| Draft Environmental Impact Statement Shorts School Road Am Antenna Structures 30 3.1.2 Visual Environment The following is a discussion of the general visual environment within the proposed project area. 3.1.2.1 Project Area The proposed project is located within the upper Snohomish River Valley. The upper river valley, generally made up of agricultural fields and farmhouses, is bounded by the hillsides of Fiddler�s Bluff (elevation approximately 250 feet above mean sea level [MSL]) and Cathcart Hill on the west. Lord Hill (202 feet MSL)/Devil�s Butte (680 feet MSL)/Bald Hill (737 feet MSL), commonly referred to as Lord Hill, flank the valley on the east. To the north, the upper Snohomish River Valley joins the main Snohomish River Valley, a broad floodplain where the Snohomish River runs to northwest past the City of Snohomish and towards the City of Everett to empty into the Puget Sound by Port Gardner. The foothills (Snohomish foothills) adjacent to the City of Snohomish in the north run to the northeast along U.S. Route 2. The Cascade Mountains including Mt. Baker, Whitehorse Mountain, Three Fingers, and Mt. Pilchuck rise in the northeast. The Olympic Mountains stand to the west, and Mt. Rainier is often visible in the south from certain viewpoints. Nearby Transportation Two County roads access the western portion of the Valley near the proposed project site. Treosti Road, just to the north of the proposed project site, has an east-west orientation. Shorts School Road is adjacent to the proposed project site and has a north-south orientation. The proposed project site is visible from the intersection of Treosti Road and Shorts School Road and from Shorts School Road as it runs south past the site. Major transportation routes nearby include State Route 522, which runs east-west and U.S. Route 2, which runs roughly northwest-southeast. Due to distance and orientation in the landscape, the proposed project site is not clearly visible from these routes. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe spur line, which has a north-south orientation, is another major transportation route in area. The spur line joins the BNSF mainline at the City of Snohomish across the Snohomish River Valley. Traffic on the spur line is light. Traffic on the mainline is heavy. Due to distance, orientation in the landscape, and adjacent vegetation growth, the proposed project site is only intermittently visible from trains on the BNSF lines. Harvey Field, a local general aviation airport, is located at the intersection of the two rail lines. Fixed wing and ultralight aircraft, helicopters, and hot air balloons use this local airport as their base. Aircraft flying over the proposed project site have clear views of the parcel. Kenwanda Neighborhood The Kenwanda neighborhood, established in the 1960s around the Kenwanda Golf Course, is located west of the proposed project along Fiddler�s Bluff. Approximately 200 lots surrounding the Kenwanda Golf Course have been developed for residential use. Depending on the location within the Kenwanda neighborhood, residents have panoramic views that include the Snohomish River Valley, City of Snohomish, Cascade Mountains, Lord Hill, and Mt. Rainier. Based on Kenwanda development maps, project information found in the Deputy Hearing Examiners� Decision (Decision A 107495), and direct observation of the neighborhood from public rights-of |