| Draft Environmental Impact Statement Shorts School Road Am Antenna Structures 31 way, as many as 40 or 50 residences, may have open, partial, or seasonal views of the proposed project site. This number changes with the seasons and is subject to change due to vegetation growth. The analysts did not have access to private residences to confirm the exact nature of views from these properties, but for most of them these are not direct frontal views available the year around, but are typically seasonal or indirect views to the side. The number of residences that are oriented towards the antenna structures and which will have direct unobstructed views from the windows of a house are far fewer, estimated to be 7 to 8 residences. Many homeowners have selected to landscape their residence in a manner that creates maximum privacy, with surrounding trees and hedges, thus limiting their outward views as well. This group includes the residences closest to the Antenna location, located between the river and 106th Dr SE. Others have chosen to maximize their outward views by clearing vegetation on the eastern, downslope side of the house. Prominent examples of this types are found along the east side of Kenwanda Drive. Other houses will have views of the antennas from exterior porches and decks, although these will be off to the side, not oriented directly toward the antennas. A number of mature conifer trees such as firs and cedars were sensitively preserved during the development of Kenwanda, and these trees serve to limit many views within Kenwanda. Other trees, predominantly big leaf maples, have grown up and currently block views from many of the houses for much of the year while leaves are on the trees. In winter, the antennas will be visible only through a screen of branches. In short, views out from the Kenwanda hillside are not uniformly open, but are very dependant on local topography and vegetation. The Kenwanda neighborhood can be categorized as semiurban. According to WSDOT�s visual classification system, �The semiurban landscape is characterized by intermixed built and natural or naturalized elements with built elements prevailing� (WSDOT 1996). Lighting Evening views from the Kenwanda neighborhood include residential lights from Lord Hill to the east, lights from the City of Everett and the City of Snohomish to the north, and ambient lights from City of Monroe to the east. Red, blinking lights from the existing KRKO antenna and static red lights at Harvey Field to the north and single, red blinking lights coming from the east and northeast, presumably from cellular towers, are visible to varying degrees in the Kenwanda neighborhood. Two red obstruction lights on transmission line towers near Snohomish to the north are also visible. Bob Heirman Park Located to the southwest of the proposed project site, Bob Heirman Park is a 343-acre wildlife park which has been reclaimed by Snohomish County from gravel excavating operations. The park is used by bird watchers, fishermen, walkers, horse riders, swimmers and other water enthusiasts, and for outdoor education by school children. Park trails are not fully developed in all areas of the park. The main east-west trail (as well as the northeast and southeast offshoot trails) appears well used. The park is composed of grassland meadows, areas wooded with deciduous and evergreen trees, Shadow Lake, the Snohomish River with attendant gravel bars, and mostly deciduous riparian vegetation. Revegetation and tree planting projects are underway on the north side of the main east-west trail between the trail and the project site. This |