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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes April 23Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee Final (approved June 04, 2012) Minutes of Meeting of Monday, April 23, 2012 1. ADMINISTRATIVE Chairman Eileen Gibbons called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM Members present: Courtenay Corrigan, Nick Dunckel, Ann Duwe, Eileen Gibbons, David Jessen, Breene Kerr, Joseph Kleitman, Bob Stutz, Sue Welch, Denise Williams Members absent: Tim Warner Council Members present: Ginger Summit and Mayor Rich Larsen Members of the public present: Janet Chuang, architect for 10455 Lone Oak Lane The agenda was approved as amended. The minutes from the March 26, 2012 meeting were approved minor amendments. 2. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR A. Mayor Larsen thanked the PWC Chair, Eileen Gibbons for the presenting the Pathway Committee Annual Report to Council on April 19, 2012. He recommended that the PWC use a measured approach to introducing the Towns pathway requirements to residents of the newly annexed areas of Town. He suggested that waiting until after annexation is complete may be a better approach and help allay new residents' concerns about new pathways in their neighborhood. The general consensus of the PWC was that for consistency pathway requirements should be adopted within a year of annexation. 3. PROPERTY REVIEWS. The following property was reviewed for a pathway recommendation: A. 10455 Lone Oak Lane (Lands of Chiang). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. Janet Chuang, the architect representing the owner, was present. The property is on the west side of Lone Oak Lane, which is a private cul-de-sac off Magdalena that serves five residences. No off-road paths exit from Lone Oak and no roadside paths have been constructed. The possibility of an off-road path into San Antonio Preserve was discussed but the general consensus was that one was not needed because of the nearby entrance from Magdalena. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the Town ask the owners of 10455 Lone Oak Lane to pay a pathway in -lieu fee. Nick Dunckel seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Mapping of West Loyola Neighborhood. The PWC made a site visit to the area and met with three neighbors on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Residents had been notified via a postcard and via an email list complied by a resident of the area. The PWC discussed at length potential locations for roadside paths, specifically where paths are needed and which side of the street is preferred for paths. Because roads are narrow and winding in some areas, roadside pathways are not possible in all locations. These recommendations will be taken to Council for approval. West Loyola Drive. From Eastbrook to the east end of Eloise Circle the road is narrow and winding and paths would improve pedestrian safety. In this section, the roadside path should be placed on the west or north side (the uphill side of the road) where feasible. Steep slopes and a roadside drain in places may preclude a full -width IIB path in some places. The path may have to be placed on the bank above the road in some spots and the Town may pay for construction of parts of the path. From the east end of Eloise Circle to Rolly Road, the north side is preferred for Fina1PWC_Min12-0426 7/18/12 roadside paths. From Rolly Road to Ravensbury, the south side is the preferred side for roadside paths. The Town holds an easement on 10300 West Loyola. Berkshire. The PWC discussed at length whether or not roadside paths were necessary and/or feasible along this public road. Although pathways could provide increased safety on this through -road, roadside paths may not be feasible in all locations because of the steep roadsides. There was not a consensus as to whether roadside paths were needed or not. The preferred side of Berkshire for paths from the eastern intersection with West Loyola to the border of 10450 and 10500 Berkshire is the north side. From there to the intersection with (western) West Loyola, neither side appears feasible and an over -the -road route is acceptable. Ann Duwe moved that these routes be approved for roadside paths on Berkshire. The vote was 6 in favor, 3 opposed, and 1 abstention for proximity. Eloise Circle. This is a relatively wide and quiet private road with no off-road paths exiting from it. It was recommended that the Town ask for an over -the -road easement conferring public access to this private road. A straw vote on this proposal yielded 6 in favor and 2 opposed. This route would not be shown on the Town Walking Map. After lengthy discussion of the legality of allowing pathway easements on private roads in Town, Ann Duwe moved that the Town ask for an over -the -road easement conferring public access to Eloise Circle after all the easements have been granted. Breene Kerr seconded. The vote was 8 in favor,1 opposed, and 1 abstention for proximity. Sunhills. The border of LAH is a short distance from the intersection with West Loyola Drive. No recommendations for roadside paths on Sunhills Road were made. B. Update of Town Walking Map. Chairman Gibbons reported that Town staff plans to republish a corrected version of the Walking Map soon and asked PWC members to identify any areas that need to be updated or corrected. She noted that Via Cerro Gordo, Normandy Lane, the right side of Dianne Drive, East and West Sunset, and the new Taaffe path need to be added to the map. C. Request for Horse Crossing Signs. Town has received a request for "Horse Crossing" signs at Elena and Natoma and at the Town riding rink on Purissima. The proliferation of new signs in Town was discussed; members feel that many of these add to roadside clutter and are not needed. The general consensus was that a horse crossing sing is not needed at the riding rink. The proposed plans for the path near the intersection of Natoma and Elena path needs to be reviewed by the Traffic Safety Committee; a stop sign for cars coming up Elena may improve safety for pedestrians and equestrians here. 5. OLD BUSINESS A. Additions to Five -Year Construction Plans. PWC briefly reviewed the proposed projects. No additions were made. Status of the Nicholson path and the path route at the top of the Purissima subdivision needs to be reviewed. C. Participation in update of Circulation Element of LAH General Plan. The Town is required by the state to update the Circulation Element of the General Plan. The PWC discussed the planned update and the possible role of the committee in the process, including formation of a subcommittee. Councilmember Ginger Summit recommended that the committee participate because the Pathway Element is part of the Circulation Element and other issues of interest to the PWC (e.g., designated routes to school, bicycle paths, emergency escape routes, traffic bottleneck Fina1PWC_Min12-0426 7/18/12 2 areas) are also included. Councilmember Ginger Summit introduced information about additional local bicycle programs (e.g., Ride and Roll"). 6. REPORTS FROM OTHER MEETINGS A. City Council. As noted above, Chairman Eileen Gibbons presented the Pathway Committee Annual Report to Council on April 19, 2012. B. Planning Commission. On April 5, 2012, Nick Dunckel presented to the Planning Commission the PWC recommendation for a roadside path on 10300 West Loyola. He explained that West Loyola is a narrow and windy street that is dangerous for pedestrians. Adding a path along West Loyola corresponds with the Committee's normal guidelines found in the General Plan's Pathway Elements. He said that in February the Pathways Committee chairman went to the City Council and requested that the Pathways Committee use the pathway guidelines until an official map update is generated and approved. Commissioner Abraham stated that a pathway cannot be imposed on a property unless it is on the Master Pathway Map. However, the owners of the property were willing to create a pathway and agreed build it. C. VTA. The LAH Fremont Road bike pathway was reviewed. Because this plan is a somewhat unusual application, the County plans to enter it into their files as an example of alternative approaches. D. Santa Clara Valley County Bicycle Coalition Summit. Rich Larsen and Breene Kerr attended the May meeting. Their goals included "making it easier to bike and harder to drive". The decrease in kids biking and walking to school and the increase in childhood obesity were discussed as well as programs to combat these. Additional federal money may become available in late summer and fall that the town can apply for additional projects (e.g., for landscaping of El Monte interchange). E. Ad Hoc Fence Committee. Still no official output from the committee. 7. GENERAL DISCUSSION A. Moody at Chaparral Horse Crossing. Staff has changed the plans for the route of the horse stairs. Instead of coming out at Arroyo Oaks, they will be moved to a new location. A suggestion was made to recommend to staff that any fencing used should be similar to the rural, rustic split rail fence along the creek nearby, rather than ugly industrial fencing. B. Additional Bicycle Issues. Tim Warner suggested an organized approach to improving bikeways and encouraging biking to schools. The Fremont Bike project raised awareness in the community and this may be an opportunity to study the issue and do some additional projects. He suggested a survey of local schools and residents about patterns of bicycle use and bike wants and needs. VERBS money will continue to be available. Additional issues discussed include making curbs bike friendly; establishing priorities for obtaining additional input from the community. Tim Warner offered to help lead up this work. Collaboration with the LAH Traffic and Safety committee as well as with other nearby communities will also be of value in planning future bike projects. C. Blocked pathway at Palo Hills off Alexander. A resident attending the meeting complained that this path has been blocked. Apparently this path has not yet been constructed. 8. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 PM 9. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGS Next Pathway Walk: Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall Next Regular Meeting: Monday, June 4, 2012 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Fina1PWC_Min12-0426 7/18/12 Respectfully submitted, Sue Welch May 31, 2012 Fina1PWC_Min12-0426 7/18/12