SFPUC 2001 Alameda Watershed Management Plan

III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTSI. AESTHETICSas well as the other actions (in non-bold text) that would further reduce potential physical effects,are discussed below. The table also indicates the level of impact significance that would remainif the actions discussed were implemented. Not every bolded action would be necessary tomitigate the effects of the associated potential impact-causing management action. For example,a very minor structure such as a kiosk located in an environmentally non-sensitive area may notrequire any of the bolded actions to avoid a significant effect. Because implementationinformation, such as locations of specific facilities, is not yet known, the table indicates aprogram-level maximum number of measures that could possibly be required to avoid significantimpacts. Management actions would be reviewed at the time they are proposed forimplementation to determine the potential for project-specific impacts and to identify appropriatemitigation measures (see Section II.E.5.0, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting).Under the Management Plan, the most important means of reducing potential aesthetic impactsare design practices that reduce the overall aesthetic effect of new roads and facilities. TheManagement Plan includes road and trail design guidelines (Action roa12) that require use ofBMPs for road location and alignment, such as locating and designing roads and trails to follownatural topography, minimizing stream crossings, avoiding large cut-and-fill road designs, andminimizing excavation. The Management Plan also includes facility design guidelines(Action des5) with several requirements for new construction activities or renovation/alterationof existing facilities, such as:! Where grading is necessary, contour slopes and landforms to mimic the surroundingenvironment as much as possible;! Design and site new roads and trails to minimize grading and the visibility of cut banks andfill slopes;! Overpasses, safety and directional signs, and other road and highway structures mayprotrude above a skyline only when it can be demonstrated that: the facility is necessaryfor public service and safety, the break in the skyline is only seen in the foreground, andthe break in the skyline is the minimum necessary to provide the required service;! Incorporate architectural siting/design elements that are compatible with the applicablesurroundings;! Eliminate, wherever possible, the use of unpainted metallic surfaces and other sources thatmay increase reflectivity;! Site, shield direct and downward exterior lighting such that it is not highly visible orobtrusive;! Maintain he silhouette of new structures below the skyline of bluffs, cliffs, or ridges;! Design any new structural additions to historic structures to harmonize with olderstructural features and comply with scenic easements and aesthetic guidelines; and! Encourage the salvage and selective reuse of building features if historic structures aredemolished.NOP 96.223E: Alameda Watershed Management Plan III.I-8 ESA / 930385January 2001