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

Saticoy & Wells Community Plan and Code EIRSection 4.2 Agricultural Resources• Convert Prime Farmland, Unique Farmland, or Farmland of Statewide Importance(Farmland) to nonagricultural use• Conflict with existing zoning for agricultural use, or a Williamson Act contract• Involve other changes in the existing environment which, due to their location ornature, could individually or cumulatively result in the loss of FarmlandAs discussed in the Setting, no properties within the Project Area are under a WilliamsonAct/LCA contract. In addition, development facilitated under the proposed Community Planand Code would not convert any agriculture lands that are protected under the SOAROrdinance to non-agriculture use. Finally, although agriculture properties within the ProjectArea are a part of unincorporated Ventura County and zoned Agriculture – Urban Reserve bythe Ventura County General Plan Land Use Map (2005), the entire Project Area is within theCity of Ventura’s Sphere of Influence; therefore, conversion of agriculture lands within theProject Area to non-agricultural use does not require voter approval. These areas aredesignated for urban use under the 2005 Ventura General Plan. As such, the developmentfacilitated under the proposed Project would have no conflict with existing zoning foragricultural use, or a Williamson Act contract.b. Project Impacts and Mitigation MeasuresImpact AG-1 Development facilitated by the Project could result in conflictswith ongoing agricultural operations in surrounding areas.However, with adherence to existing regulations as well asimplementation of proposed Community Plan policies andactions, impacts to the agriculture/urban interface areconsidered Class III, less than significant.Development facilitated by the Project that would be located near ongoing agriculturaloperations could result in conflicts for both urban and agriculture interests. New residents inthe Project Area may be subject to various conflicts associated with standard agricultureoperations. Impacts to residents may include the use of pesticides/dust problems, odorsassociated with pesticides and livestock, and noise related to farming equipment.Under the Community Plan and Code, certain areas currently in the agricultural productioncould be converted to urban uses. This would reduce conflicts between existing residences andagricultural operations in some areas, while creating potential new conflicts in other areas.Areas where potential conflicts would be reduced or eliminated include the UC Hansen site, theParklands site, the Broome site, Aldea Hermosa, and Citrus Place. Many of these “islands” ofagriculture are currently surrounded by residential and commercial activities; therefore,conversion of these areas to urban uses would eliminate potential conflicts.The placement of new suburban development adjacent to agricultural lands that abut theProject Area boundary would have the potential to create agricultural/urban conflicts. The UCHansen site abuts agricultural lands to the west of the Project Area, resulting in a potentialconflict area. However, the UC Hansen Specific Plan includes 150-foot agricultural buffers thatwould reduce conflicts between urban use and ongoing agricultural operations. Additionally,the Citrus Place site in the Northeast neighborhood (see Figure 2-5 in Section 2.0, Project4.2-8City of Ventura