ARCHIVED REPORTS_1993_1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

III. Environmental Setting, Impacts,and Mitigations B. AESTHETICS SETTING Existing Visual Character The existing visual character of the project site is determined by the attributes of specific site features(color,form,texture)and by the patterns that the features have assumed as a result of natural and/or cultural processes. Evaluation of potential project impacts on the existing visual character of the site requires analysis of the type and degree of change in visual attributes and patterns that could result from implementation of the project. Because perceptions of changes in the physical characteristics of a site may differ with respect to issues of importance and value, visual analysis methods may incorporate measures of viewer sensitivity as well as measures of the attributes and patterns of site features. The assessment of the visual attributes andatterns of the site features in this analysis is P Y organized according to the following general descriptive categories: site location and spatial organization;landform; surface waters;land use and cultural features; and vegetation. In addition to evaluating the components of the site's existing visual character,the setting section of the visual quality analysis discusses the visibility of the site at varying viewing distances. Site Location and Spatial Organization The existing Austin Road Landfill facility is located approximately seven miles southeast of the City of Stockton,and covers an irregularly-shaped parcel of 187 acres. About 169 acres of the site are permitted for fill and the remaining 18 acres are designated as easement for flood control and right-of-way for a roadway to the west. The site is traversed by the North Branch of the South Fork of Little Johns Creek,which defines part of its eastern border. The site is bounded by a landfill access road to the north;the extension of the alignment of Newcastle Road to the west,the northern boundary of Forward,Inc.Landfill to the south;and the privately-owned Brocchini property to the east(see Figure 11.1). Of the 169 acres permitted for fill, 124 acres are located north of the creek and are currently used as the active fill area, while the remaining 45 acres south of the creek are used as the "borrow" area from which soil is excavated to provide daily cover for the active fill area. These areas are joined by a short bridge to allow passage of landfill operation vehicles. III.B.1