Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Minutes January 22FinalPWC_Min11-0122.doc 5 /10/11 1 Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee FINAL Minutes of Meeting January 22, 2011 1. ADMINISTRATIVE Chairman Eileen Gibbons called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM Members present: Ann Duwe, Courtenay Corrigan, Nick Dunckel, Eileen Gibbons, Breene Kerr, Bob Stutz, Sue Welch, and Denise Williams Members absent: Tim Warner LAH Council Members present: Mayor Ginger Summit Members of the public presents: Kjell Karlsson, representing 12251 Menalto Drive Ms. Mofidi, representing 12693 Roble Veneno Lane Kathy Evans, LAH Parks and Recreation The agenda was approved as published. 2. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR None 3. NEW BUSINESS A. Property Reviews. The following properties were reviewed for pathway recommendations: i. 12693 Roble Veneno Lane (Lands of Mofidi). The PWC reviewed this property on August 23, 2010 and recommended that the owners pay an in-lieu fee. At that time the PWC was not aware that Concepcion is a “two-side road” and recommended that the path along Concepcion be left as a native path. The homeowner (Ms. Mofidi) has returned to the PWC tonight to request to refurbish the existing native roadside path instead of paying an in-lieu fee. The reason for initial pathway review is construction of a new secondary dwelling. The property is at the corner of Roble Veneno and Concepcion and has frontage on both roads. Roble Veneno is a cul-de-sac with only five houses and no connections to off-road pathways. Concepcion is heavily used by cars, bikes, pedestrians, and equestrians. A native path in good condition runs along Concepcion between the roadway and Deer Creek. There is not enough room for a standard IIB path here because the creek is so close to the roadway. The existing native path is passable on 12693 Roble Veneno and narrows further but is still passable on the next property to the north where the creek is even closer to the road. The consensus of the PWC was that although Concepcion is a “two- sided road”, a IIB path is NOT needed in this location and would be difficult to build without significant disturbance to the creek. The previous recommendation is upheld. Ann Duwe moved that the owners of 12693 Roble Veneno be asked to pay a pathway in-lieu fee unless they have previously paid one. Courtenay Corrigan seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. ii. 12251 Menalto Drive (Lands of Karlsson). The reason for pathway review is construction of a major addition. The homeowner, Kjell Karlsson, was present. Menalto Drive is a cul-de-sac off Altamont Road serving fewer than 8 houses and has no connections to off-road pathways. The parcel is a flag lot off the west side of Menalto and the only frontage is the driveway. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the owners of 12251 Menalto Drive be asked to pay a pathway in-lieu fee unless they have previously paid one. Ann Duwe seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. iii. 13833 Barton Court (Lands of Detkin). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The homeowner was not present. Barton Court is a cul-de-sac off the FinalPWC_Min11-0122.doc 5 /10/11 2 southwest side of Fremont Road. It serves fewer than 8 houses and has no off-road pathways connecting to it. The parcel is a flag lot off the south side of Barton and the only frontage is the driveway. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the owners of 13833 Barton Court be asked to pay a pathway in-lieu fee unless they have previously paid one. Eileen Gibbons seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. iv. 27641 Purissima Road (review of bridge requirements in Morrison subdivision). This 12-acre property was reviewed by the PWC in Feb 2006 at the time of subdivision; again in Feb 2007; and again on November 22, 2010. The off-road Master Path Plan approved by the City Council in 2005 shows an arrow through this subdivision indicating approval of off-road pathway connections from Purissma Road to La Cresta Drive. The PWC agrees that these connections are needed. Appendix 1 contains relevant portions of minutes from the earlier meetings. At the most recent meeting (Nov 2010), the PWC unanimously recommended that the owners NOT be allowed to route the required off- road pathway over a small bridge on the neighboring property (27589 Samuel Way, lands of Rasmussen), but instead must find a route through the planned subdivision. At that time, the PWC asked the Town to review use of the existing road bridge and consider allowing pedestrians to walk in the road right-of-way. Since that meeting, the Town has decided to allow the pathway to go over the roadway bridge and is asking the PWC to clarify their recommendations. Nick Dunckel moved that 1) the Town accept the pathway easement through the middle of the subdivision and across the roadway bridge to the eastern border (as shown on the plans of Jan 12, 2011); 2) the pathway easement on the eastern border of the subdivision should extend for the full length of the property to assure that a connection can be made to La Cresta; and 3) the homeowners should be informed that no obstructions (e.g., fences or landscaping) are permitted within these pathways easements in order to preserve future access. The vote was unanimously in favor. v. 12697 Roble Ladera Road (Lands of Yu and Wang). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The homeowner was not present. The property is at the intersection of Viscaino and Roble Ladera. A IIB roadside path in good condition exists on Viscaino on the side opposite this property; Viscaino is not a designated “two-sided” road requiring paths on both sides. A IIB roadside path in reasonable condition exists along Roble Ladera and continues along the road to the south. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the town ask the owner of 12697 Roble Ladera Road to restore the existing roadside path along Roble Ladera to IIB standards after construction is finished. Ann Duwe seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. vi. 13060 La Paloma Road (Lands of Foster). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The homeowner was not present. The property on the east side of La Paloma, which is designated a two-sided road requiring paths on both sides. A IIB roadside path in reasonable condition exists on La Paloma on the same side as this property and continues along the road to the east. There is also a roadside path on the opposite side of La Paloma. Eileen Gibbons moved that the town ask the owner of 13060 La Paloma Road to restore the existing roadside path along La Paloma to IIB standards after construction is finished. Courtenay Corrigan seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. vii. 2265 Old Page Mill Road (Lands of Kumar). The reason for pathway review is construction of a second unit. The homeowner was not present. The property is actually on Gerth Lane, a private road on the west side of Old Page Mill Road serving 9 parcels. The Town does not have easements allowing public access on Gerth Lane. The PWC discussed potential future off-road connections from Gerth Lane to Stanford lands to the west and to Christophers’ Lane to the South. Neither of these routes appears on the current Master Path Plan and they would have to be approved by Council for future consideration. A suggestion was made to consider these routes when the MPP is updated. The PWC discussed at length the pros and cons of requiring the homeowner to FinalPWC_Min11-0122.doc 5 /10/11 3 pay a pathway in-lieu fee, to give a pathway easement in Gerth Lane, or both. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the owners of 2265 Old Page Mill Road pay a pathway in lieu fee. Sue Welch seconded. The vote was 4 in favor, 3 opposed, and 1 abstention. A. Reports from Other meetings. Breene Kerr reported on recent Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) activity in LAH. The Town submitted a grant application to VTA for a Vehicle Emissions Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) Program project. This project will install six-foot bike lanes on both sides of Fremont Road from Arastradero to Edith Road, increasing safety along a route that passes three schools. The cost will be about $1 M, 25% of which the Town will pay; a portion of the Town funds will probably come from the PWC CIP budget. Detailed plans will be released for public comment. B. Monitoring Pathway Projects during 2011. Breene Kerr suggested that the PWC regularly review the status of the major pathway projects that will be underway in Town during 2011. These projects include construction of the Stanford pathway and bike lanes on Arastradero and Page Mill and the work along the lower part of Robleda Road near Fremont. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Welcome to La Loma Annexation Residents and Introduction to Pathway System. Chair Eileen Gibbons reported that on Nov 18, 2010, the LAH City Council authorized the PWC to work on an amendment to the Master Path Plan for the newly annexed La Loma neighborhood. The Town mailed out letters notifying residents in newly annexed area that the public discussion would take place at tonight’s PWC meeting (Appendix 2). One resident of the area, Kathy Evans, was present. The purpose of tonight’s discussion was to learn from residents which pathways they currently used in the area and where they might like to see potential future paths. Chairman Gibbons described the Master Path Plan (MPP) and the formal process by which it is updated. She also described how the Town Walking Map (distributed to residents) differs from the MPP. Pathways in the newly annexed area would not be added to the Walking Map until the paths are completed. The newly annexed area joins two areas of LAH that were previously separated and that can now potentially be connected by pathways. Existing paths in the area were discussed, including an off-road path between La Loma Drive and to Rhus Ridge Drive that has been used by local residents for many years. This path traverses part of a private drive on La Loma and then crosses 25265 (?) to meet Rhus Ridge Drive. A pathway easement also exists on 25275 La Loma that could potentially provide access to Rancho San Antonio Open Space lands; however, the Town does not hold all the easements needed to complete this connection. The PWC discussed the process for adding new pathways to the MPP and the long-term goals of acquiring the necessary easements as properties are sold. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the November 22, 2010 meeting were approved as amended. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM. 6. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGS Next pathway walk: Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall Next regular meeting: Monday, February 28, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Respectfully submitted, Sue Welch February 4, 2011 FinalPWC_Min11-0122.doc 5 /10/11 4 APPENDIX 1 Excerpt from Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee Minutes of Meeting November 22, 2010 viii. 27641 Purissima Road (review of bridge requirements in Morrison subdivision). This 12- acre property was reviewed by the PWC in Feb 2006 at the time of subdivision and again in Feb 2007 after a change in the subdivision layout and an increase in the number of lots to six. The PWC considers the connection from Purissma Road to La Cresta Drive important and the off-road Master Path Plan approved by the City Council in 2005 shows an arrow through this subdivision, indicating an off-road pathway connection. The recommendation at that time was to request an easement in the road on the new cul-de-sac that is being built part way through the subdivision. From the end of the cul-de-sac, the path will follow a driveway, then a 10-foot wide off-road pathway easement across to the eastern edge of the property to eventually connect to La Cresta. In addition, a north-south easement connecting to the existing easement on the NE border of 12489 Canario Way was required. The developers are now requesting a change in the route of the path because the concrete bridge carrying the new road over Deer Creek apparently is not wide enough for a separate pathway. A PowerPoint presentation and handouts describing the proposed new route were shown. The proposed new route would meander through the conservation easement on the west side of Deer Creek, cross the creek on an existing smaller bridge that is on the neighboring property (27589 Samuel Way, lands of Rasmussen), and then meander back to the road. The pathway easement from Purissima Road directly to this small bridge has been remove d from the MPP. The Rasmussens were present and expressed their concerns about loss of privacy because the small bridge is very close to their home and visible from points on their property. The committee and others present discussed the route options at length. The consensus of the PWC was that the proposed new route would be very intrusive to the Rasmussen property and as currently shown would run too close to the top-of-bank on the east side of the creek. Apparently three other small bridges cross Deer Creek further north on the subdivision property that might be used. It was also recommended that the Town consider allowing pedestrians to walk in the right-of-way of the road bridge. Use of the existing road bridge is consistent with pathway rules for cul-de-sacs serving eight or fewer lots, where pathways are not required to be separate from the roadway. The consensus of the PWC is that the road bridge is neither too narrow nor too steep for pedestrians Nick Dunckel moved that the Pathway Committee finds that use of the existing pedestrian bridge on the Rasmussen property (27589 Samuel Way) for the pathway is far too intrusive to the Rasmussen property and that the developers of 27641 Purissima Road provides some other route across the creek for the pathway. The subdivision developers have 12 acres to provide an appropriate route across the creek. It was also recommended that the Town review use of the existing road bridge and consider allowing pedestrians to walk in the road right-of-way. The vote was unanimously in favor. APPENDIX 2 Letter to LA Loma residents---sorry I it is on my home computer. Can you please add it? Notice of Pathways Committee Meeting Jan 14, 2011