RES 06035 - Laserfiche WebLink

Draft Environmental Impact Report Bernal Property Phase II Specific Plan (3) [If the project would] substantially degrade the existing visual character or quality of the site and its surroundings, (4) [If the project would] create a new source of substantial light or glare which would adversely affect day or nighttime views in the area. c. Impacts Development of the site is proposed to include a program of land contouring and landscaping. The topographic design is intended to create mounds and drainage swales that will serve hydrological purposes (drainage and the maintenance of water features) and botanic purposes (differentiation in the plant environment); it would also articulate a site landscape that currently lacks variety, The open space emphasis of the Plan is reflected in its approach to incorporating a limited set of constructed land use elements into the Plan. For example, public facility site plans are to be conceived in terms of buildings "set into meadows surrounded by woodlands" with buildings at the edges of meadows rather than in the center (Guidelines 1.2, 1.3, p, 33), This setting is designed to evolve, over many years, into a "mature outdoor arboretum" (p, 26) - buildings are to be secondary to the landscape, This overarching objective provides a framework for considering specifically the possible aesthetic and visual impacts of the Specific Plan's potential build elements, (1) Effect on Scenic Vistas Existing scenic vistas from lower elevations of the site include the surrounding hills and ridges. From the single elevated area of the site (the Knoll) there is a 360. view, As noted above, design policies of the Plan call for structures to blend into the landscape setting, The single intentional exception noted is to be the potential cultural arts center (CAC) , The CAC is envisioned as a complex of connected structural elements, collectively the largest buildings proposed for the Phase II area, The CAC is potentially to be the only architectural landmark within the Grand Park, As described in the Specific Plan, the CAC would be the "visual focal point of the Bernal Property, , , [its] architecture should be inspiring, creating a visually stimulating landmark" (Land Use Element, p, 13), The issue of whether such a constructed element would have an adverse effect on scenic vistas has been addressed through visual simulations prepared by the Specific Plan landscape architect, While the CAC is only a potential use at this time, and therefore has not been designed, a geometry representing the enclosed volumes required by potential CAC uses was developed for simulation purposes, Using photos of the existing site and com- puter-assisted technology, a geometrical shape representing the CAC as a set of angular, sand-colored shapes without surface articulation was placed on the site in a visual repre- sentation of a potential "after" condition to test the degree to which scenic vistas might be affected by the inclusion of a relatively large building complex on the site. Figure 11 shows the five vantage points from which views toward and beyond the CAC have been simulated, 36