Volume 2: Draft Gorst Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement

GORST PLANNED ACTION EIS | AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURESVIEWSWatershedThe impacts associated with views under Alternative 1 would be the same as those described for Impacts Commonto All Alternatives.Gorst UGAFor the most part, mountain and water views would be minimally affected under Alternative 1. Some localizedimpacts may occur if, for instance, a new building blocks or alters an existing view from a neighboring parcel.However, these types of impacts are difficult to predict and, when considering the UGA as a whole, are not likely tobe significant.Views of Sinclair Inlet may be negatively affected as waterfront areas are more intensely developed withcommercial and industrial uses. Given the extent of development already present in these waterfront areas,however, these impacts are not expected to be significant.Alternative 2VISUAL CHARACTERWatershedAlternative 2 assumes that the recommendations of the Gorst Creek Watershed Characterization & FrameworkPlan are fully implemented, which would affect the visual character of future development in the watershed,excluding the CUL, SKIA, and McCormick Woods. The remaining portions of the watershed are expected to seelimited, largely rural residential development and the continuation of existing uses such as the Gold Mountain GolfClub and existing rural residential areas. The Gorst Creek Watershed Framework & Characterization Plan wouldresult in new development regulations and other actions that would restore vegetation cover in currentlydeveloped areas and would promote the use of clustering and LID for proposed new development. The result ofthese measures would be that future development within the watershed would result in less vegetation clearing,fewer impervious surfaces, and a more natural visual character than what would be expected under Alternative 1.The promotion of a more natural character to future development would serve to maintain the positiveimpressions of the watershed by area stakeholders as an area possessing natural beauty. No significant adverseimpacts are expected for Alternative 2.Gorst UGAAlternative 2 projects employment to grow by 606 jobs and population to grow by 985 persons. The employmentgrowth is somewhat less than the growth projected under Alternative 1, but population growth is considerablymore. Much of this projected population growth is expected to occur as medium-density residential developmentof the quarry site, once mining operations cease and reclamation requirements are met. Alternative 2 would alsoimplement new development standards and design guidelines that would result in more pedestrian oriented andsustainable development than that envisioned by current standards.Implementation of Alternative 2 would result in substantial changes to the present visual character of the UGA.Areas of existing low-density residential uses would be converted to more intense commercial development, andthe quarry site would be converted from its present resource extraction use to a residential neighborhood. Thistransition would occur incrementally over the course of the planning horizon and may have localized negativeimpacts, such as in areas where more intense commercial development displaces existing low-density residentialuses or where currently forested portions of the quarry site are cleared for development. Similarly, some existingdevelopment would continue in its present form as legal nonconforming uses, resulting in some juxtaposition ofbuilding sites with divergent visual characters.Draft | June 2013 3-124