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TASK 3: PREPARE DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION, IDENTIFY THE APPROACH FOR THE CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS, AND DISCUSS THE MITIGATION MONITORING PROGRAM Jones & Stokes Associates will work with the county and applicant as necessary to prepare a detailed project description. Most of the elements of the project description have been prepared by the applicant as part of the application process. Some aspects of the project description that will be useful in the environmental analysis are the purpose and need for the project; the applicant's goals and objectives; the public agency's goals and objectives; alternatives considered and rejected, if any; and alternative sites designs considered and rejected. Discussing these issues with the county and applicant can stimulate possible design considerations which can be developed into feasible mitigation measures. Early in the process, Jones & Stokes Associates staff, county staff, and the applicant will also discuss the approach to the cumulative impact analysis. The State CEQA Guidelines (Section 15130) state that cumulative impacts shall be discussed when they are significant, and that the discussion of cumulative impacts shall reflect the severity of the impacts and their likelihood of occurrence. The county is currently considering the appropriate approach to discussing cumulative impacts related to the general plan update and the proposal for six new towns in the county. Cumulative issues of concern for the general plan update and six new towns, however, may not be the same as cumulative issues related to the Buckeye Ranch project. Based on our current understanding of the project and project location, we believe that most of the site-specific impacts of the project can be mitigated onsite. The only issues of cumulative concern at this time are short-term traffic impacts as they relate to the quarry excavation proposed for Tracy Lake and impacts on biological resources. Jones & Stokes Associates also prefers to begin discussing the mitigation monitoring program format early in the project. The county may have a requested format or approach that should be incorporated into the draft EIR. Our preferred approach is to identify all the mitigation measures and mitigation monitoring requirements in the draft EIR to encourage reviewers to focus on the details of the mitigation measures in their comments on the draft document. TASK 4: MEET WITH COUNTY STAFF AS NECESSARY (ONGOING TASK) Jones & Stokes Associates anticipates meeting with county staff as necessary during the project to discuss approach to issues, review rough drafts of chapters and preliminary findings of significance, and identify feasible mitigation measures. We have budgeted for five unscheduled meetings with county staff during the process. II-3