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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Minutes November 15TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS PATHWAYS COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 15th, 2004 CALL TO ORDER The Pathways Committee Meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by Chairman Chris Vargas. ROLL CALL Committee Members Present: Committee Members Absent: Chris Vargas, Chairman Nancy Ewald Richard Cassam Nick Dunkel Nancy Ginzton Jolon Wagner Mahmoud Kamangar Dubose Montgomery Bob Stutz (arrived 8:20 p.m.) Ginger Summit APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion by Summit, seconded by Kamangar, to approve the agenda. Motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of October 25, 2004, were not available for approval. NEW BUSINESS: Recommendation on properties i. Cluster #3 (Matadero Creek, Edgerton Road & Page Mill area) ii. Cluster #11 (Bullis School area) iii. Cluster #12 (Sunset, Robleda, Wildcrest & Atherton Court area) Cluster 12 (Sunset, Robleda, Wildcrest Chairman Vargas said the Atherton Court area of Cluster 12 would be discussed next week, after meeting with the developer. Cluster 12 was discussed first because of the amount of members of the public present. Chuck Beeber expressed residential and safety concerns about the path on Sunset. He indicated that 10 of the 11 residents on West Sunset did not want the path. Tim Koogle thanked the Committee for visiting the site. He said since there was a pathway down the hill, the pathway on his property was not necessary. The Committee was asked to remove the arrows on the map around his property. He said that putting people on a path on Robleda was unsafe because of the steepness of the terrain. John Swan, Burke Road, said his property borders on West Sunset, and that a vast majority of resident did not want the pathway. Steve Evans, Lenox, said the loop connector pathway was well developed. He believed that some people liked the steepness of paths. He said the path from the water tower was a nice addition with minimal impact to neighbors. Cindy McCall, West Sunset, said the east to west connection was used by local neighbors. She noted a recent increase in horse traffic on the path since the map came out. Judy Anderson, West Sunset, described an incident that occurred some years ago between a horse and a sports car she was driving. She said safety on Sunset is an issue because the road is not very wide and the sight distance is a problem. Robin Hastings, West Sunset, suggested that members drive up the road at sunset to see how dangerous the road is. Carol Gottleib expressed concern about fire emergencies. She said there is an emergency exit from Laraina to Sunset and suggested the trail be specified for pedestrian or emergency use only. Gina Bertolino, West Sunset, expressed concern about published pathways. She noted an increase in bicyclists on the path. Committee Member Montgomery recommended removing the arrow from C3.4B because it is redundant and the steepness is a safety issue. He recommended deleting C2.3 because the only purpose was to provide a connector. He added that the community did not want the connector and putting it on the map would encourage more use. He said deleting the path would not impact the neighbor’s ability to get around. Committee Member Summit said the east west loop should be restricted to pedestrians only, adding it was not good for horses and bikes. Chairman Vargas agreed there should be no horses or bikes on West Sunset, and that the road should be accessible to neighbors and people who need emergency access. The Committee agreed the road is dangerous for bikes and horses. Committee Member Summit suggested keeping C2.3 on the Master Path Plan but not on the public walkng plan. Chairman Vargas also expressed concern as he had heard one resident previously suggest they were considering placing a gate on W. Sunset drive, to block pedestrian access. Chuck Bieber stated that blocking W. Sunset was not possible. He stated that the deed for the entire W. Sunset drive specifically forbids blocking or gating any part of W. Sunset. Thus, Chairman Vargas’ concerns were already addressed. Several residents of W. Sunset agreed they also understood this. Committee Member Montgomery suggested filing a notice on the deed that would bind future property owners. Committee Member Ginzton expressed concern that the property owner of easement C2.3 could be liable if strangers were to walk on that property. Committee Member Montgomery moved, seconded by Cassam, that C2.3 be removed from the Master Pathway Plan, provided that the owner of the easement over C2.3 ensures that it remains accessible to pedestrians in perpetuity. The deed shall reflect that the current and future owners will not remove or fence the easement. Mr. Swan said he was willing to consider the recommendation and will look at what is currently on the deed. He would like to get a consensus among the neighbors. The motion carried by a vote of 4-2 (Summit and Ginzton voting no). Committee Member Summit moved, seconded by Ginzton, that C2.8 be retained on the Master Path Plan with the condition it would be designated as pathway until safety issues are mitigated, and the access is restricted to pedestrians only. Motion carried 5-0 (Montgomery abstaining). Cluster 3 (Matadero Creek, Edgerton Road & Page Mill area) Committee Member Montgomery said he heard from the residents at 12345 Page Mill with regard to a path on an adjacent lot that is uphill and dead ends at a cliff. He said there is no way to connect the existing path and recommended removal of A2.3. Gary Whitehouse said the proposed path would make one third of his property public, the property is winding and steep and not conducive to paths. The Committee invited members of the audience to look at the path on the map and come up with an agreement for a path. Committee Member Cassam moved, seconded by Kamangar, to remove the pathway running through 12345 Page Mill and correct the adjoining pathway and remove the blue and green arrows that point up to 28140 where it accesses Palo Alto Hills. Motion carried 6-0-1 (Ginzton abstaining). Chairman Vargas suggested looking at State and County funds to create a path on Page Mill. Committee postponed action on 2.9B until November 22. Committee members will walk the path on Saturday. Cluster 11 (Bullis School area) Stan Jensen referred to C2.2 and pointed out the pathway easement that dead ends and also mentioned the swale. He proposed making an appeal to allow people to bypass the swale. He said the easement shown on the map is useless because it is very steep and asked for a release of liability in using his driveway as a pathway. Committee Member Summit suggested adding a parallel dark blue line on the driveway to the juncture. Chairman Vargas said there was a need to talk to the neighbors. Committee Member Summit moved, seconded by Ginzton, to add a parallel blue line along the driveway, C2.2, from Robleda up to the point where it intersects with the existing pathway (green line) that leads toward Fremont road. This would allow walkers to use the driveway as far as possible, mitigating erosion and environmental issues and making it an easier/safer route. Motion carried unanimously. Committee Member Summit noted that the Jensen’s had problems with erosion and she would make a suggestion to the Town that bark or wood chips be used to fill in the area. Process for resolving Zone areas. Chairman Vargas said there was no process for notifying residents in the zone areas where paths might be added. Question raised about keeping zones or taking them off the map. Committee Member Montgomery moved, seconded by Cassam, to remove Z2, Z6, Z7 and upper portion of Z2.17. Motion passed 6-0-1 (Stutz abstaining) Clusters to be discussed at the next meeting include Cluster 1, 6, 10, and 16. The path on Central Drive will wait until December 6. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Stutz, seconded by Cassam, the meeting adjourned at 9:13 p.m.