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A plan to build more than 5,700 homes along East Cypress Road in Oakley is back on the drawing board after being delayed for two years by an environmental group's lawsuit.

The suit by the Greenbelt Alliance attempted to prevent development on 2,500 acres of grazing land and open space on both sides of East Cypress Road between Jersey Island Road, Dutch Slough, Sandmound Boulevard and Rock Slough.

The suit was essentially won by the City of Oakley, which is spearheading the development plan. But the city was required by the court to further study the environmental impacts of the project on agriculture and air quality.

A supplemental environmental impact report (EIR) has recently been released, which identifies significant effects due to the loss of farmland and emissions from vehicles and operations in the development. Written comments on the draft EIR must be sent to the city by Oct. 24 to have them addressed in the final EIR. The City Council will also hold a public hearing at a later date to officially certify the EIR.

The East Cypress Corridor Specific Plan proposes construction of as many as 5,759 housing units, 92 acres of commercial development, 52 acres for two elementary schools and one middle school, 153 acres of man-made lakes, 190 acres of open space, 122 acres of wetlands/dunes, 112 acres of levees, 102 acres of parks, 6 acres of light-industrial businesses, 37 acres of commercial recreation and a 6-acre beach club.

A large portion of the project will consist of Shea Homes' Summer Lake development, which has opened its first phase at East Cypress and Bethel Island roads.

The EIR may be downloaded from the City of Oakley Web site, www.ci.oakley.ca.us, or viewed at City Hall. The following are some of the highlights from that report:

No mitigation measures are available that would compensate for the loss of agricultural land due to development.

To reduce air pollution, wood-burning fireplaces in homes and gas-burning fireplaces or pits in recreation areas will not be allowed, and efficient heating, ventilation and appliances as well as window and wall insulation will be required. In addition, landscaping will be drought-resistant and 220-volt electrical outlets will be provided for recharging electric and hybrid vehicles.

A network of trails, bike lanes and pedestrian corridors will link residential and commercial areas and the planned schools.

Approximately 572 acres of land are classified as prime farmland, 292 acres as farmland of statewide importance, 2 acres as unique farmland, and 735 acres as farmland of local importance. None of the land has been used in the past four years for production of crops other than hay for cattle feed.

The area was planned for conversion from agricultural to urban uses by the county before the City of Oakley incorporated and annexed the Cypress corridor. The county General Plan adopted in 1996 provided for development of up to 3,000 residential units in addition to the 1,330 units the county had previously approved for the Summer Lake project in 1993.

The approved Cypress Grove project, located approximately one mile west of the Cypress Plan area, encompasses approximately 147 acres and will result in the development of 637 residential houses.

Contra Costa County's important farmlands have declined from 102,292 acres in the year 2000 to 96,757 acres in 2004. This is an annual conversion of 1,384 acres per year a significant cumulative impact. Development of the Cypress area would contribute to this significant cumulative impact.

Fees on the Cypress development will contribute to the Habitat Conservation Plan, which preserves prime farmland and open space in the county.