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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEIR 93-02; Green Valley; Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (53)STATE OF CALIFORNIA PETE WILSON, Gowmor DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE e 1220 N Street Sacramento, California 95814 May lo, 1993 Christer Westman City of Carlsbad 2075 Las Palmas Drive Carlsbad, California 92009 Dear Mr. Westman: the 1. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the forthcoming Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for Green Valley Master Plan (SCH# 93041014). The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) would appreciate a discussion of following issues in the DEIR: 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. - A complete description of the planning area. This should include current and planned land use designations, the number of acres in agricultural production, soil classifications and acreages, cropping history and yields. Whether any land in an Agricultural preserve is part of, or near to the planning area. How will development , affect such designations? The possible mitigation measures to ensure that agricultural land is not prematurely or unnecessarily converted to non-agricultural uses. These measures can include use of deed disclosures, a Right-to-Farm Ordinance, clustered development, and transfer of development rights. The interface conflicts which can arise from adjacent agricultural and urban uses. Problems can arise due to noise, dust, chemical usage, trespassing, and traffic conflicts. Include any buffering measures (i.e. buffers, setbacks, berms, fencing, etc.) proposed for the development. Whether development of the area will create patterns of discontiguous growth. If so, is development necessary at this time? Given the projected need for residential and urban development, what is the cumulative impact to agriculture from this and other projects in the regioi? c m -c- Since the above issues are not necessarily comprehensive, the lead agency should also request comments from concerned lo$al agencies. These agencies can include the agricultural commissioner's office, the USDA Soil Conservation Service office, and the county Farm Bureau Federation office. The CDFA supports the right of local agencies to develop and implement land-use policy in its area of influence. However, the CDFA also wants to assure that agricultural land is not prematurely and irreversibly lost due to development which is not accurately assessed for environmental impact. Sincerely, I. Den i s e Ma sumot o Environmental Reviewer