Saticoy & Wells Community Plan & Development ... - City Of Ventura

Saticoy & Wells Community Plan and Code EIRSection 4.1 AestheticsAgricultural Lands. Approximately 300 acres, or 30% of the Project Area remain in rowcrop operations or are otherwise undeveloped and have soils suitable for agricultural use. Inaddition to row crops, portions of the Project Area are used for orchard production. Theseagricultural areas are interspersed with residential and commercial areas providing a visualbreak from development. The UC Hansen Trust Specific Plan and the Parklands Specific Planareas, located in the northwestern corner of the Project Area, account for 103 acres ofagricultural lands, but are slated to be developed with a mix of residential and commercial landuses.Developed Open Space. The Project Area includes the Fritz Huntzinger Youth SportsComplex (18 acres) and Saticoy Regional Golf Course (50 acres), which are located on WellsRoad between Darling Road and Telephone Road. Fritz Huntzinger Youth Sport Complex hasthree baseball fields, open space, and picnic tables. These developed open spaces provide greenspace views. Figure 4.1-4 shows views of these developed green spaces.b. View Corridors. Principal travel corridors are important to an analysis of aestheticfeatures because they define the vantage points for the largest number of views. Figure 4.1-5depicts the locations of scenic view corridors. The following routes within and adjacent to theProject Area are identified in the 2005 General Plan as having scenic value:• SR 126• Telegraph Road• Wells Road• Union Pacific Rail CorridorState Route 126. SR 126, also known as the Santa Paula Freeway, is the primary routelinking Ventura to Santa Paula and points farther east. The highway runs through the easternportion of the City and bisects the Project Area. For eastbound travelers, SR 126 offers backgroundviews of the hillsides behind the City. Ridgelines to the north are located at elevationsapproximately 800 feet higher than the freeway elevation at a distance of approximately one milefrom the freeway.Telegraph Road east of Victoria Avenue. East of Saticoy Avenue, Telegraph Road crossesthrough a mix of agricultural and residential suburban areas. Portions of this road offer views ofthe foothills and mountains to the north and east. Development obstructs portions of these views.Wells Road. Wells Road is a major thoroughfare that runs between the hills to the northand south to SR 118. This road provides views of the hills and agricultural areas on the east side ofthe road at the base of the hills as one travels farther up the roadway away from SR 126.Commercial and residential developments are also visible along portions of the Wells Roadfrontage.Union Pacific Rail Corridor. The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) crosses through the ProjectArea south of Azahar Street. Currently, the rail line is used for both freight and interstatepassenger service. Views from the railroad include hillsides and agricultural lands.4.1-5City of Ventura