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8. GROWTH INDUCING IMPACTS <br />According to the California Environmental Quality Act, a project is considered <br />to be growth inducing if the project could directly or indirectly foster <br />economic growth or population growth. Extensions of urban services or <br />transportation facilities into previously unserved or underserved areas, and <br />other projects which remove obstacles to growth or generate substantial <br />economic or employment activity would be considered growth inducing. It <br />cannot be assumed that growth in any area is necessarily beneficial, <br />detrimental, or of little significance to the environment. <br />The proposed project would indirectly foster economic growth and population <br />growth in the Tracy area in several ways: (1) by increasing density to allow <br />new residences to be developed in the project area; (2) by amending the San <br />Joaquin County General Plan to remove a constraint to land development in <br />prime agricultural areas; (3) by reducing San Joaquin County and the City of <br />Tracy's commitment to encouraging development in already urbanized areas; <br />(4) by increasing pressure on City of Tracy to prematurely extend urban <br />services into a previously unserved area; and (5) by providing short term <br />construction employment and business activity with installation of <br />infrastructure and construction of new residences. <br />Increased development density would be growth inducing since it would allow <br />additional people to live in the study area. The people would incrementally <br />increase the demand for consumer goods and services which would encourage <br />secondary growth, such as new businesses. Modification of the San Joaquin <br />County General Plan policies regarding rural residential areas could be an <br />indicator that the existing constraints on development created by the General <br />Plan and efforts to direct development in other areas are not firm County <br />commitments. Such changes would encourage owners of similarly situated <br />property to generate pressure on decision makers to further amend the County <br />General Plan Land Use/Circulation Element Map. <br />Impacts on the construction industry would be temporary and likely limited to <br />businesses and workers already established in the Tracy area. The growth <br />inducing impacts of the project would be considered significant. <br />"N <br />