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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Minutes April 27Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee DRAFT Minutes of Meeting April 27, 2009 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, Bill Silver, Bob Stutz, Tim Warner, Sue Welch Members absent: Chris Vargas Associate Members absent: Nancy Ginzton Council Members present; Ginger Summit Members of the public present: Donna Sylvanovich George Levin, 12791 W. Sunset Susan Levin, 12791 W. Sunset Tom Klope, landscape architect for 13310 La Paloma Brian S. Krough, assistant to Tom Klope Bennett Gates, 25400 La Rena Joan Gates, 25400 La Rena The agenda was approved as amended below. 2. NEW BUSINESS A. The following properties were reviewed for pathway recommendations: i. 12791 W. Sunset (Lands of ???). The reason for pathway review is construction of a major addition. The property is at the end of W. Sunset, which is a private road without public access. A well-used footpath already exists on the property parallel to the road and running up past the water tower and connecting to La Rena. La Rena has public access in the roadway. This off-road pathway is on the Master Path Plan (MPP) approved by City Council in 2005 and is part of a potential loop route in the area. Routes in this area generated a large amount of discussion during the MPP review. Chairman Dunckel reviewed an extract of minutes from the March 8, 2005 City Council meeting discussing these paths. The recommendation was to retain the existing informal paths for future formal pathways and because W. Sunset is a private road without public access, the paths would not be published or identified on any maps until W. Sunset becomes a public road. It was also noted that because of its narrow, winding topography, W. Sunset should be marked as pedestrian only. The Levins were present representing the owners. They requested that the pathway easement be limited to 2.5 feet wide because of their concerns about privacy for their pool area. They said that few people use the path. Bennett Gates (25400 La Rena) reported that the only access for this path route off La Rena is up his driveway, which is steep asphalt and does not proved suitable footing for horses. He does not object to foot traffic but does consider the route unsafe for equestrians or bicycles. Councilmember Ginger Summit reported that the Town had agreed in past discussions with neighbors that this pathway would be pedestrian only and would be posted as such. The required width of the easement was discussed at length. There is concern that a narrow easement will not provide sufficient room to lay a suitable pathway around trees in the area, especially because the location of the existing pathway relative to the property line is not known. There were also concerns that a wider path would pass too close to the pool house. Bill Silver moved that the Town request on 12791 W. Sunset a pathway easement with a minimum width of three feet and with sufficient additional width to preserve the existing pedestrian-only path on the west side of the property. Courtenay Corrigan seconded. Nick Dunckel amended the motion to require a minimum width of five feet to allow the Town more room to lay the route. Ann Duwe seconded. The vote was 4 in favor, 5 opposed and the amended motion failed. A vote was taken on Bill Silver’s original motion (3 feet minimum width) and the vote was 6 in favor, 3 opposed. ii. 13310 La Paloma (Lands of Evershine). The reason for pathway review is a new residence. There was confusion as to which parcel was to be reviewed. Saturday, April 23, Tom Klope, the landscape architect for the 13310 La Paloma projects, led the PWC along the off-road pathway route on the western border of the parcels (lots A and C). Apparently this was not the lot that Town planning staff had asked the PWC to review. The PWC was to have reviewed the lot on the opposite side of the drive along La Paloma. Because the committee did not formally review that site, no action could be taken. Tom Klope presented drawings and photos of the path along the west side of the other properties (lots A and C, which the PWC walked on Saturday) and requested that the owners be permitted to construct a native path rather than a IIB path as requested earlier. (This easement has already been formally dedicated.) Klope argued that the steep topography on the La Paloma side would require extensive cut-and-fill, retaining walls, and other construction. The access from La Paloma is steep and will require steps. In addition, other off-road paths in the area are native paths. Town Engineer, John Chau has expressed concerns about a native path here because native paths generally do not hold up as well as IIB paths and the Town has the onus of continued maintenance. Chau believes that even a native path would require retaining walls here. Pros and cons of a native versus a IIB path in this location were discussed. Ann Duwe moved that the Town ask for a native path on the existing easement on 13310 La Paloma on lots A and C; that the entrance from La Paloma be constructed to provide horse and pedestrian access; and that an on-road IIB pathway be constructed along La Paloma. Bill Silver seconded. The vote was 8 in favor, 1 opposed. iii. 28368 Christopher’s Lane (land of Wong). The reason for pathway review is the addition of a second unit. The property is on the south side of Christopher’s Lane where the road makes a right-angle turn to the north. There are six properties between 28386 and the end the cul-de-sac. The street is relatively wide with good sight-distance. Roadside pathways exist on several other properties on the street. The roadside MPP map shows that this property is on the side preferred for a roadside path. Although a roadside path is not critical here, the consensus is that for consistency an easement should be requested. Anna Brunzell moved that the Town ask the owners of 28368 Christopher’s Lane to construct a IIB pathway along Christopher’s Lane. XX seconded. The vote was 8 in favor, 1 abstention.