1. Existing Residential Land Uses

In the northern part of the proposed project route, the project would expand the existing ROW from 50 to 180 feet, for which SCE would need to acquire an additional easement width of 130 feet along the corridor. The expanded easement would extend over three private residential properties and agricultural land. As the purpose of the expanded ROW would be to maintain radio frequency interference near the utility corridor to acceptable levels, the existing residential and agricultural use of the property over which the easement extends likely would not be precluded. However, future use of the extended easement would be restricted. For example, the affected property owners could not build any structures on lands that occur within the proposed expanded easement.

Some restriction of land uses would also occur within the existing ROW, as the proposed project would replace existing 66-kV structures with new lattice steel towers that would be larger in size and would occupy more land area. Existing towers range in height from 60 to 90 feet and are up to 21 feet wide. The proposed towers would be approximately 113 feet to 178 feet tall and 96 feet wide. In total, the proposed project would traverse 58 privately owned parcels, which would cause long-term impacts to existing land uses. The proposed project's restriction of current or future land uses on private property would be considered a significant and unavoidable impact (Class I).

No mitigation measures have been identified that would reduce this impact to a less-than-significant level.