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General Plan and Zoning Concerns The project site is in unincorporated land and is thus under the planning and regulatory jurisdiction of San Joaquin County. In the County's General Plan Land Use/Circulation Element, it falls under the "Agriculture" category. Like much of the surrounding area, it is zoned GA-40, which serves to designate it for "General Agriculture" with a minimum parcel size of 40 acres. Figure 3.2 shows existing zoning for the site and its surroundings. Almost all types of agricultural production are permitted in this zone, with related facilities or plants subject to approval of a development plan permit, site approval permit, or conditional use permit. Resource recovery is an allowable use as well , as long as it complies with Section 9-4103(g) of the County Zoning Ordinance. Compliance requires that the waste materials be converted or reduced to their basic components for reuse in agriculture or manufacturing. Such a resource recovery project does require a use permit. In July 1987, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors deter- mined that the proposed Falcon Energy biomass/waste oil recovery facility met the definition of "resource recovery," and that the project was eligible to apply for a conditional use permit. The land use policies of the San Joaquin County General Plan coincide with its zoning in supporting the retention of agriculture. Agricultural land policies relevant to the project include the following: "The resources upon which agriculture is based will be protected, and the utilization of these resources for agricultural purposes will be encouraged. Intensive agriculture such as orchards, vineyards and row crops will be supported and protected where soils of high quality are found and water is or will be available." Most of the surrounding land shares the same GA-40 designation. A notable exception is an 870-acre area to the north of the site that is designated "Limited Industrial " on the General Plan and zoned M-1, "Limited Manufacturing." The County may move to revert this area to agriculture as part of the General Plan Update program now underway. 3-5 104-3.R3 4/10/89