Fountaingrove Environmental Impact Report - City of Santa Rosa ...

4.0 MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM
TABLE 4-1
Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
Documentation
Additional Permit
Enforcement
Implementation
Schedule
Impacts Mitigation Measures Responsible
Party
3.1 Aesthetics and Visual Resources
N/A Project Development Plan and
Landscape Plan.
Prior to Final
Design Review
City of Santa
Rosa
Department of
Community
Development
Mitigation Measure 3.1-2: Revise and implement
landscape plan to provide a natural-appearing
landscape composition along the periphery of the
site.
Impact 3.1-2: Implementation of the Aegis Senior Living Continuing Care Retirement
Community - Fountaingrove Lodge Project (Fountaingrove Lodge Project, or the Project)
would degrade the existing visual character or quality of the Project site and its surroundings.
To prevent the creation of the significant impacts related
to the change in visual character of the views seen from
KOP-1 and KOP-4, the Project landscape plan should be
revised to change the plantings specified around the
perimeter of the site. In all areas along the perimeter of
the site the landscape plan should be revised to first
retain as many of the existing trees as feasible. In
addition, the plan should be revised to eliminate exotic
tree and shrub species and areas of irrigated nonnative
ground covers. Instead, the planting plan should specify
plantings of valley oaks and other native trees planted in
a naturalistic composition that will appear to be a
continuation of nearby native tree groupings and that will
grow tall to provide maximum screening of the Project
facilities from the adjacent streets and nearby residential
and recreational areas. Elimination of irrigated nonnative
ground covers and use of suitable native plants where
ground cover is required will help to maintain the natural
appearance of the site’s perimeter. This mitigation
measure should be developed in conjunction with
Mitigation Measures 3.4-1a (Replace trees in accordance
with City Code Chapter 17-24-Trees and 17-24.050(c)(1)
and (3)) and 3.4-1b (Use tree preservation notes on all
improvement, grading and building plans).
Determination of the Project’s impacts and potential significance was determined through a
systematic evaluation of the changes that the Project would bring about in the visual
character and quality of the views toward the Project site from each of the Key Observation
Points (KOP). Only evaluations from KOPs with potentially significant impacts are described
below.
KOP-1, View from Thomas Lake Harris Drive Looking Northeastward Toward the
Project Site. Comparison of the existing view from KOP-1 with the simulation of this view as
it would appear after completion of the Project indicates that, with Project development, much
of the natural vegetation on this portion of the Project site would be removed and the focus of
the view would be the three-story Flats Building. The sidewalk along the east side of Thomas
Lake Harris Drive; the southern entrance onto the property; low stone retaining walls; and
landscape grasses, shrubs, and trees would be visible in the foreground. A parking lot in front
of the Flats Building would be screened by landscaping. The tree-covered ridgeline beyond
the property would still be visible in the background.
The character of this view would be substantially changed in that what is now an open view of
the undeveloped Project site and the golf course beyond will be transformed into a view in
which the buildings, retaining walls, and landscaping dominate the foreground zone of the
view and block the view to the golf course. The transformation of this view from open space
to development would be a substantial degradation of the character of this view.
With development of the Project, the visual quality of this view will change from moderately
high to moderate. The blockage of the view toward the open areas, tree groupings, and rock
outcrops in the golf course will lower the vividness of the view to moderate. The presence of
the visually dominant Project structures will intrude somewhat on the view, thereby lowering
the view’s level of intactness to moderate. The view’s level of visual unity will remain the
same. Although the composition of spaces now visible in the view would no longer be
present, the complex that will dominate the view will have a consistent architectural design
theme. Although there would be some change in the overall level of the visual quality of this
view, this change would not be so great as to cause a substantial degradation of its visual
quality.
KOP-4, View from Lahinch Lane Looking South into the Project Site. Comparison of the
existing view from KOP-1 with the simulation of this view as it would appear after completion
of the Project (Figure 3.1-7) indicates that, with Project development, the Care Center and
Main Building will be visible on the northern end of the Project site. The trees that are now
visible in this area will be removed and will be replaced with buildings. However, because the
roofline of the Main Building is lower than the tops of the trees in the background, a tree line
will still be visible behind the building. In addition, trees planted along the northern edge of
the site will partially screen the structures and integrate them into the view. The low Care
Center building will create a scalar transition between the residential neighborhood and the
Main Building, The visual character of this view will be substantially changed in that what is
now a partially developed suburban view will become more substantially developed and the
tree grove, an important visual element, will be removed. This transformation of this view
would constitute a substantial adverse degradation of the character of this view.
With development of the Project, the visual quality of this view will change from moderately
high to moderate. The removal of the tree grove that is now a striking element of this view will
lower the vividness of the view to moderate. Although the Project structures will be partially
screened, they will intrude on the view to some degree, reducing its level of intactness. Given
the massing of the buildings that creates a good scalar transition, the preservation of the view
of the tree line in the background, and the partial screening, the view’s level of visual unity will
not change substantially. Although there would be some change in the overall level of the
visual quality of this view, this change would not be so great as to cause a substantial
degradation of this view’s visual quality.
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