~ Environmental Setting, Impacts and Mitigation Measures Section ~

An Existing Conditions Map (Figure 3.1.1-1), has been prepared and is included on the following page. The Existing Conditions Map indicates the Specific Plan study area, Highest Risk Construction Constraint areas as derived from an Environmental Assessment previously prepared for the Township (EIP Associates, Environmental Assessment, Fall 1993), the existing lotting pattern and developed residential lots as of February, 1995. The Highest Risk Constraints areas are broken down by category; for example, slopes 40 percent and greater, riparian corridor, dam failure inundation zone and other features as shown on the map.

3.1.1-2 SETTING

Community Profile
Brooktrails Township is a recognizable community with a broad array of natural resources available for the use of Township residents. Brooktrails Township also has never been a suburban community particularly subservient to a larger metropolitan center. Rather, the Township has traditionally served as a community with its own identity within a larger geographic area that includes the City of Willits. In a December 17, 1969 article in the New York Times, Brooktrails was noted as being the first

Figure 3.1.1-1

Existing Conditions Map community in the United States to blend a four-square-mile redwood and mixed-growth forest conservation park with a contiguous, fully lotted residential area. The term coined for this residential area built in a forest was hyleopolis.

The term hyleopolis essentially refers to the fact that Brooktrails functions as an urban-to-forest interface: it is a suburban development within a contiguous wooded park. Hyleopolis also refers to the character of the urban-forest interface where protection of the forest is paramount. That was the objective in Brooktrails from the beginning, and is the purpose of Ordinance 63, adopted by the Township Community Services District Board of Directors on June 23, 1988.

The original dedication of the forest "greenbelt" was for any use permitted to a resort improvement district. County zoning is consistent with this interpretation of the range of potential uses, designating that property for "Public Facilities". Ordinance 63 narrowed the use of the property by creating "Brooktrails Redwood Park" and including all of that "greenbelt" property within it. The Ordinance states that the Park constitutes much of the watershed of the Township, and as such is a facility incidental to the water system of the Township. The Ordinance further states that the primary public purpose of the Park is to protect, conserve, and manage trees, other vegetation and wildlife in order to retain and create a natural environment readily available for the enjoyment of property owners and residents of the Township. The Ordinance provides for a master plan for the Park which controls the uses of the property.

Land Use and Zoning
The breakdown of land area indicating existing/designated land use within Brooktrails Township by zoning district is presented in Table 3.1.1-1. and designated land uses by zoning district. As shown in Table 3.1.1-1 and on Figure 3.1.1-2, existing land uses by zoning district include public facilities, residential and commercial facilities, and forest land. Figure 3.1.1-3 is the Specific Plan proposed zoning Map. Figure 3.1.1-3 includes existing land uses, rezoned residential and commercial parcels, a new 1,600 acre-foot impoundment for domestic water supply, and circulation and infrastructure improvements to accommodate buildout.

It should be noted that Table 3.1.1-1 and Figures 3.1.1-2 and 3.1.1-3 specifically exclude the Spring

Figure 3.1.1-2a

Zoning Map Figure 3.1.1-2b
Zoning Map Figure 3.1.1-2c
Zoning Map Figure 3.1.1-2d
Zoning Map Figure 3.1.1-3

 Specific Plan Zoning Map-Proposed Creek and Sylvandale subdivisions, which are also part of the Township as explained previously (see section 2.1, Background and Specific Plan Origination). The Specific Plan addresses the 4,943 acre Brooktrails subdivision only. Because commercially zoned areas allow residential land uses, certain commercially zoned areas within the Township currently contain residential dwellings where commercial uses could otherwise occur. Zoning is more specifically described herein.

Source: Brooktrails Township Community Services District.

As indicated in Table 3.1.1-1 and shown on the Figures 3.1.1-2 and 3.1.1-3, residential land uses are the substance of the Brooktrails community. More than any other use, residential land uses predominate within the Township. Existing residential zoning is predominantly single-family residential zoning. The single-family district is envisioned to remain as the primary residential district in the Specific Plan. The following zoning designations are currently in effect within the Township. The zoning district information provided in Table 3.1.1-2 is as specified in the Mendocino County Zoning Ordinance, Title 20 Division I of the Mendocino County Code.

• R-1 Single-Family Residential
• R-2 Two-Family Residential
• R-3 Multiple-Family Residential
• Suburban Residential
• C-1 Limited commercial
• P-F Public Facilities
• F-L Forest Land
• T-P Timberland Production

Areas immediately surrounding Brooktrails Township are zoned R-L Rangeland (livestock grazing, protection of natural resources), T-P Timberland Production (growing and production of timber), S-R Suburban Residential (residential with some commercial uses), and U-R Upland Residential (low-density agricultural/residential uses).

TABLE 3.1.1-2

Brooktrails Township Zoning

Residential

• R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Chapter 20.072)

The R-1 Single-Family Residential District extends throughout major portions of the Township. This district is intended to create and enhance neighborhoods where topography, access, utilities and public services make the land suitable and desirable for single-family home development and community services appurtenant thereto. Permitted uses include single family residential, community recreation, fire and police protection services, minor impact utilities, and other specified uses subject to issuance of a Use Permit (see Sections 20.072.005 through 20.072.045 of the Zoning Ordinance).

• R-2 Two-Family Residential District (Chapter 20.076)

The R-2 Two-Family Residential District intermingles with the R-1 Single-Family District throughout the Township. The R-2 District is intended to create and enhance certain medium-density residential areas, where a compatible mingling of single-family units, dual-unit dwellings and community services are likely to occur. Permitted uses include those land uses permitted in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District, two-family residential dwellings, and other specified uses subject to issuance of a Use Permit (see Sections 20.076.005 through 20.076.045 of the Zoning Ordinance).

• R-3 Multiple-Family Residential District (Chapter 20.080)

As with the R-2 Two-Family Residential District, the R-3 Multiple-Family Residential District intermingles with the R-1 Single-Family Residential District throughout the Township. The R-3 District is intended to create and enhance areas suitable for higher density residential uses, and for professional offices and institutional uses. Permitted uses include single-family, two-family and multi-family residential units (the use of a parcel for three or more dwelling units in one building). Other permitted uses include administrative services, government services, clinics, medical services, community recreation, library services, day care facilities and small schools, group care, lodge facilities and other uses subject to issuance of a Use Permit such as commercial services, educational facilities, campgrounds and major utilities (see Sections 20.080.005 through 20.080.045 of the Zoning Ordinance).

• S-R Suburban Residential District (Chapter 20.004)

The S-R Suburban Residential District, located in the southwest portion of the Township, is intended to create and enhance neighborhoods where a mixture of residential, public facilities and services and community oriented commercial convenience uses are desired. Commercial uses are to be subordinate to the dominant residential character of the area. Permitted uses include single-family residential and other uses similar to the R-1 District, with two-family and multiple-family uses subject to a Minor Use Permit. (see Sections 20.004.005 through 20.004.045).

Commercial

• C-1 Limited Commercial District (Chapter 20.008)

The C-1 Limited Commercial District, occurs at various locations throughout the Township. The C-1 District is intended to create and enhance areas where public facilities and services are available. The offices of the Brooktrails Community Services District are located in the C-1 District. Within the C-1 District, a limited number of retail commercial goods and services are desired primarily to meet day to day needs of local residents. Typically, this district would be applied within walking distance or short driving distance of a residential area, would confine the sale of goods and services to within a building and would permit only those uses which do not create, in the adjacent residential area, increased traffic, noise or other such impacts considered incompatible with the residential use.

Permitted uses include single-family residential and civic/commercial uses as described above for the R-3 Multiple-Family Residential District. Multiple-family residential uses and other commercial uses are permitted upon issuance of a Use Permit. There are few commercial uses on C-1 zoned lands within the Township, and a number of C-1 zoned parcels have been developed with residential unit (see Sections 20.088.005 through 20.088.045 of the Zoning Ordinance).

Public Facilities and Forest Land

• P-F Public Facilities District (Chapter 20.108)

The P-F Public Facilities District encompasses the most land of any zoning district within Brooktrails Township as described further below. Public Facility District lands cover both large and small land areas and intermingle considerably with residentially zoned parcels throughout the Township. The extent of Public Facilities District lands within the Township and absence of development thereon is an important element in achieving the current rural character prevalent within the Township today.

The Public Facilities District is intended to create and preserve those properties which are properly used for or are proposed to be used for public purposes or for specified public utility purposes. Permitted uses include community recreation, administrative and government services, clinic services, library services, day care and education facilities, essential services, civic assembly, commercial uses, agriculture use, forest production and processing (limited), tree crops and related uses. Other uses are permitted subject to issuance of a Use Permit such as single-family residential, mining and lodging (see Sections 20.108.005 through 20.108.040 of the Zoning Ordinance).

• F-L Forest Land District (Chapter 20.064)

The F-L Forest Land District is intended to create and preserve areas suitable for the growing, harvesting and production of timber and timber-related products. Processing of products produced on the premises would be permitted as would certain commercial activities associated with timber production and the raising of livestock. Typically_ the F-L District would be applied to lands not zoned Timberland Production (T-P), but which have the present or future potential for timber production, intermixed smaller parcels and other contiguous lands, the inclusion of which is necessary for the protection of efficient management of timber resource lands.

Other permitted uses include single-family residential, community recreation and civic uses, and general agriculture. Multiple-family residential and various categories of commercial use are permitted subject to issuance of a Use Permit (see Sections 20.064.005 through 20.064.055). Forest Land District lands within the Township are located in the southwest portion of the Township (see Figure 3.1.1-2).

• T-P Timberland Production District (Chapter 20.068)
  
  The timberland Production District is intended to be applied to areas of the County which because of their general soil types, location and timber growing capabilities are suited for and should be devoted to the growing, harvesting, and production of timber and timber related products. Permitted uses include residential, community recreation, fire and police protection services, animal raising, forest production and processing, horticulture, limited packing and processing, row and field crops, and tree crops. Other permitted uses subject to issuance of an Administrative Permit include farm employee housing. Uses subject to a Use Permit include cottage industries, transient habitation (campgrounds), animal waste processing, mining and processing and other uses.
  

Timberland Production District lands are located along the western edge of the Specific Plan area (see Figures 4-1a, 4-1c and 4-2).

Based on site investigations, review of technical reports, review of Community Services District records regarding existing development, and discussions with Community Services District General Manager Mr. Mike Chapman, the following statistical data regarding Brooktrails Township is provided (refer to the footnotes below for data sources).

TABLE 3.1.1-3
Brooktrails Township Statistical Data

3.1.1-3 IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES
Brooktrails Township Specific Plan Policies
Plan goals specifically related to rezoning in the Plan area appear in the Land Use and Planning Chapter of the Plan as ZONING GOAL LU- 4.1 The Policies for implementing the Goal are central to the issue of rezoning and are reiterated here to allow the reader easy reference to the actual lanuagein the Plan .

ZONING GOAL LU- 4.1: Zoning shall be predominantly single-family residential.

POLICY LU-4.1A: Clarify the existing zoning and the extent of developed commercial areas; consider designation of other necessary commercial areas.

POLICY LU-4.1B: Redesignate remaining, undeveloped commercially zoned parcels to single or two-family residential, as appropriate.

Standard of Significance
A project would normally have a significant adverse land use impact if it would conflict with the adopted land use plans and zoning ordinance of the area where the project is located. For purposes of this EIR, the following are considered potentially significant land use impacts: 1) a proposed use that could not be approved by a local agency (within its permitted discretion), for the Zoning/General Plan land use designation in which it is proposed to be located; 2) a proposed project that would result in the conversion of designated open space into urban or suburban land uses; and 3) a proposed project that would result in a use substantially incompatible with existing surrounding land uses.

Zoning/General Plan Land Use Designations
The Specific Plan calls for Brooktrails to contain predominantly single-family residential zoning and single-family land uses. The Specific Plan area includes 1,613 acres currently zoned for single-family land use, and 178 acres zoned for two-family and multiple-family residential land use. With an additional 40 acres of Suburban Residential zoned land use, the total residential zoned area amounts to 1,831 acres consisting of 6,047 lots and 1,238 dwellings for an overall density of 0.68 units per acre of residentially zoned land at the time of preparing the Specific Plan.
Impact 3.1.1-1
Nine commercially zoned properties would be rezoned to residential use. (I)

Single-family residential land use currently predominates within the Township. The Specific Plan notes that certain commercially zoned properties are either developed with residential use or are considered too steep for commercial development and/or too small to provide adequate access and parking for a commercial use. These sites, nine in total, amounting to about eight to ten acres, are to be rezoned for single-family use (see Figure 3.1.1-2 for location). Rezoning these commercially zoned properties to residential use would recognize limitations of the existing terrain and reflect residential land use within the Township as the primary land use.

Mitigation Measure 3.1.1-1
None required. Rezoning in itself is a mitigation measure to achieve a compatible tie between steeper terrain and feasible land uses.

Impact 3.1.1-2
Specified sites totaling about six acres would be downszoned from multiple-or two-family land use. (I)

Sites A, B and C are shown on Figure 3.1.1-2, Existing Zoning. Rezoning of these sites is called for in the Specific Plan as follows:

Site A: Approximately one acre of this R-3 zoned area is considered to steep for R-3 development and should be rezoned to R-2 (junction of Archer and Madrone Drive).

Site B: The parcel should be rezoned from R-2 to C-1 to reflect use as a real estate office. The site is steep with limited space for any additional development or expansion of the existing facility.

Site C: The site should be rezoned from R-3 to R-2. The site contains a reasonable amount of space for development, but is subject to stormwater flow extending to the creek/riparian corridor. The area is considered sensitive to disturbance, and could generate creek sedimentation (see also Section 4.1.2, Hydrology and Water Quality, for issues related to sedimentation and erosion).

Under this scenario, two R-3 sites would be rezoned to R-2. Both sites could be developed with two- family structures. It is noted that retaining the R-3 Multiple-Family zoning designation within Brooktrails would assist the County in achieving its low and moderate income goals as expressed in the Housing Element of the General Plan. Multiple family zoning provides the opportunity to erect residential structures that are less costly on a per-unit basis than individual single-family units and would be consistent with General Plan Policy 1.4c which calls for supporting the conservation of affordable housing, and Implementation Measure 1.5.5 to allow increased densities in areas with water and sewer service.

The Specific Plan does not call for a substantial reduction in R-3 zoned parcels. Rezoning the two R-3 parcels as explained above would be consistent with the need to recognize the limitations of building on steep terrain and existing drainage and soil conditions.

Mitigation Measure 3.1.1-2
None required. Rezoning in itself is a mitigation measure to achieve a compatible tie between steeper terrain and feasible land uses.

Designated Open Space
As noted previously, there are 2,817 acres of Public Facilities (PF District) zoned land, inclusive of community greenbelt (open space), for public use and hiking. The Public Facilities District would be unaffected by the provisions of the Specific Plan, with the exception of the 1,600 acre impoundment area needed for domestic water supply in order to accommodate buildout of the Township. The water impoundment would be located in the open space area as shown on Figure 3.1.1-3, Proposed Zoning Map, within a drainage area sufficient in size to provide adequate runoff for the impoundment and required fish flow releases. This issue will be addressed in the EIR to be prepared for the new reservoir when actual planning for the design of the reservoir takes place in the future, consistent with the provisions of this Program EIR (see the Introduction portion of this EIR for an explanation of a Program EIR).

Existing Land Uses
Land uses surrounding the Township consist primarily of rangeland, forest land and agricultural land except for the nearby City of Willits. No significant development is anticipated in the immediate vicinity of the Township. In addition, the Specific Plan does not establish any significant changes in land use within the Township itself, and given the existing lotting pattern, no incompatible land uses are foreseen, either within the Township or between the Township and areas immediately outside the Township.

It should be noted that Ells Field Airport is located immediately adjacent to the northeast quadrant of Brooktrails. This is a community airport suitable for one and two-engine propeller-driven aircraft. On October 21, 1993, the Mendocino County Airport Land Use Commission adopted the final
Comprehensive Land Use Plan for the Boonville, Ells Field, Little River, Ocean Ridge and Round Valley airports.

The Airport Compatibility Land Use Plan sets forth the criteria and policies which the Mendocino County Airport Land Use Commission will use in assessing the compatibility between public use airports in Mendocino County and proposed land use development.

The Plan specifically pertains to the land uses surrounding five public use airports in Mendocino County, including Ells Field. A major finding of the Plan was that there are about 100 Brooktrails parcels located within the airport B1 Zone. The B1 Zone is classified as an approach/departure zone adjacent to a runway. The risks involved in a B1 Zone include safety (classified as "substantial risk") because aircraft in this zone are commonly below 400 feet above the ground or within 1,000 feet of the runway, and there is apt to be substantial aircraft noise.

The B1 Zone Compatibility Criteria as specified in the Plan calls for residential parcels not less than ten acres in size, that the land should not attract more than ten people per acre at any one time, and that 30 percent of the land should be "open." Residential subdivisions are listed as not normally acceptable in the B1 Zone, although single-family homes on an existing lot are normally acceptable (Table 2A, Page 2-6).

The Plan states (page 4-2):
"Although undesirable from a compatibility standpoint, there are only a few modifications which could potentially be achieved through land use regulation to improve the compatibility. Every opportunity should be taken to reduce the number of potential residential units. Approximately 35 of these parcels are designated neighborhood commercial, but are undeveloped. The neighborhood commercial designation permits the development of multifamily housing. Compatibility would be improved if either: multifamily housing were prohibited on these lots or the parcels were redesignated for single-family dwellings."

Thus, the Specific Plans calls for the Township to seek to coordinate with the Airport Land Use Commission in evaluating proposed land use development at Ells Field to enhance airport land use compatibility. Under a five year update of the Specific Plan, the County may initiate rezoning of existing two-family and commercially zoned parcels within the B-1 zone to single-family residential use. Continued single-family development within the B-1 zone would support this action. Currently, there are a total of 139 parcels within the B1 Zone, 43 of which are improved and 96 of which are unimproved (have no residences).