2. Disruption of Existing Commercial Land Uses

From Mile 18.6 to Mile 20.3, the proposed project would create a new 180-foot ROW in Haskell Canyon that would traverse the Veluzat Motion Picture Ranch, which is actively used to film motion pictures, television shows, and music videos. The motion picture ranch conducts much of its filming on outdoor sets, for which the varied landscape of the ranch (i.e., desert, pine forests, an open area mesa, meadows, and a lake) provide a natural scenery that is essential to each of the sets. However, operation of the proposed project would hinder the current operations of the motion picture ranch.

As proposed by SCE, the project would construct new lattice steel towers immediately adjacent to the outdoor sets, which would be visible from the sets and would disrupt the current landscape of the ranch. This business depends on its visual characteristics and landscape quality. The motion picture ranch would be required to relocate its elaborate sets to avoid viewing the transmission line in the background of its films. In addition, the motion picture ranch often conducts its aerial filming with the use of helicopters. The erection of a new transmission line would interfere with established filming practices at the ranch. Overall, a new transmission line across the motion picture ranch would interfere with current filming practices and would preclude the ranch's current use of specific landscapes and sets that would be occupied by the proposed project. No additional businesses (e.g., Bouquet Canyon Stone Quarry) would be adversely affected from operation of the proposed project.

Accordingly, operation of the proposed project would cause long-term impacts to an existing commercial land use. The proposed project's long-term land use disturbance of the motion picture ranch 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. However, a relocation of the route of the proposed project to Alternative 4 or Alternative 5 would eliminate this otherwise significant and unavoidable impact.