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Administrative Draft Environmental Impact Report Gill Medical Center Project 4.3 AESTHETICS This section describes the aesthetic, or visual, setting of the project area and vicinity; identifies substantial changes to the visual setting directly or indirectly caused by the Project; and recommends mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate any impacts found to be significant. The discussion contained in this chapter is based on the proposed site plan and a qualitative description of the visual setting derived from site visits, photographs, photo simulations/renderings, satellite imagery, and the County 2035 General Plan. 4.3.1 Environmental Setting San Joaquin County is set within the greater San Joaquin Valley, with the Delta and large expanses of level, agricultural lands and urban development framed by the foothills of the Diablo Range to the west and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to the east.The foothills of the Diablo Range separate San Joaquin County from Alameda County and Contra Costa County to the west, with the main access between these counties being Interstate 205 (1-205), which cuts through the Altamont Pass. The eastern portion of San Joaquin County, and adjoining Amador County and Calaveras County to the east, share the rolling terrain of the Sierra Nevada foothills. To the south, the Stanislaus River separates San Joaquin County from Stanislaus County. Other major rivers passing through San Joaquin County include the San Joaquin River, the Calaveras River, the Mokelumne River, and Dry Creek.Agricultural uses make up about 83 percent of the unincorporated lands within the county, with urban development concentrated in the seven incorporated cities of the county. The county also includes major transportation systems that pass through it. In the Project area this includes State Route (SR) 99 and Interstate 5 (1-5), two of the State's major north-south freeways. Long distance and open sky views are possible from many locations within San Joaquin County due to the predominantly level terrain and low density of development.The most intense development occurs within the urban centers of Stockton and Tracy; otherwise, much of the county is developed at low densities with most buildings not exceeding two stories. Large expanses of agricultural land are often broken up by small areas of scattered development. The most intense corridors of development occur along 1-205 in the southwestern portion of the county and along 1-5 through the central portion of the county. 4.3.1.1 Project Area Setting According the San Joaquin County 2035 General Plan EIR (, areas of the county with important visual resources include the Delta, river corridors, agricultural lands and rangelands, significant oak groves, hillsides and ridges, and parklands. The Project site is in the north part of the county, north of the City of Stockton in an area characterized as agricultural lands and rangelands.The project area includes predominately level agricultural lands that are irrigated for row crops,vineyards, orchards, and field crops such as alfalfa. Depending on the time of year, these agricultural lands take on different visual characteristics ranging from fallow lands in mid-winter to vibrant fruit trees in bloom in early spring. Grazing occurs in many portions of the county, from the flat agricultural lands outside of the City of Tracy to the rolling hills in the northeastern portion of the county near Clements and Linden. During summer Aesthetics and Visual Resources 4.3-1 October 2021