HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 14OSC FINAL_Minutes16-0114.docx 1
Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee
Los Altos Hills Parks and Recreation Building
FINAL Minutes of Regular Meeting January 14, 2016
Members Present: George Clifford, Nancy Couperus, Kit Gordon, Alice Sakamoto, Sharen
Schoendorf, Jean Struthers, Wendie Ward, Sue Welch
Associates Present: Richard Contreras, Sunitha Sethi
Members and Associates Absent: Karen Lemes, Heather Knight (Associates)
City Council Members Present: Gary Waldeck (OSC Council Liaison)
Member of Public Present: Kjell Carlsson (Traffic Safety Committee)
Sarah Fogarty
Peter Carlino (representing 12345 Gigli Court)
1. Call to Order and Approval of Minutes
A. Roll Call. GC called meeting to order at 9:05 am. The agenda was approved as written. NC
moved, SS seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor.
B. Acceptance of Meeting Minutes. Minutes of the Oct 8, 2015 regular Meeting; Nov 10, 2015
special meeting (Grazing site visit); and Dec 14, 2015 regular meeting were approved with
minor amendments. JS moved; NC seconded; vote was 7 in favor (GC, NC, KG, AS, SS, JS,
WW) with SW abstaining.
2. New Business
A. Developer representatives contacting OSC members. An OSC member reported receiving an
email from an architect requesting comment on creek setbacks for a proposed project. The
member forwarded the email to the Planning Department. OSC discussed the importance of
limiting comments to formal OSC statements vetted by the committee and sent via the chair.
3. Continuing Business
A. Creek setback staking proposal. Creek setback staking proposal. Chairs GC and NC met with
City Manager Carl Cahill to discuss the OSC proposal submitted last month. An ordinance is
not required; rather, the requirement to fence creek setbacks can be added to the standard
conditions of approval for properties along creeks. Several additional edits were made,
including one from Carl Cahill. The final wording (Attachment A) is:
CONDITIONS OF APPROVALRiparian Areas
Prior to issuance of building permits, temporary chain-link fencing shall be located along the
full length between the construction area and the riparian setback at the distance from top of
bank specified by the planning staff (generally 25 feet from top of bank). Town staff must
inspect the fence prior to commencement of grading. The property owner shall call for said
inspection at least three days in advance of the grading operation. The fencing must remain
throughout the course of construction. No storage of construction materials, equipment,
vehicles, or debris shall be allowed within the riparian setback at any time. KG moved that
OSC approved the creek staking proposal as amended. JS seconded and the vote was
unanimously in favor (GC, NC, KG, AS, SS, JS, WW, SW).
B. Byrne Preserve
i) Stewardship/Acterra. Acterra continues to hold volunteer workdays to plant natives and
remove invasives. Councilmember Waldeck reminded OSC LAH Council expects Acterra
to teach the Town crew about work they are doing in Byrne Preserve. His said this "transfer
of knowledge" was a condition of Council approval for providing funding for the second
year of work by Acterra. OSC will discuss this with Acterra and Public Works Director
OSC FINAL_Minutes16-0114.docx 2
Richard Chiu at Jan 22, 2016 2015 meeting. Acterra could include Town crew in volunteer
workdays and/or hold special information sessions specifically for them.
ii) Conservation Grazing Management. Larry Ford (Rangeland Conservation Sciences)
submitted his draft report on assessment of the Byrne Preserves grassland to Richard Chiu
on Jan 11, 2016. The final report will be made public in February.
iii) Creek Erosion: SCVWD Grant. Acterra received a $136K 3-year grant from SCVWD to
restore the tributary of Moody Creek that runs down the Byrne grassland from Altamont.
Town matching contribution TBD.
iv) SOD Prevention and Bay Removal. Nothing to report.
v) Limiting Biking in Byrne Preserve. At the Jan 27, 2016 meeting, Council will consider a
draft ordinance to limit biking in Byrne. OSC and Council have received some opposition
letters. NC distributed documents (Attachment B). These and other docs supporting the
proposal will be sent to Council (e.g., map of other paths open to bikes, timeline of past
actions regarding bikes in the preserve, reports of incidents involving horses and bikes, bike
regulations in local parks and open space). OSC members were encouraged to write to
Council, Planning Director, and City Clerk and to speak at the Council meeting.
C. Creek Signage. The first sign was installed at Deer Creek on Purissima Road Creek near Rhoda
Drive. KG has identified locations for 13 additional signs at other creek crossings (map will be
sent to OSC members). KG and JS will review the sites and send a list to Richard Chiu. KG
moved that OSC request the LAH Public Works Department to build and install signs
(similar to the one at Purissima Creek) labeling creeks within the Town boundary, at
locations to be determined after review by KG and JS. AS seconded and the vote was
unanimously in favor (GC, NC, KG, AS, SS, JS, WW, SW).
D. Our Town articles. Deferred.
E. Wildlife Seminar on Snakes. NC is working with Silicon Valley Wildlife Center and Bay Area
Society of Raptors and Amphibians to schedule this information seminar (probably in April).
F. Consideration of recommendation to City Council for naming a public place for Rex Gardiner.
Councilmember Waldeck summarized Rex Gardiner’s many contributions to the Town from its
founding until his death this year. Mr. Gardiner spent over 40 years involved with and
protecting the Town. OSC discussed suggestions for a public place to honor Mr. Gardiner (e.g.,
Town Hall, Council Chambers, roads, open space areas). AS, SS, JS, and Sunitha Sethi
volunteered to form an Ad Hoc Committee to review Town-owned properties, parks, new
roads, and/or other sites suitable to name in honor of Rex Gardiner. SW moved that this ad
hoc committee be formed. JS seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor (GC, NC,
KG, AS, SS, JS, WW, SW). OSC members were also asked to send suggestions to GC.
4. Planning
A. Fence Permits. No notices received. GC will ask planners to send the first page of the permit to
the OSC when the notice to neighbors is sent.
B. Site Plan Reviews.
i) 24632 Olive Tree Lane. JS and WW made a site visit, reviewed the plans, and reported that
no action or recommendation from the OSC was needed.
ii) 12345 Gigli Court (Gera Subdivision). Peter Carlino, representing the developer, reviewed
the plans for OSC. He said the developer requested a smaller open space easement (OSE) to
allow construction of a water feature. LAH planner, Steve Padovan, had emailed a memo
(dated Jan 14; Attachment C) to OSC members on this project for review and comment.
OSC reviewed the project in March 2015 and asked for additional information about
potential impacts on wildlife movement along the lower part of the parcel adjacent to I-280.
OSC discussed the plans and staff memo with focus on the proposed OSE. Staff
recommends placing the upper border of the OSE along the 450-ft contour line and
OSC FINAL_Minutes16-0114.docx 3
extending it down to the property line near I-280. OSC discussed the value of additional
information (e.g., another site visit, OSEs on adjacent parcels, PC and CC decisions). After
lengthy discussion, JS moved that the OSC agree to approve the recommendations in
the Jan 14 memo from the planner regarding 1) location of the upper boundary of the
OSE along the 450-foot contour line for wildlife movement; 2) the requirement for
wildlife friendly fencing and native plants in the lower part of the parcel. The vote was
5 in favor (GC, NC, KG, JS, WW) and two abstaining (AS, SW).
iii) 27755 Central Drive. GC, NC, and SS volunteered to conduct the review of this parcel
adjacent to Byrne Preserve and present their recommendations at the February meeting.
iv) 24183 Dawnridge. JS and WW volunteered to conduct the review and present their
recommendations at the February meeting.
5. Communications from the Floor.
6. Open Discussion. None
7. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 11:25 am.
Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, February 11, 2016
9:00 AM at LAH Parks and Recreation Building
Attachment A: OSC Proposal for Creek Setback Staking
Attachment B: OSC Documents Supporting Prohibition of Bikes in Byre Preserve
Attachment C: Staff Memo on 12345 Gigli Court
Final minutes approved with amendments (in red text) at the Feb 11, 2016 OSC meeting.
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CONDITIONS OF DEVELOPMENT- Riparian areas
Prior to issuance of building permits, temporary chain-llnk fencing shall be located along the full length
of the border of the riparian setback at the dlstance from top of bank specified by the planning staff
(generally 25 feet from top of bank).
Town staff must inspect the fencing prior to commencement of grading. The property owner shall call
for said inspection at least three days in advance of the grading operation.
The fencing must remain throughout the course of construction. No storage of construction materials,
equipment vehicles, or debris shall be allowed within the riparian setback at any time.
To:
Richard
Chiu
From:
Los
Altos
Hills
Open
Space
Committee
Date:
July
9,
2015
Subject:
Limiting
bike
usage
in
Byrne
Preserve
RECOMMENDED
ACTION
On
June
11,
2015,
the
Open
Space
Committee
voted
unanimously
to
recommend
that
the
Town
of
Los
Altos
Hills
limit
the
use
of
bicycles
within
Byrne
Open
Space
Preserve,
prohibiting
them
from
all
areas
except
the
fire
road
connecting
Central
Drive
to
Moody
Court.
BACKGROUND
After
receiving
complaints
in
April
2014
about
cyclists
in
Byrne
Preserve
spooking
horses,
the
City
Council
voted
to
install
signage
in
four
different
locations
within
Byrne
Preserve
notifying
cyclists
that
they
need
to
yield
to
pedestrians
and
equestrians.
Unfortunately,
the
signage
has
not
prevented
bikers
from
careening
down
steep
and
windy
slopes
at
breakneck
speed,
imperiling
hikers,
walkers,
and
equestrians.
These
continued
incidents
lead
us
to
conclude
that
bicycle
use
is
incompatible
with
safe
management
of
the
Preserve.
RATIONALE
Safety
is
the
primary
rationale.
The
Caltrans
Highway
Design
Manual
regarding
design
for
mixed-‐use
trails
(Chapter
1000
-‐
Bicycle
Transportation
Design)
states
that
trails
not
meeting
Class
1
standards
should
not
be
signed
as
bicycle
trails
and
warns
–
for
safety
reasons
–
against
allowing
bicycles
and
horses
to
share
the
same
pathway.
The
Caltrans
Design
Manual
also
explains
horse
behavior
on
trails
(1003.4
–
Trails,
see
attached),
underscoring
that
horses
have
a
flight
response
that
can
lead
to
serious
injury
to
both
horse
and
rider.
While
you
can
get
a
horse
“trail
ready,”
you
can
never
train
the
flight
response
out
of
a
horse.
Secondly,
bikes
on
narrow,
winding
trails
or
on
any
steep
terrain
cause
significant
environmental
damage.
Unlike
walkers
or
equestrians,
bicycles
accelerate
erosion
by
creating
a
continuous
tire
track,
creating
a
rill
into
which
water
flows.
Bicycle
tires
rip
the
soil
when
cyclists
speed
downhill,
lock
brakes
around
sharp
corners,
or
dig
in
for
uphill
traction.
Disturbances
to
both
the
vegetation
in
these
protected
open
spaces
and
also
the
wildlife
seeking
refuge
in
them
are
significant
concerns.
Thirdly,
preserves
are
intended
for
quiet,
low-‐impact
recreation
where
people
can
enjoy
peace
and
quiet
in
a
natural
setting
without
worrying
that
a
speeding
bike
may
be
around
the
next
corner.
Limiting
bicycle
use
in
Byrne
will
not
significantly
reduce
recreational
opportunities
for
off-‐road
biking
in
LAH;
the
Town
has
over
90
miles
of
pathways
outside
of
Byrne
that
are
accessible
for
bicycle
use.
Also,
nearby
MROSD
lands
provide
220
miles
of
trails
open
for
biking.
Finally,
prohibiting
cycling
in
Byrne
Preserve
would
bring
us
in
line
with
the
policies
in
state
and
county
parks
and
MROSD.
Most
state
and
county
parks
in
Santa
Clara
and
San
Mateo
County
restrict
bicycles
to
paved
roads
or
fire
roads.
MROSD
specifically
prohibits
cycling
in
all
areas
immediately
adjacent
to
Los
Altos
Hills,
while
in
their
Rancho
San
Antonio
preserves
(which
run
contiguous
to
LAH),
they
only
permit
cycling
east
of
Deer
Hollow
Farm
(in
Cupertino).
TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS January 14, 2016
Memo to the Open Space Committee
SUBJECT: TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP FOR A TWO-LOT SUBDIVISION –
DEDICATION OF OPEN SPACE EASEMENT: LANDS OF GERA; 12345
GIGLI COURT; FILE #51-15-TM-IS-ND.
FROM: Steve Padovan, Consultant Planner
REQUEST
The Planning Commission reviewed the Tentative Map at its January 6th meeting and requested
that the Open Space Committee provide recommendations on the area to be included in an open
space/conservation easement prior to City Council review of the map. In addition, staff is
requesting a recommendation on the type of fencing permitted and limitations on the use of the
land in the easement area.
BACKGROUND
The project site is located on the east side of Gigli Court at the top of the slope above Interstate
280. Surrounding land uses include one and two story single-family residences with a minimum
lot size of one acre. The property contains a main residence and a second unit along with a pool,
pool house, carport and related hardscape. The property is generally flat within 160 to 200 feet
from the street and then slopes downward towards the freeway. Vegetation consists of a cluster
of oaks behind the secondary unit and trees along the perimeter of the property with ornamental
trees and bushes around the dwellings and non-native grasses on the remainder of the
undeveloped portion of the lot.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The applicant is requesting approval of a subdivision of the 2.85 gross acre parcel into two lots
of 1.42 net acres (Parcel A) and 1.40 net acres (Parcel B) with Lot Unit Factors (LUF) of 1.24
and 1.023 respectively. Access to parcels A and B will be provided directly off Gigli Court
which is a public road. The lots will have separate septic systems (which have been tentatively
approved by Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health) and water service will be
provided by the Purissima Hills Water District. Aerial photos and the Tentative Map with
proposed easement and slope graphics are attached.
Previous Open Space Committee Comments
During its initial review of the map, the Open Space Committee requested that a wildlife corridor
assessment be done to determine if the lower portion of the property encompasses a potential
wildlife corridor that extends along Interstate 280. In order to assess potential impacts to local
wildlife movement patterns from the proposed subdivision, Live Oak Associates, Inc. was
retained to prepare a technical analysis addressing this issue. The analysis concluded that
Lands of Gera
January 14, 2016
Page 2 of 3
although the development of the parcels will shift wildlife patterns to some degree, the small
amount of additional disturbance that may result from the creation of the additional lot will not
be significant and is not expected to have any long term adverse impact to the local occurrence
or abundance of key wildlife species. In addition, the study recommends the use of native plants
in landscaping and wildlife friendly landscaping.
Based on this study, staff developed a condition of approval which states that all new
landscaping on the lower portions of the lots consist of native plants and that non-native invasive
plant species shall be removed. In addition, wildlife friendly fencing shall be utilized to the
extent practicable, particularly between Parcels A and B and along the northeasterly property line
(area closest to the freeway).
Condition No. 27 reads as follows:
“All new landscaping on the lower portions of the lots below the septic leachfields shall
consist of native plants. Non-native invasive plant species shall be removed. In addition,
wildlife friendly fencing shall be utilized to the extent practicable, particularly between
Parcels A and B and along the northeasterly property line (area closest to the freeway).”
Open Space Easement
The General Plan Open Space and Recreation Element contains policies that encourage the
preservation of open space on parcels within Open Space Conservation Areas that have slopes of
30% or more, contain heritage trees, or sensitive habitat areas. The area on the parcels designated
for future development is on the upper half of the lots which currently contains two dwellings, a
pool, driveways, decks and other hardscape. No trees are proposed for removal nor would any
trees need to be removed to subdivide the property. However, the property is located directly
adjacent to an Open Space Conservation Area as shown on the General Plan Land Use Map and
the property between the freeway and the subject lot is vacant and in a more natural state.
Furthermore, the lower portion of the subject property has heritage oak trees and is highly visible
from the freeway and from properties on the west side of I-280. Based on these factors, the
development of the lower portions of the lot may result in significant impacts to these natural
resources.
In order to mitigate this impact, staff has recommended that an open space/conservation
easement be granted to the Town over the lower portion of both lots (below the septic fields and
below the contour elevation of 450 feet), encompassing the narrow portion of Parcel A and the
steeper slopes of Parcel B. The applicant has proposed a more rectangular area for the easement.
Condition No. 5 is as follows:
“An open space/conservation easement shall be granted to the Town of Los Altos Hills
over the lower portion of Parcel A and B (below the septic fields at a tentative contour
elevation of 450 feet), encompassing the narrow portion of Parcel A and the steeper
slopes of Parcel B. Within the easement, no structures or retaining walls will be
Lands of Gera
January 14, 2016
Page 3 of 3
permitted, grading will be limited to the installation of a septic leachfield and stormwater
detention systems, and fencing must be wildlife friendly. Native vegetation may also be
planted within the easement. The Open Space Committee will review the easement
language and easement boundary prior to recordation of the Final Map.”
Within the easement, staff is recommending that no structures be permitted, potential grading
would be limited to the installation of a septic leachfield and/or stormwater detention systems,
retaining walls would not be permitted and fencing must be wildlife friendly.
ATTACHMENTS
Aerial photos, Tentative Map
Aerial of Surrounding Properties
Lands of State of
California
APN 182-04-062
Project Site
Lands of Salazar
APN 182-04-077 Lands of Iqbal
APN 182-04-076
Lands of Splinter
APN 182-04-078
Lands of Chandra
APN 182-04-079
Lands of Watters
APN 182-04-055Lands of Bateman
APN 182-04-074
Lands of Kozacek
APN 182-04-019
Lands of Roberts
APN 182-04-089
Lands of Watters
APN 182-04-010
Aerial of Subject Property
Existing Site Photos
Tentative Map
Main residence
(to be removed)
Building set-
back area
based on
fault location
Proposed property line
Second unit (to remain)
Monte Vista Fault
Parcel A
Parcel B
Lot Slopes
Areas with slopes over 30%
Areas with slopes from 20% to 30%
Building setback
line from fault
60 dB CNEL Line
Potential Open Space Easement
Areas with slopes over 30%
Applicant’s
Proposal
Staff Recommendation