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MoUNTAYN HOUSE PROPOSED ALTAMONT HEIGHTS TENTATIVE MAP 4_ ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST 4.2 AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES Local Importance)to urban land uses. A significant and unavoidable impact would occur. Impact 4.3-5 Land Use and Agriculture—Conflicts With Off-Site Agricultural Operations. [Development of Specific Plan III} would not conflict with off-site agricultural operations,but could potentially affect the water supply of downstream agriculture. A significant impact could occur. 0 MITIGATION MEASURES IDENTIFIED IN 2005 SPIIIEIR The SPIIIEIR determined that no feasible mitigation measures are available to avoid the impact of conversion of farmland to urban land use. Regarding Impact 4.3-5,the SPIIIEIR proposed a mitigation measure that would require project developers to provide irrigation water to downstream agricultural operations currently relying on the water from the Byron Bethany Irrigation District canals by installing pipelines and other means to continue delivery of irrigation water. Implementation of the above mitigation measure would reduce conflicts with adjacent agricultural operations to a less-than-significant level. DISCUSSION REGARDING PROPOSED PROJECT a) Convert Prime Farmland, Unique Farmland, or Farmland of Statewide Importance (Farmland), as shown on the maps prepared pursuant to the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program of the California Resources Agency, to a non-agricultural use? Development of the project site would result in the loss of 12.7 acres of Farmland of Local Importance as defined by the California Department of Conservation, Office of Land Conservation, and San Joaquin County. This loss is consistent with the MHMP and the conclusions of the MSIR,which showed that all of the Mountain House Community, including the proposed project site,would be converted from farmland to urban use. The adopted MHMP includes an Implementation Statement addressing agricultural mitigation fees. This statement says that if a countywide agricultural mitigation fee is established, the fee shall be paid by the developer to San Joaquin County at the time specified by the enacting ordinance. At the time of preparation of this Checklist(September 2006), the County had not adopted such a fee. This impact would remain significant and unavoidable as stated in the SPIIIEIR. Mitigation Measures MEIR Mitigation Measure M4.1-1 was subsequently incorporated into the MHMP as an implementation measure. It stated that if a countywide agricultural mitigation fee is established, an agricultural mitigation fee,based on each acre converted from agricultural to urban use, shall be paid by the developer to San Joaquin County. No additional mitigation measures are required. 4-10