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

Saticoy & Wells Community Plan and Code EIRSection 4.2 Agricultural ResourcesAction 11.3.26: Utilize CEQA to identify mitigation measures such as agriculturalbuffers to be employed by new development to reduce impacts asdetermined by applicable thresholds of significance for noise, toxic,substances, odors, and other effects of agricultural use as it adjoins theboundaries of new development within the Saticoy & Wells Project Area.Implementation of proposed Community Plan Action 11.3.25 would require the AgricultureCommissioner’s Office to determine necessary buffers for new development in all areas thatborder agriculture lands. Buffers are especially effective if substantial plantings are used in thebuffer areas to diminish the effects of farming. Buffers would help to alleviate a number of theagricultural/urban interface issues. This would reduce impacts from potential conflict areassuch as Citrus Place which would place development facilitated under the proposed Project inareas that are adjacent to agriculture lands that exist outside the Project Area. As such,impacts from the agricultural/urban interface would be less than significant.With adherence to the existing regulations as well as implementation of the Community Plan’spolicies and actions, impacts relating to agriculture/urban conflicts would be avoided andimpacts to farmland due to urbanization within the Project Area would be less than significant.Mitigation Measures. Mitigation is not required as implementation of 2005 General Planand Community Plan policies and actions would reduce impacts to a less than significant level.Significance After Mitigation. Impacts would be less than significant withoutmitigation.Impact AG-2Development facilitated by the Project would involve theconversion of State-designated Prime, Statewide Importance,and Unique farmland. However, the City alreadyacknowledged this conversion in the 2005 General Plan EIRand Project implementation would not increase impactsbeyond those already identified in the 2005 General PlanFEIR. Therefore, impacts related to the conversion offarmland are considered Class III, less than significant.As shown in Table 4.2-2 in the Setting, there are approximately 160 acres of Prime farmlandwithin the Project Area that would be converted to non-agricultural use under the Project. Theconversion of Prime farmland into non-agricultural use is considered a significant impact underCEQA. However, the conversion of farmland under the Community Plan is in accord with thelong-range plan for the City of Ventura as expressed in the 2005 General Plan. The Cityadopted a statement of overriding considerations for specific significant impacts, including theunavoidably significant impact related to the conversion of agricultural lands throughout theCity’s sphere of influence to non-agricultural use in conjunction with Addendum Number 1 tothe 2005 General Plan, which was prepared to provide additional information related to theproposed Housing Approval Program. The conversion of farmland associated with the Projectis consistent with that already acknowledged in the 2005 General Plan FEIR and for which theCity already adopted a statement of overriding considerations. Therefore, no new significantimpact beyond that previously identified in the 2005 General Plan FEIR would occur.4.2-10City of Ventura