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Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures a) Scenic Vistas. Views of the Coastal ranges and the Sierra Nevada foothills from the wide valley floor constitute the major scenic vistas in the County. Because of often poor air quality within the County, views of these scenic panoramas are often obscured, with views of the Sierra Nevada being limited many days annually (San Joaquin County 2016a). Vistas from the project site are further limited by intervening urban development in the urban areas to the east and west. The project proposes a rezoning of the project site to R -L, under which structures are limited in height to no greater than 35 feet. Given this height, distance to the identified scenic vistas, and existing limitations on views, the project would not impose additional substantial limitations on views of scenic vistas. Project impacts on scenic vistas would be less than significant. b) Scenic Routes and Resources. Scenic resources within the County consist of the rural agricultural landscape, undeveloped rangelands, rivers, riparian corridors, and the Delta (San Joaquin County 2016a). Most prominent visual features in the vicinity are urban structures or infrastructure facilities with little scenic value. Duck Creek, the only significant natural feature on or near the project site, contains no outstanding features along its banks, such as mature trees. Bieghle Drain contains some mature trees along its channel; planned improvements associated with the project would avoid these trees. Likewise, the orchard south of the 2706 Pock Lane site would be avoided by the project. California's Scenic Highway Program was created by the Legislature in 1963 to preserve and protect scenic highway corridors from change which would diminish the aesthetic value of lands adjacent to highways. According to the list of designated scenic highways under the California Scenic Highway Program, maintained by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), there are only two officially designated state scenic highways in San Joaquin County, both in the southwest: Interstate 5 from the Stanislaus County line to Interstate 580, and Interstate 580 from Interstate 5 to the Alameda County line (Caltrans 2019). The project site is not on or near these State scenic highways. The San Joaquin County General Plan, in the Natural and Cultural Resources Element, has designated several County roadways as scenic routes. None of these are located on or near the project site; the nearest such County scenic route is Interstate 5 from the Crosstown Freeway in Stockton north (San Joaquin County 2016b). In summary, the project would have no impact on scenic resources or highways. c) Visual Character and Quality. A recent change to the Environmental Checklist in CEQA Guidelines Appendix G emphasizes aesthetic and visual resource impacts on public views in non -urbanized areas. As defined in Appendix G, "public views" are views that are experienced from publicly accessible vantage points. Although not specifically defined, "publicly accessible vantage points" are assumed to include, though not necessarily limited to, public roads, parks, Pock Lane Public Review Draft IS/MND 3-2 May 2022