not apply to Mountain House because the Mountain House site was shown at that time as planned for urban development ] _ and the agricultural mitigation ordinance only applies to land converted from an agricultural designation to urban uses after the adoption of the ordinance. The findings for the 1994 MEIR identified the loss of 3,600 acres of Prime Farmland as a significant unavoidable impact, and the Board of Supervisors adopted —� "Statements of Overriding Consideration"as required by CEQA. For Impact No. 2 above, provisions for notification regarding the County's Right- to-Farm Ordinance were added to the Master Plan (Section 3.2.4, Implementa- tion, items b and c). Each deed for the parcels sold within Mountain House is to �r • I (anm) 5-15