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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptember 10Minutes - Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee September 10, 2004 Present: Patty Ciesla, Nancy Couperus, Mary Davey, Barbara Mordo, Elaine Nelson, Duffy Price, Roger Spreen, Susan Welch Regrets: Jean Struthers Guests: Jean Mordo and Craig Jones, candidates for City Council Meeting convened at 3:00 PM in the Multi-Purpose Room at Bullis School APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes from the 13 August 2004 meeting were approved without amendment. OLD BUSINESS Joint Meeting with Portola Valley On Thursday 26 August 2004 members of the Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee attended a joint meeting with the Open Space Committees of Woodside, Portola Valley, and Palo Alto. City Council member Dean Warshawsky and Town Planner Carl Cahill also attended. Representatives from each town presented a brief history of their Committee and discussed current issues of concern. Roger Spreen and Carl Cahill reviewed the goals and activities of the Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee. Issues of common interest include specific criteria for conservation easement ordinances, preparation of materials to provide information on conservation easements to land owners and prospective buyers. The Committees agreed to hold joint meetings on a quarterly basis. Roger has contacted Kari Thompson about obtaining copies of the Woodside ordinances on open space and conservation easements and their booklet of information on conservation easements for landowners. The Los Altos Hills Committee agrees that a packet of Council-approved materials about conservation easements to give to landowners is a high priority and the Woodside materials will be helpful as a model. Conservation Easement, Lands of Horton The Hortons presented a proposal for a voluntary conservation easement that was in substantial agreement with the original conservation easement proposed by the Open Space Committee. The easement was notarized and recorded and the Town Council approved the Horton’s development plan on 19 August 2004. Since the approval a buyer has come forward and the Horton’s accepted his offer. The buyer will use the California Land Conservation (Williamson) Act, under which the owner will receive a tax benefit for allowing the land to remain undeveloped for ten years. The land will be taxed as open space land rather than at full market value. According to the City Attorney, Steve Mattis, the conservation easement on the property has been recorded and cannot be removed. Because the land has legal meets and bounds, however, some terms of the easement may be changed. The issue of how detailed the terms for conservation easements was discussed. The new buyer has proposed an alternate route for the road into the lands. The road in the Horton development plan was a concern because it climbed up steep terrain and crossed a large swale and hence, could potentially block water flow and wildlife movement. The new buyer proposes a road off Chaparral Way that will follow the contours and avoid all oak woodlands. The new buyer raised issues about the status of the road (i.e., is it public or private) and whether it could be gated. The buyer expressed interest in gating the road. Los Altos Hills does not support gated communities and roads (even private ones) may be gated only if they access two or fewer households. Duffy Price, who is a member of the Fire Commission, reported that a new fire hydrant has been approved for Chaparral Way. The water main will be extended and the new hydrant will provide additional fire protection for the neighborhood. Methods for calculating the potential tax benefits voluntary for voluntary conservation easements were discussed. The tax implications are complex and depend on many factors. The largest tax benefits are for conservation easements placed on land suitable for development. The importance of providing a detailed guide, including discussion of the potential tax implications, for landowners who are considering offering a voluntary conservation easement was again raised. Memorial Bench Nancy Couperus attempted to contact Cypress Granite and Memorial regarding the status of the bench; as of today they have not responded. She will follow up on the matter and suggested that if the bench is not completed within a few weeks the order should be canceled and a different contractor found. Jean Struthers suggest that Lingso in Redwood City may have granite benches. Creek Watershed Meeting The Adobe Creek Watershed Steering Committee and the agencies involved in the project have produced a document outlining the responsibilities of all parties (i.e., what each agency, municipality, and private party must do). Review of the document began at a collaborative meeting last Wednesday and appears to be progressing well. Supporters of Westwind Community Barn Supporters of Westwind Community Barn are continuing to search for contractors to replace the exterior doors on the barn and to expand the upstairs hay doors. Although one bid did come in under $20,000 there are questions about the bid. The first bid was almost four times the estimated cost, so the disparity between the bids is of concern. It may be necessary to raise additional funds for the project. Nancy Couperus attended a workshop put on by the Los Altos Community Foundation to learn about creating an endowment for the Westwind Barn. The Supporters of Westwind Community Barn is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. An endowment would create a source of long- term support for the barn and associated activities. The potential is good for memorial gifts within the community where many have had positive experiences at the Westwind Barn. The Supporters of Westwind Community Barn is receiving help in this effort from the Bay Area Barns and Trails, a group formed to preserve older barns (especially equestrian barns) and trailheads in the Bay area. The issue of improving collaboration between the facility and the landowner (i.e., the Town) was discussed. A suggestion was made that larger equestrian events might be possible at the Westwind Barn if temporary fences extending into the Byrne Open Space are used. Habitat Restoration Patty Ciesla is continuing to clip seedpods from teasel and French broom in Byrne Preserve as well as pulling up puncture vine and invasive grasses. A suggestion was made to involve local Boy Scouts or other youth with community service requirements in the restoration effort. Patty Ciesla will write up a brief proposal of restoration projects suitable for this type of volunteer help and Barbara Mordo will contact the Scouts to see if a workday can be arranged. Patty Ciesla agreed to help supervise the group. Trail maintenance also needs to be done in Byrne Preserve and may be suitable for this type of volunteer help. Patty Ciesla reported that Acterra, a local environmental group, runs a nursery near Foothill Park in which they propagate locally native plants. She suggested that funds be donated to the nursery to grow locally native plants for Byrne Preserve. Locally native dogwood, willow, elderberry would be desirable additions to the restoration effort. Irrigation may be required during the first year or two after transplantation. Conservation Easement Ordinance The committee consensus is that drafting of the conservation easement ordinance for the town is a high priority and needs to move forward. The draft conservation easement ordinance presented by Nancy Couperus at the meeting of 16 July 2004 was sent to past Commissioner Art Lachenbruch for review. The committee is seeking his participation in the effort, particularly because of his expertise on development on slopes. It was suggested that Dot Schreiner also be invited to a meeting to discuss the ordinance because of her knowledge of the slope ordinance in the General Plan. Dot has stated that the grading ordinance would be affected if the 30% slope were changed to 40%, as an example. Key issues that need further research and clarification are slope limitations and use of the Lot Unit Factor (LUF) in defining conservation easements for specific properties. Some committee members expressed a desire to make the ordinance as objective and standardized as possible to assure fair and uniform application. Others raised concerns that because each property is unique it may not be possible to create a single model that can be applied to all. Additional research and discussion will be needed. The committee generally agreed that the goal of the ordinance is not to affect current development plans but rather to preserve for the future land that has conservation value. NEW BUSINESS Lands of Crozier-Hogle Nancy Couperus, Carl Cahill, and David Ross met with Lois Crozier-Hogle, founder of Committee for Green Foothills, to discuss a voluntary conservation easement for her property on Old Page Mill Road. The 10.9 acre wooded parcel abuts Stanford Open Space and has conservation value as oak woodland and wildlife habitat. The owner is exploring a voluntary conservation easement for the entire property. She also expressed interest in preserving the house, pool, and outbuildings as well as the natural features. Some structures on the site, including the pool and teahouse, were designed by Morgan Stedman, a noted architect, and the landscaping was designed by Katie Stedman, a noted landscape designer. Mrs. Crozier-Hogle has information about conservation easements from the Woodside workshop and from Bill Lane. Carl Cahill will obtain additional information from Portola Valley. Nancy Couperus will research the terms of the Ginzton and Duveneck home sales, both of which had constraints on changes to the structures. Nancy Couperus and Carl Cahill will visit the property on Monday, September 13, 2004. Monitoring of Conservation Easements Susan Welch recommended creating a database of existing conservation easements within Los Altos Hills. The database would document the location, terms, and other information about existing easements and serve as an ongoing resource for the Open Space Committee and others. She also recommended that baseline evaluations be done to document the condition of existing easements. Because creating such a database is a large task, she recommended that the initial efforts focus on the largest, most visible or most valuable conservation easements. Pros and cons of including provisions for monitoring in the conservation easement ordinance were discussed. Issues of methodology and manpower requirements were raised. Susan Welch will begin researching monitoring methods used by other open space and land trust organizations. Byrne Preserve Fire Management Plan Patty Ciesla reviewed the status of the fuel break in Byrne preserve that she initially reported on July 16, 2004. She presented maps and photos documenting the extent of overgrazing. Goats that had been brought in per the current Fire Management plan were allowed to graze much farther than the proposed 40-foot wide swath. Conservation Corps workers also cleared large amounts of native under-story. The goats and subsequently the resident deer and wood rats girdled many shrubs and small trees, some of which have since died. Although the committee appreciates the need for a firebreak, there is concern that the current method is degrading the habitat and stressing the wildlife. The issues of modifying the Fire Management plan as well a remediation of the habitat damage done this year were discussed. Committee members were given a copy of the Byrne Preserve Fire Management Plan (prepared in 2003) for review. The current fire protection plan was developed about ten years ago by Mayor Bill Siegal and the then Fire Commissioner in response to a 1975 fire in Byrne Preserve. Duffy Price described the goat grazing procedure: 200 to 400 goats were trucked in and unloaded into an area bounded by electric fencing. The goats, under supervision by Peruvian shepherds and their dogs, were allowed to graze for several days, and then removed. It is not clear how many years the goats have been grazing. The Los Altos Town Crier reports goats gazing the fuel break in 1998. A meeting has been scheduled for October 11, 2004 to discuss the fire protection strategy for the Byrne Preserve and an agenda has been circulated. Patty Ciesla, Nancy Couperus, Roger Spreen, and Duffy Price, who is also a member of the Fire Commission, will represent the Open Space Committee. Owners of homes adjacent to the preserve and representatives from the Fire District will also attend. Pathways A suggestion was made that the Open Space Committee should help the pathways Committee in negotiating pathways that access Open Space areas. Pros and cons of the pathways proposed on O’Keefe and on Murietta Lane were discussed. A proposed pathway from O’Keefe through the culvert where Adobe Creek goes under Interstate 280 would provide dry weather access between Foothill College and El Monte for pedestrians and cyclists. Allowing pedestrians and cyclists to avoiding the high-speed, high-density traffic at the intersection of El Monte and 280 and providing easier access to the town of Los Altos are primary goals of this pathway. Pathways have been proposed connecting Murietta Lane to Rhus Ridge trails and Hidden Villa. The pros and cons of the proposed pathways were discussed. It was suggested that the Committee contact the new director of Hidden Villa and explore alternate pathways through that property, rather than access via Murietta. The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 PM. Respectively submitted, Susan Welch