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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes March 27Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee FINAL (Amended 04/23/12) Minutes of Meeting of Monday, March 26, 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, Tim Warner, Sue Welch, Denise Williams Council Members present: Mayor Ginger Summit Members of the public present: Doug Hahn Rod Incerpi Scott Davis The agenda was approved without amendments. The minutes from the Feb 23, 2012 meeting were approved minor amendments. 2. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR None 3. PROPERTY REVIEWS. The following properties were reviewed for pathway recommendations: a. 14122 Amherst Court (Lands of Lee, Mark, and Wu). The reason for pathway review is construction of an addition. The architect representing the owner was present. The property is on the south side of Amherst Court, which is a public cul-de-sac serving 15 residences. No off-road paths exit from Amherst Court and no roadside paths have been constructed. The general consensus was that that no roadside path was needed along the Amherst frontage of this property. The property also has frontage on West Arastradero Road, close to the intersection with Page Mill Road. A IIB roadside path in good condition exists on the opposite side of Arastradero. The side on which this property is located is relatively flat and appears to be used by pedestrians. This part of Arastradero is close to Arastradero Preserve and is heavily used by cars, bikes, walkers, and horses. Completion of the new Stanford path from Purissima Road may increase traffic. It was not clear from the Master Path Plan or the development plans whether a roadside pathway easement exists on this property along the Arastradero frontage. Although Arastradero is not formally designated a "two-sided road" requiring paths on both sides, the general consensus was that a path here would increase safety. Anne Duwe moved that the Town ask the owners of 14122 Amherst Court for a pathway easement along Arastradero, if one does not already exist. The motion was not seconded. Further discussion ensued about the location of the property line, the need for a roadside path here, and whether the homeowner or the Town should construct it. The Town may be able to construct a path on this side of Arastradero as part of a CIP project or as an add-on to the Stanford path project. Joe Kleitman moved that the Town ask the owners of 14122 Amherst Court for a pathway in -lieu fee. The vote was 8 in favor; 2 opposed;1 abstention. b. 14565 Manuella Road (Lands of LAH Family Partners). The reason for pathway review is construction of a second unit. The owners were not present. The property is on the west side of Manuella, which is a public road and designated as two-sided (i.e.. requiring roadside paths on both sides). The easement for a roadside pathway on this property was granted to the town in 1973. A pathway in good condition exists on the easement, which the owners recently upgraded, although it is narrower than IIB standards (i.e., only about three feet wide). The PWC reviewed the property in May 2011 when a new residence was constructed. At that time the PWC recommendation was to ask the owners to restore the path to IIB standards after construction was Fina1PWC_Min12-0326 7/18/12 finished. A new permit for a second unit triggered a second PWC review. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the three-foot wide pati: be restored after construction rs f.rrshed. The vote was unanimously in favor. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Use of form to report PWC recommendations. Chair Eileen Gibbons showed the form, similar to the one used by the Environmental Design Committee. Bob Stutz moved that the PWC use this new form to communicate committee recommendations to staff. Eileen Gibbons seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. B. 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 areas) are also included. Eileen Gibbons will get additional information about the process. Joe Kleitman moved that the PWC monitor the Circulation Element review and participate as appropriate. Eileen Gibbons seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. C. BPAC A1212ointment. The PWC agreed to renew Breene Kerr's appointment as LAH representative to the VTA Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. BPAC consists of 16 members representing each of the 15 cities and the county. The BPAC advises the Board on funding and planning issues for bicycle and pedestrian projects. It also serves as the countywide bicycle advisory committee for Santa Clara County. 5. OLD BUSINESS A. "Straw man" map for Olive Tree Annexation Area. Chairman Eileen Gibbons must present a straw man map for this new annexation area to the City Council on April 18, 2012. The PWC made a site visit to the area on Saturday, March 24, 2012 and spoke at length with two residents, one of whom expressed interest in providing easements for off-road paths on his property. The PWC discussed potential on- and off-road pathway routes in the area. The pros and cons of pursuing access to the MROSD open space via the locked gate at the end of Olive Tree were discussed. The Town does not have authority to open this gate and residents in the area expressed strong opposition to this at the recent Council meeting when the annexation was discussed. Olive Tree is a private road and North Crest appears to be a private driveway. The general consensus was that an on -road path along Olive Tree is desirable and the current MPP indicates a roadside path along this street. In addition, a pathway connection between Stonebrook and Olive Tree, either following off-road paths or along North Crest Drive, is a high priority. It was suggested that the PWC use arrows to indicate the general location of future connections rather lines indicating a specific route. The PWC will work out details of the route after additional site visits. Joe Kleitman moved that the "straw man" map show a short blue arrow pointing from Stonebrook onto North Crest and a short blue arrow pointing from Olive Tree north onto North Crest. Breene Kerr seconded. The vote was 10 in favor,1 opposed. Breene Kerr moved that the PWC support the current Master Path Plan map which shows a Fina1PWC_Min12-0326 7/18/12 2 line along Olive Tree conferring public access to pedestrians, bikes, and horses. The vote was infavor, opposed. B. "Straw man" map for West Loyola Annexation Area. The PWC will make a site visit to the area j� and meet with neighbors on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Residents will be notified via a postcard / and via an email list complied by one of the residents of the area. Update on PWC recommendation for 13482 La Cresta Drive (Lands of Askari). The PWC reviewed this property Jan 23, 2012 and the recommendation at that time was to ask the owner to dedicate a pathway easement on the Arastradero Road side of the property in a location to be determined after consultation with the Town engineer and to have the owners construct a IIS pathway on the Arastradero side of the property after consultation with the Town engineer. The owner apparently disputes a previous agreement with the Town regarding development of this pathway and has withdrawn the permit and filed suit against the Town for architectural fees. The general consensus of the PWC is that a roadside path along Arastradero is important for safety. Anne Duwe moved 1) that the Town again ask the owner to grant a pathway easement in the location specified by the town engineer and 2) the Town remove the requirement for the owner to build the pathway. Eileen Gibbons seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. 6. REPORTS FROM OTHER MEETINGS No pathway issues 7. GENERAL DISCUSSION The committee discussed forwarding a recommendation to the Planning Commission for their review of the Stanford Path project (scheduled for April 5) to ask Stanford to include improvements to roadside paths along West Arastradero between Page Mill Road and the Arastradero Preserve in the project. The committee also discussed the increase in cars parked along Arastradero near the Page Mill Park and Ride. The Town may need to put up "No Parking" signs. 8. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM 9. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGS April Pathway walk: Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall Potential Special walk: Sunday, April 21, 2012 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall April regular meeting: Monday, April 23, 2012 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Respectfully submitted, Sue Welch March 30, 2012 Fina1PWC_Min12-0326 7/18/12 3