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Earthmetrics Report - page 9 difficulty in providing normal types and scales of operations for fruit and nut trees now part of small residential units. Impact of Conversion of Agricultural Parcels to Rural Residential Developments The examination of parcel size maps (Appendix D) reveals the gradual and persistent encroachment of residential homesltes on agricultural parcels In the Valpico area and the study area since the 1950's The existence of older plantings from times when urbanization pressures were not as intense indicates the then highest and best use of the area's climatic and soil resources to be in orchard production The existence of young plantings in the area seems to reflect some continued hope that that use might be continued into at least part of the future. The spillover of population pressures from the south and east bay has increased the demand for homesites in the Tracy area, as revealed by the number of very recent and substantial houses located on parcels in the Valpico area and on residential lots in the study area. The economic attraction of development comes at a point in time when much of the study area is a�~eady impacted to varying degrees by urban encroachmen* on adjacent and nearby parcels and at a time when the economic viability of agricultural production is not strong, especially for canning apricots. The urbanization of the area has already placed restrictions on agricu!tural operatlors. Development, if permitted, is quite likely to take place over an extended period of time, although it might well occur at a quicker pace than that noted for the Valpico development area. There will be continued and heightened tension among the area's inhabitants (rural residents and agriculturalists) as the area's population density increases. If additional rural residential development is permitted in the general area, there is a rationale for focusing it in the Study Area, that rationale being that the explicit decision to develop there, might shelter homesite development and parcelization of, for example, the larger orchard units found 13.3-14