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d. All the development alternatives propose open space/park on the East Pazcel <br />and would be subject to the same noise impacts. The No Project Alternative is <br />rejected because it would not meet any of the Project Sponsor's objectives nor would it <br />fulfill any of the City's objectives for this site, including provision of additional <br />housing, open space, affordable housing, an elementary school site and public <br />improvements. <br />E. Visual Resources <br />1. Impact Nl. Project development, including barriers to mitigate freeway-related <br />noise, would reduce visibility into and beyond the site and diminish the "green vista" <br />currently available from I-680 northbound and southbound through the site. <br />(Cooperative Plan, Preferred Plan, and Alternative 2) <br />Mitigation Measures: <br />Measure Nla. Avoid placement of opaque noise barriers along I-680; if noise barriers <br />aze provided, implement Measure Nlb. <br />Measure Nl b. Plan for noise mitigation in a manner that takes account of the visual <br />consequences of noise barriers on views of the site from the outside and on views from <br />within the project. <br />Findine: Specific economic, social, or other considerations make infeasible mitigation <br />measures or project alternatives identified in [he Final EIR. <br />Facts in Su~tport of Finding: The following facts demonstrate [ha[ it is not feasible to <br />mitigate the impact to a less than significant level. <br />a. Mitigation Measure Nla is not feasible [o mitigate Impact Nl because it is <br />not technologically possible to maintain acceptable noise levels on the site without <br />placing noise barriers along I-680. Instead, the GHCBI Project implements a set of <br />noise attenuation features that balance noise reduction objectives and the aesthetic <br />effects of noise reduction features, primarily through a combination of berms and <br />soundwalls. <br />b. Mitigation Measure Nlb will be implemented through project design and <br />architectural features such as a landscaped berm/soundwall combination extending <br />along the east and west side of I-680 for most of site. The berm will be designed with <br />an undulating surface, to approximate the chazacter of a natural land form. It will also <br />be of varying height; where it is lower than the full height needed for noise mitigation, <br />it will be topped by a soundwall, and the soundwall may include panels of transparent <br />material so that the noise barrier would not be opaque along its entire alignment. <br />62 <br />