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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Minutes November 28FinalPWC_Min11‐1128                     1/27/12 1  Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee FINAL Minutes of Meeting of Tuesday, November 28, 2011 1. ADMINISTRATIVE Chairman Eileen Gibbons called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM Members present: Courtenay Corrigan, Nick Dunckel, Ann Duwe, Eileen Gibbons, Breene Kerr, Bob Stutz, Tim Warner Sue Welch, Denise Williams Members absent: Joseph Kleitman LAH Council Members: Mayor Ginger Summit Members of the public: Jun Kim (owner 24086 Princess Elleena Court) Peter Mathews (owner 12271 HilltopDrive) Peter Richardson (owner 11950 Rhus Ridge Road) Goutham and Sara Rao (owners 26005 Newbridge Drive) Rachelle Mirkin (owner 24200 Dawnridge) The agenda was approved as amended. 2. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR None 3. PROPERTY REVIEWS. The following properties were reviewed for pathway recommendations: a. 12271 Hilltop Drive (Lands of Mathews). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The homeowner, Peter Mathews, was present. The property is on the north side of Hilltop Drive. A roadside path in good condition exists on the opposite side of the road. Hilltop is not designated a “two-sided” road, so paths are not needed on both sides. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the Town ask the owners of 12271 Hilltop Drive to pay a pathway in-lieu fee. Bob Stutz seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. b. 11950 Rhus Ridge Road (Lands of Richardson). The reason for pathway review is construction of an addition. The homeowner, Peter Richardson, was present and reported that they had done an addition in 2006 and paid a pathway in-lieu fee at that time. The steep, wooded property is on the west side of Rhus Ridge Road, which is a cul-de-sac and is a private road in this section above Bassett Lane. The Town holds an off-road pathway easement on the opposite side of the road that runs in a shallow gulley from the end of the cul-de-sac down the hill to connect with the pathway in Town Open Space adjacent to Moody Road. The PWC discussed the on-road and off-road path routes and the need for an in-road easement. Ann Duwe moved that this property be referred to Town staff to determine 1) if the current addition is greater than 900 square feet; 2) if and when the owners last paid a pathway in-lieu fee; 3) whether an easement has been granted conferring public access to walk in this part of Rhus Road. If no public easement exists on the road here and the owner has not recently paid an in-lieu fee, one should be requested.Tim Warner seconded. The vote was 8 in favor, 1 opposed. c. 26005 Newbridge Drive (Lands of Rao). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The homeowners, Gautham and Sara Rao, were present and described the easements on the parcel. Newbridge is a bifurcated cul-de-sac and this property is on the east side of the north branch. This branch serves five residences, is wide, and has little traffic. No roadside paths exist elsewhere on the street. The development plans show a roadside pathway easement along the Newbridge frontage. Another easement, described as a “driveway easement” on the development plans, runs along the full length of the north side of the property between 26005 and 26065 Newbridge. This is paved and serves as both an off-road pathway and the drive to FinalPWC_Min11‐1128                     1/27/12 2  access 26055 and 26990 Newbridge. This path forms an important connection to Bullis Gardener School and to Orchard Hill Lane and Robleda Road. Ann Duwe moved that the Town ask the owner of 26005 Newbridge Drive 1) to maintain the recorded pathway easement along Newbridge but not require the construction of a roadside path; and 2) to confirm that a pathway easement exists on the paved drive adjacent to 26065 Newbridge and if not, then to request that one be granted. Sue Welch seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. d. 26760 St. Francis Drive (Lands of Maliuanag). The reason for pathway review is construction of an addition. The owner was not present. The property is on the west side of St. Francis and slopes down steeply to the roadside so it would be difficult to construct a roadside path here. St. Francis is a steep and winding road with roadside paths in only a few locations. The topography on the opposite side of the road is less steeply sloped and could probably accommodate a roadside path. The PWC noted during the site visit that a concrete block pillar has been constructed close to the edge of the road at 26795 St. Francis; Chairman Gibbons has asked Town staff to check whether this structure complies with town ordinances. Eileen Gibbons moved that the Town ask the owners of 26760 St. Francis Drive to pay a pathway in-lieu fee. Courtenay Corrigan seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. e. 10300 West Loyola Drive (Lands of Nowlin). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The owner was not present. The property is on the north side of West Loyola Drive. This part of LAH was annexed last year and is not yet included on the Pathway Master Path Plan. West Loyola is a major street and the setbacks for fences and landscaping appear to be much narrower than required in other parts of LAH. PWC members generally agreed that West Loyola and other streets in this newly annexed section of Town would benefit from roadside pathways and should be subject to the same pathway requirements as the rest of LAH. However, it was not clear whether the Town could require these pathways until the streets are added to the Pathway Master Path Plan. Eileen Gibbons moved that the Town ask the owners of 10300 West Loyola Drive to construct a IIB roadside path on the West Loyola frontage. Ann Duwe seconded. The vote was 7 in favor; 2 opposed. f. 27520 Twin Oaks Court (Lands of Star LLC). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The owner was not present. Twin Oaks Court is a short cul-de-sac off Arastradero Road. The property is on east side of the cul-de-sac and extends southwards to abut the 47-acre parcel at 28011 Elena Road. The Master Path Plan shows an off-road path along the northern border of 28011 Elena Road and/or the southern border of 27520 Twin Oaks Court and also indicates that off-road pathways will be required through the larger property when it is subdivided. The value of a connection from the large Elena Road property to Arastradero Road was discussed. Some members of the PWC objected to recommending an off-road pathway that is not included on the approved Pathway Master Path Plan. Nick Dunckel moved that for 27520 Twin Oaks Court the Town request an off-road pathway easement running from the bulb of the Twin Oaks Court cul-de-sac to the southern border of the property between L3 and L4. Breene Kerr seconded. The vote was 7 in favor, 2 opposed. 4. NEW BUSINESS    a. Bike–Friendly Curbs for Robleda and Other Roads. Breene Kerr recommended that the Town install bike-friendly curbs where roadside pathways on major roads cross driveways and intersections. Modified curbs would make it easier for children and other cyclists to ride these paths. The committee generally agreed modified curbs would be a benefit and discussed possible options. There was unanimous agreement that simple, inexpensive ramps about the same width as the pathways would be sufficient. The Town should use the bare minimum structure FinalPWC_Min11‐1128                     1/27/12 3  necessary and avoid any elaborate structures such as fully ADA-compliant curb cuts. Improvements should first be made on one road only (Robleda) and at road intersections only (i.e., not at driveways). Breene Kerr moved that the Town install bike-friendly curbs along Robleda Road where roadside paths cross street intersections. The configuration should be as simple as possible and consistent with the rural character of the Town. Nick Dunckel seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. b. Pathway Easement on Princess Elleena. Princess Elleena Court is a private cul-de-sac off Magdalena adjacent to I-280. The Town holds a roadside pathway easement along the northern edge of the road, but the easement lies on parcels that are on the SOUTH side of the road (i.e., not on Dawnridge properties). The off-road path easement exiting the west end of Princess Eleena and connecting to the pathway off the west end of Dawnridge was removed from the Master Path Plan in 2005. Part of the roadside easement along Princess Elleena is on the Kim property at 24086. The neighbors at 24200 Dawnridge have cleared vegetation on this pathway easement, laid down gravel, and are using the easement for egress from their property to Princess Elleena. They have also erected a large metal storage shed immediately adjacent to the easement that is an eyesore visible from 24086 Princess Elleena. Mr. Kim is requesting information from the PWC about whether this pathway easement will be developed and prefers to leave the vegetation in place for aesthetic and sound buffering reasons. The PWC agreed that because this cul-de-sac serves only four residences and has no off-road connectivity, it is unlikely that this pathway easement will be developed. However, Town policy is not to vacate such easements and generally to prohibit obstructing them. Also, neighbors are not permitted to make improvements to the easement, such as dumping gravel. It was recommended that Town staff check the location of the storage shed on 24200 Dawnridge to determine if it is in compliance with required setbacks and require it to be moved if it is not. In addition, plantings to mitigate the view of the shed from Princess Elleena were recommended. It was suggested that the neighbors make use of the free LAH mediation service. 5. OLD BUSINESS    a. Stanford Trail in Arastradero Corridor. A general informational meeting will be held at Town Hall on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 5:30 PM. The Planning Commission will review PWC recommendations for the proposed retaining wall at their meeting on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall. b. Process Review for Engaging Neighbors for Propose Path Works. This item was tabled until the December meeting. c. Annexation of Urban Islands. LAFCO has asked the Town to annex four existing “urban islands” into the town. At the October meeting the PWC agreed to create a system to inform residents in the annex areas about LAH requirements for pathways at the time of annexation, so they will be aware of pathway requirements when they seek development permits. Chairman Gibbons suggested residents be sent an informational packet including a letter describing the pathway system, the Town Walking Map, and the Pathway Element from the LAH General Plan. Joe Kleitman has volunteered to draft a letter for review at the December meeting. Chairman Gibbons also suggested that the Planning Commission be informed that the Pathway Master Path Plan would be updated after each annexation. 6. REPORTS FROM OTHER MEETINGS a. Fence Committee. Denise Williams reported briefly on the results of the fencing committee on- line survey. FinalPWC_Min11‐1128                     1/27/12 4  b. Santa Clara County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Breene Kerr reported that at their last meeting the Santa Clara County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee failed to pass a proposed resolution preventing installation of a stop sign on Page Mill Road at the intersection with Buena Vista Road. LAH will continue to work with Palo Alto on options to make this intersection safer for cars turning left from Page Mill onto Moody Road and Buena Vista. 7. GENERAL DISCUSSION Possible options for improving pathways along parts of page Mill Road were discussed. Breene Kerr suggested seeking funds for a regional project. 8. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of the November 23, 2011 meeting were approved with minor amendments. Meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM. 9. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGS December pathway walk: Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall December regular meeting: Monday, December 12, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Respectfully submitted, Sue Welch November 29, 2011