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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Minutes March 23FinalPWC_Min_10-0323 2/12/20 1 Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee FINAL Minutes of Meeting March 23, 2010 1. ADMINISTRATIVE Chairman Nick Dunckel called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM Members present: Anna Brunzell, Courtenay Corrigan. Nick Dunckel, Ann Duwe, Eileen Gibbons, Bob Stutz, Chris Vargas, Tim Warner, Sue Welch Members absent: None LAH Council Members present: Breene Kerr, Ginger Summit LAH Staff present: Nick Pegueros, Finance Director Members of the public presents: Alberts family, owners of 25102 O’Keefe Lane The agenda was approved as amended below. 2. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR A. Changes in PWC Membership. Chairman Nick Dunckel reminded the committee that Bill Silver has served his full term on the PWC and will now serve the Town as a member of the Finance Committee. This was also the last meeting for Chris Vargas, who served on the PWC for eight years, including several years as Chair. The committee thanked both these members for their service. Town staff will advertise the two vacancies. B. San Jose Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. Mayor Breene Kerr volunteered to be the new LAH liaison to this committee and will replace Nancy Ginzton, whose term expires in July. 3. NEW BUSINESS A. Property Reviews. The following properties were reviewed for pathway recommendations: i. 25102 O’Keefe Lane (Lands of Alberts). The reason for pathway review is an addition. The homeowners were present. The property is on the south side of O’Keefe Lane., a cul- de-sac that serves more than 8 properties. The entrance to the Town-owned O’Keefe Open Space is further down the street. A IIB pathway has been constructed on the opposite side of O’Keefe, which is not designated for paths on both sides. Chris Vargas moved that the Town request a pathway in-lieu fee from the owners of 25102 O’Keefe Lane. Courtenay Corrigan seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. ii. 13040 East Sunset Drive (Lands of Gallello). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The property has a narrow frontage near the end of East Sunset (a cul-de sac). The east side of the property is along the border of Los Altos Hills and the City of Los Altos and there are no off-road paths on this side of East Sunset. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the Town request a pathway in-lieu fee from the owners of 13040 East Sunset Drive. Anna Brunzell seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. B. Review of Pathway Committee Finances. Nick Pegueros, Finance Director, Los Altos Hills gave a presentation on the status of PWC finances for FY 2010-1011. The committee receives funds from: FinalPWC_Min_10-0323 2/12/20 2 1. Pathway Operations Fund, which covers personnel expenses, contract services (e.g., tree maintenance on paths), and operations. The primary inputs for this fund are pathway in- lieu fees (about $100 K annually) and the Town General Fund (about $100–200 K annually). 2. Capital Fund, from which major pathway projects are funded. About 50%-60% of the money in this fund came from grants (e.g., the El Monte-Moody Road and the Old Alto triangle projects both were significantly supplemented with grant money). Mr. Pegueros reported that no major operational changes are anticipated for the next fiscal year. The Capital Fund had a year-end balance of about $150 K. In response to questions about pathway in-lieu fees, Mr. Pegueros said that fees are typically about $5,000 to $15,000. He will provide to the PWC a summary of the in-lieu fees paid during the past few years. He also discussed how the Town assesses costs and allocates personnel for pathway projects. Currently about 1.8 FTEs are allocated to pathways. No administrative overhead is applied. The budget process for the next fiscal year (2010-2011) will occur in May-June when City Council will approve all expenditures. C. Review of Draft Los Altos Hills Development Guidelines for New Residences. Chairman Nick Dunckel provided copies of the guidelines and led the discussion on text that relates to pathways. The committee recommended the following changes (shown with italics) p5: Pathways: [ Before jumping into requirements, insert a preamble to pathways such as]: As one of the few towns in the Bay Area that allows horses to be stabled on homeowner’s properties, Los Altos Hills’ unique 75+ miles of pathways for equestrians and pedestrians provide attractive routes for walking, jogging, and horseback riding. Paths also provide potential routes for access in emergencies. The system of pathways has been developed over many years by requiring that homeowners who build houses or increase the square footage of their houses by over 900 square feet must either donate a pathway easement and build pathways beside their houses, or contribute an “in-lieu” fee towards the development and maintenance of pathways. The decision between in-lieu fee and pathway development is based on the merits of improved town communication that a pathway could provide and is determined by the Pathway Committee as a recommendation to the Planning Commission. Roadside paths are usually designated as “IIB” paths, i.e., 5-foot wide paths of crushed granite with header boards. Off-road paths are usually designated native paths, i.e., paths requiring little or no development. The town maintains a Master Pathway Plan (MPP) that is available at Town Hall. If the MPP calls for a path on a property, the path is required to be constructed and complete when the new residence is completed. Where driveways cross a path they must have a non- slip surface and have minimal slope to prevent slipping by horses. The placement of structures (including fences and mailboxes) or plants in pathway easements is prohibited. After pathways are built, they are maintained by the Town. The driveway requirements for pathways are mentioned three times: p10: C.2 Observe Town pathway system standards and ordinances. When driveway entrances cross pathways, the driveway surface must be “non-slip” and be maintained to Town standards. p29: When driveway entrances cross pathways, the driveway surface must be “non-slip” and be maintained to Town standards. p13: C. Open space and pathways easements may be required to preserve an open and rural atmosphere. Pathways are one of the aspects of open space in Town and link neighborhoods FinalPWC_Min_10-0323 2/12/20 3 together. Check the Master Path Plan and your Title Report for the location of planned or existing pathways or pathway easements that may affect your property. p31: Define Conservation Easement and Open Space Easement and « pathway in-lieu » fee p35: Pathways Committee in Index refers to page 33, but there is no mention of it there D. Newsletter Item about Driveway Crossings. Equestrians recommended that an informational item be added to the Town newsletter to educate residents about the importance of installing a non-slip surface where pathways cross their driveways to provide safe footing for horses. This will be added to next month’s agenda. 4. OLD BUSINESS A. Stanford Pathway. City Councilman Ginger Summit updated the PWC on plans. The Town will discuss the route and preferred construction method for the section along Arastradero between Page Mill Road and Purissima. Stanford, which has allocated $1.2 M for this section, has proposed a retaining wall on the south side of Arastradero to provide separate lanes for both bicycles and pedestrians. A bike path on the opposite side of Arastradero would also be desirable. Stanford has also proposed a new bridge across Matadero Creek at Balieri Ranch Road. The PWC and other Town representatives suggested that there may be better alternatives (e.g., a footbridge parallel to the vehicle bridge where Page Mill crosses the creek a few hundred feet further east). Safety for pedestrians and bicycles is a major issue for this heavily traveled area. Increased demand for parking in the area, especially on weekends, may also be a consideration. An EIR for the project will be submitted this summer. The PWC will be kept informed as the negotiations proceed. B. Review of 2009-2010 CIP Projects. The PWC discussed the 2009-2010 CIP projects that are underway or in late planning stage and are to be completed this year. Chair Nick Dunckel provided a written summary of the status of each (attached). The projects are: 1. Arastradero Road from Purissima to La Cresta. A IIB roadside path will be constructed; Town staff will bid out this project with the Page Mill project below. 2. Page Mill Road at Paseo del Robles. The creek erosion will be repaired and a crosswalk added for safety at this busy intersection. 3. Extension of the Evershine path to Robleda. Routing of this off-road pathway has been discussed at numerous meetings during the past six months. The goal is to complete the connection to Robleda by one of the two proposed routes. The PWC favors the route to Atherton Court rather than the $500K route along the creek. Major Breene Kerr will send a letter to the owners of 12871 Robleda asking them to move the existing easement on their property from the west side of the property to the north side (i.e., behind the vineyard). Courtenay Corrigan pointed out that although the Town holds all the easements needed, this route may not be on the Master Path Plan. Chris Vargas pointed out that the PWC was following a very logical process: originally the PWC had suggested a path that passed to the north of properties 12933 and 12940 and consequently this was the path that was placed on the Master Path Plan; however, given that the costs for constructing this path were discovered to be over $400K, the PWC should propose reverting to the original path to the west of 12933. This viewpoint met with general approval from the Committee. FinalPWC_Min_10-0323 2/12/20 4 C. Review and Prioritization of Candidate 2010-2011 Capital Investment Projects (CI Projects).. The PWC discussed candidate CI Projects for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Chair Nick Dunckel provided a written summary of the status of each (attached). The general consensus was that the highest priority is the Robleda improvement because this is a heavily traveled area close to town. The goal will be to find a way to widen the pathway between the creek and roadway, where the current path is too narrow. The Town plans to repave Robleda after completion of the sewer project and it may be possible to make adjustments to the pathway at that time. In summary, the Committee decided upon the following priorities for the CI Projects: 1. Robleda Road: Improve the safety of walking on Robleda, particularly between Beatrice Lane and Fremont Road, by building a high quality path on Robleda. Techniques discussed included moving the roadway, narrowing the drainage ditch, cantilevering a walkway over the drainage ditch, or a combination of all three. 2. Page Mill: Build a path on Page Mill Road connecting Three Forks Lane and Paseo del Roble. 3. Arastradero: Build a path on the east side of Arastradero between Purissima and La Cresta. 4. Moody Road at Chaparral: augment the path on Moody Road to provide a moderate slope from the Moody Road pathway to Moody Road. D. Earth Day Community Project. Chris Vargas provided an update. Loyola, Pinewood, Saint Nicolas, and Bullis Charter School all have planned events and decisions from several other schools are pending. Anna Brunzell, Chris Vargas, and Courtenay Corrigan volunteered to be on the awards committee. E. Horse and Pedestrian Crossing Signs. Last month Linda Swan requested that warning signs be placed along roads where the pathways cross from one side of the road to the other to alert drivers to pedestrians and equestrians. She submitted to Chairman Nick Dunckel a list of areas where these signs are needed. He will forward the list to PWC members for discussion at a later meeting. F. Update on Discussions of Pathway Activities with Town Staff. 1. Proposed Corrections to Pathway Maps. Chairman Nick Dunckel discussed with Town staff the corrections proposed by the PWC. Town staff requested that the red marks (designating pathways to be removed) be left ON the maps, rather than be removed as requested by the PWC. 2. Proposed Addition of Toyonita to MPP. The Town will send a notice to residents of the area about the proposal and public meetings will be scheduled. G. Upcoming Town Events. 1. Proposed Pathways Walk and Horse Ride in May. Interested PWC members will participate in this joint equestrian-hiker activity scheduled for May 23, 2010. 2. LAH Pathways Run. Council Member Breene Kerr reminded PWC of the 9th Annual LAH Pathways Run to be held Saturday, May 8, starting at the West Wind Barn. Volunteers are needed to register runners on the day of the event. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FinalPWC_Min_10-0323 2/12/20 5 The minutes of the February 22, 2010 meeting were approved as amended. Meeting was adjourned at 9:40 PM. 5. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGS Next pathway walk: Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall Next regular meeting: Monday, April 26, 2010 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Respectfully submitted, Sue Welch April 22, 2009