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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Minutes July 27Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee DRAFT Minutes of Meeting July 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, Bob Stutz, Sue Welch Members absent: Bill Silver, Chris Vargas, Tim Warner Associate Members present: Nancy Ginzton Council Members present: Breene Kerr, Ginger Summit Members of the public present: Bruce Avery owner 17071 Dezahara Way Sherin Gahrahmat Crum, owner 25420 Crescent Lane Mr. Sabodh owner 26630 Ascencion Drive The agenda was approved as amended below. 1. NEW BUSINESS A. VTA Issues. Associate member, Nancy Ginzton, reported on recent VTA activities. VTA is recommending to Cal Trans that pathways be considered in their California Environment Quality Act (CEQA) submissions. VTA is asking for support from towns in Santa Clara County to have the impact on pathways to be included in the CEQA documents when an intersection or other road construction is planned. Pathways through the intersections of I280 and Page Mill and El Monte Roads are good examples of negative impacts. Letters of support must be received by August 20. Because no Council meeting is planned before August 20, a letter from the Mayor will be sent. B. New Pathway Construction. Breene Kerr asked PWC members to look at the recently constructed pathway through Foothill College and make recommendations for work that needs to be done to complete the project. He also recommended that the PWC review ongoing construction of the Taaffe pathway. C. The following properties were reviewed for pathway recommendations: i. 27071 Dezahara Way (Lands of Avery). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The property is at the corner of Taaffe Road and Dezahara. Dezahara is a loop road and the property is on the inside of the loop, which the PWC has identified as the preferred side for roadside pathway. A pathway on the Dezahara loop would provide an alternative to following Taaffe. Pathways easements exist along both Dezahara and Taaffe and a IIB pathway needing repairs exists along Taaffe. The property owner, Bruce Avery, was present and reported he has seen a lot of traffic on Taaffe but little on Dezahara. Shrubbery adjacent to the Taaffe pathway needs to be trimmed back. The Averys plan to remove the junipers along Dezahara. Anna Brunzell moved that the Town ask the owners of 27071 Dezahara Way to restore the IIB pathway along Taaffe Road a and trim back the vegetation and construct a second IIB pathway along Dezahara way. Sue Welch seconded. The vote was 5 in favor, 1 opposed. ii. 25420 Crescent Lane (Lands of Crum). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The property owner, Sherin Gahrahmat Crum and the architect, Mr. Wu, were present. The property is at the corner of Elena Road and Crescent Lane. Crescent is a cul-de-sac that serves eight properties and has an off-road path providing access to Foothill College at the end. The road has “Parking for Residents Only” signs on both sides to discourage Foothill students from using the street as a free parking lot. Although many committee members agreed that a pathway along both sides of Elena would be desirable, Elena is currently designated as a one-sided road with the roadside pathway on the opposite side. Crescent Lane is a wide, quiet street and currently has no other pathway segments. The usual PWC policy has been to require roadside pathways on cul- de-sacs that have an off-road pathway. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the Town collect a pathway in-lieu fee. The motion did not receive a second. Anna Brunzell moved that the Town ask for a pathway easement on Crescent Lane and that the owners construct a IIB pathway. iii. 26630 Ascencion Drive (Lands of Sabodh and Shraddha). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. Mr. Sabodh was present. The property is on the east side of Ascencion and also has frontage on Fremont Road. Ascencion is a cul-de-sac that serves five properties and ends in a gate to the Pinewood School playing fields. The homeowner and others report that this gate is always locked and it appears unlikely that the school will open their grounds to the public. An off-road pathway crosses Ascencion two lots away from the 26630 and leads east to Fremont Road and west along the creek behind the school to St. Francis Road and Ortega. It is not clear from plans and parcel maps whether the roadside pathway along Fremont lies on the property or within the road right-of-way. The existing path does not meet IIB standards. Fremont is a two-sided road with heavy foot, bike, and auto traffic. Sue Welch moved that the owners of 26630 Ascencion Drive restore the pathways along Fremont to IB standards and if there is not sufficient room in the road right-of-way to accommodate the pathway, the town should ask for a pathway easement on the property. No pathway is required on Ascencion. Anna Brunzell seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. iv. 26525 Weston Drive (Lands of Nagel). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence. The owner is out of town and unable to attend the meeting. The property is at the corner of Fremont Road and Aric Lane; it is a flag lot with access from Weston. The property has frontages on both Fremont Road (where a roadside pathway exists) and on the south side of Aric Lane. Aric Lane is a cul-de-sac with an off-road pathway leading to Esther Clark Park at the end. On January 26, 2009, the PWC reviewed the property at 26555 Aric Lane (on the north side of Aric across from the property currently under review) and decided that the south side of the road is better for a pathway. The owners of 26525 Weston apparently prefer to put the pathway outside (not on the property side) of the existing row of oleanders along Aric. Although a pathway exists along the Fremont frontage, there does not appear to be an easement. Courtenay Corrigan moved that the owners of 26525 Weston Drive be asked to grant a pathway easement on Fremont to protect the existing pathway and to build a roadside pathway along Aric to IIB standards, if possible allowing the path to fit within the existing landscaping with appropriate trimming. Anna Brunzell seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. D. Pathway from Almaden Court to Natoma. The PWC had made several site visits to 27270 Natoma and reviewed proposed development by several different owners during the past year. It has been proposed that a connection from the end of Almaden Court to Natoma Road be added to the Master Path Plan (MPP) when the plan is updated. Chairman Nick Dunckel will consult with town staff about current development status of the property. A potential connection from Alamden Court to Lucero Lane is already on the MPP, although the Town does not hold all easements needed. A route through 27270 Natoma would offer an alternative or additional route. E. Pathway through Bullis Gardener School. The PWC discussed potential contacts at the School Districts who might work with the Town to help establish a route through the school grounds. 2. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on Pathway Projects. Chairman Nick Dunckel reviewed the status of ongoing projects. The surveys are completed on the proposed Arastradero Road pathway but Chairman Dunckel could not determine the feasibility of the pathway from the maps. Town engineer Richard Chiu will review the maps and advise. The next step will be to hire a pathway planner to plot a route and provide cost estimates. Anna Brunzell reported that culverts have been installed in two sites along the Artemis Ginzton trail in Byrne Preserve. B. Cal Water Trail Funds. In May/June Cal Water announced that they had funds available for creek restoration and development of paths along waterways. The goal is to improve and/or restore water routes close to waterway that go into parks or open space. The Town may apply for funds for projects at Byrne or O’Keefe Open Space Preserves. Mid-Penn and Hidden Villa may be interested a joint project with LAH. Councilmember Summit will make a site visit to Byrne Preserve. Other pathway and creek areas might benefit from restoration were also discussed (e.g., Moody Road between Francemont and Rhus Ridge Road; Page Mill Road at Paseo del Robles). C. Election of Officers. Nick Dunckel was unanimously elected to serve as PWC chair for another year and Sue Welch was unanimously elected to continue as secretary. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of June 22, 2009 meeting were approved without amendments. Meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM. 4. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGS Next pathway walk: Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall Next regular meeting: Monday, August 25, 2009 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Respectfully submitted, Sue Welch August 25, 2009