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\%.O� tial Study—LID Annexation
<br /> The project site is mostly agricultural, consisting primarily of alfalfa, melons, tomatoes, safflower, and
<br /> walnuts. The site contains approximately 30 existing structures, including farm residences, barns,
<br /> ancillary farm structures, sheds, and equipment storage and maintenance buildings. Over time,the River
<br /> Islands project will convert most of this agricultural land to a mix of residential, employment, and
<br /> commercial development with several open space and flood control components.
<br /> 2.2.1 Regulatory Background `
<br /> Agricultural resources in the area were analyzed in the 1991 Lathrop General Plan EIR, 1996 West
<br /> Lathrop Specific Plan EIR and the 2003 River Islands EIR, as well as the 2003 Phase I Expansion FIR for
<br /> Water Recycling Plant No. 1.
<br /> Agricultural lands on the site cover approximately 4,645 acres. This includes both the River Islands
<br /> development area and the Paradise Cut area, but excludes the existing levee acreage. Of the 4,645 acres
<br /> of agricultural lands, 4,096 acres on the project site were planted in various types of crops in 2001. The
<br /> remaining 549 acres is considered non-farmable land consisting of roads, houses, farm structures,
<br /> channels, and other facilities on the project site. Therefore, approximately 88% of the gross acreage is
<br /> farmed.
<br /> Of the approximately 4,115 gross acres in the proposed River Islands development area, the California
<br /> Department of Conservation (CDC)has designated the entire area as agricultural land,with roughly 3,815
<br /> acres identified as Prime Farmland and 300 acres as Farmland of Statewide Importance. The CDC
<br /> mapping is done on a broad scale; therefore, smaller un-farmable features, such as roads, levees, and
<br /> buildings, are included in the agricultural land designations. The entire Paradise Cut area is included in
<br /> the Other Land category.
<br /> In 2000, it was estimated that 630,990 acres of Important Farmland was available in San Joaquin County:
<br /> 423,158 acres of Prime Farmland, 93,846 acres of Farmland of Statewide Importance, 57,977 acres of
<br /> Unique Farmland and 56,009 acres of Farmland of Local Importance(CDC 2002). Therefore, the project
<br /> area comprises less than 1% of the Important Farmland in the County; although they do contain slightly
<br /> more than 1%of the Prime Farmland.Over the past decade,the availability of Important Farmland in San
<br /> Joaquin County has been consistently declining by small increments from year to year, primarily because
<br /> of conversions to urban and other developed uses.
<br /> Most of the project site is under Williamson Act contracts. In the River Islands development area,26
<br /> parcels totaling approximately 3,395 acres are under Williamson Act contracts for which notices of non-
<br /> renewal were filed on February 28,2001,and contracts will expire in 2011. Two parcels in the
<br /> southwestern portion of the River Islands area totaling 399 acres and one 29-acre parcel in the middle of
<br /> this area are under Williamson Act contracts that have not yet been submitted for non-renewal.One 102-
<br /> acre parcel and an adjacent I-acre parcel on the far eastern portion of the project site adjacent to the
<br /> Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)tracks are not under a Williamson Act contract. None of the lands in the
<br /> Paradise Cut Area have been submitted for non-renewal of the existing contracts, and there are no plans to
<br /> do so.
<br /> 2.13 Agricultural Impacts
<br /> Potentially Less Than Less Than No
<br /> Significant Signiftcantwith Significant Impact
<br /> Impact Mitigation Impact
<br /> Incorporation
<br /> 20
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