17 - Laserfiche WebLink

considered highly visible. Accordingly, staff believes that the questions related to visibility of the homes have been adequately addressed and mitigated. Lot-Gradin and Se aration Initial grading for the development will accommodate the public streets and the front- yard portion of the lots. In most cases the front yard portion of the lots facing the Grey Eagle Estates development will be lowered from four feet to 29 feet, and the rear yard portion will be lowered from one foot to eight feet. Three lots -Lots 5, 6, and 18 -will be raised from 26 feet to 41 feet to bring the lot elevation up the elevations of the adjoining properties. Most lots facing the Grey Eagle Estates development will be buffered by the separations from the Grey Eagle property line - 430 feet for Lot 4, 150 feet for Lot 10, and 70 feet for Lot 33 -augmented by existing and/or new tree planting. Lot 32 directly adjoins the Grey Eagle property line but is buffered from view by existing tree vegetation. Therefore, the proposed lot siting and grading will further mitigate visual impacts to the Grey Eagle Homes. Lot-Specific Design Review As stated above, more fine-tuned visual analyses will occur at the individual lot design review stage, when visual impacts will be assessed and mitigated, based on the proposed house design, grading, and landscaping. The design review process is another mitigation measure for the visual impacts of the homes on these lots. Su Staff believes the simulations accurately depict what will be seen and what structures will be visible. The simulations provide the best tools for decision-makers to evaluate the visual impacts and approve appropriate mitigations. In this case, the reduction from 98 to 51 lots, extensive tree planting, and the custom lot design review process will mitigate the otherwise significant visual impact associated with the proposed development. Staff believes the process proposed requiring a visual evaluation by the development's architectural review board, then City review, will be successful as it has been in other recent developments in the City, notably Mariposa Ranch. EIR Adequacy California State law and the CEQA Guidelines set forth how adecision-making body should evaluate an EIR as to adequacy in order to be able to determine if that document is legally adequate. The applicable CEQA guidelines include Section 15021. Duty to Minimize Environmental Damage and Balance Competing Pub/ic Objectives, and Section 15151. Standards for Adequacy of an EIR on pp. 5 - 6 of the June 27tH Planning Commission staff report. They establish the EIR's function as a balanced information document that emphasizes the public agency's responsibility in avoiding or mitigating the impacts of a development to the environment balanced, however, with feasibility of mitigation and with actual benefits to the public agency as a whole. Staff, therefore, believes that the Oak Grove project when evaluated in its entirety - Final EIR and PUD Development Plan including supporting documents -conforms to CEQA standards based on its identification and mitigation of the development's impacts: Page 15 of 27