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drawn and would have supported the Open Space Committees recommendation. She sited her reasons: 1) The identified oak trees were an important part of the creek habitat • and provided a seamless extension of food and shelter for wildlife while stabilizing the creek; and, 2) The Open Space Easement offered better protection than the Heritage Oak Ordinance. Collins added that she supported the subdivision with this noted exception. Nancy Couperus, Open Space Committee member, commented that the Open Space Committee and Environmental Design and Protection Committee were recommending that the identified oaks be placed in the Open Space Easement for ecological reasons. The trees helped to stabilize the creek bank and prevent erosion. She sited problems that were created when development was allowed close to the creek banks. Couperus offered that there was a precedent for the Town requiring the expanded easement and referenced the Garey subdivision. She distributed a map to Council that showed the additional easement placed on the subdivision for a grove of oak trees. Sandy Humphries, Environmental Design and Protection Committee, stated that she supported the open space easement that included the dripline for the heritage oaks and noted the importance of the trees to the ecosystem of the creek. She suggested that the Planning Commission had not approved the broader easement because they had concluded that there was no precedent but as noted by Couperus, the Town had made a similar requirement on an earlier subdivision. Humphries did not believe the Heritage Oak Ordinance provided adequate protection for the trees. Dot Schreiner, resident, explained that as a member of the Ad Hoc General Plan Update Committee she has become aware of the importance of providing safe routes by either fire roads or pathways when there was only one viable entrance or exit road to the subdivision. She suggested this was the appropriate time to require additional pathway easements for an alternate route. .Ruth Morrison, applicant, addressed Council. Ms. Morrison advised Council that she was seeking approval of the subdivision due to the inheritance laws that made it almost impossible to keep her homestead in the family. This had been a very difficult decision. She had owned her property for fifty eight (58) years and stated that she had been a good tenant of the land and an active environmentalist that had conscientiously maintained and preserved her property. Morrison spoke to the strength she drew from nature and her beautiful site. Morrison stated that she understood the value of the oaks on her property and their importance to the environment and had recently hired an arborist to prune the trees. She stated that she would place restrictions on her lots regarding the trees. Morrison explained that she had lost approximately eight oaks on her property and suggested that they had been damaged/killed by runoff from Interstate 280. Morrison requested that the Town assist her in having the drainage issue resolved, noting that it had been a long term problem that she believed the Town was aware of but had not corrected 7 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes September 13,2007