Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 12OSC FINAL_Minutes17-0112.docx 1 Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee Los Altos Hills Parks and Recreation Building FINAL Minutes of Regular Meeting January 12, 2016 2017 Members and Associates Present: George Clifford, Richard Contreras, Nancy Couperus, Kit Gordon, Alice Sakamoto, Sharen Schoendorf, Wendie Ward, Sue Welch (Members); Karen Lemes (Associate) Members and Associates Absent: Jean Struthers (Member) Council Liaison Absent: Gary Waldeck Member of Public Present: Allen Chen (LAH Director of Engineering and Public Works) Ken McCloud (Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences) Michelle Wu (LAH Council Member) Kjell Karlsson (LAH Finance and Investment Committee) Rosy Ko (Top Elegant Investment, LLC subdivision) Jeff Peterson (Project Engineer for Top Elegant Investment, LLC subdivision) Steve Atkinson (Attorney for Top Elegant Investment, LLC) 1. Call to Order and Approval of Minutes A. Roll Call. NC called the meeting to order at 9:05 am. NC distributed an updated list of contact information for OSC members and associates. B. Acceptance of Meeting Minutes. GC moved to accept with minor amendments the minutes of the Dec 12, 2016 meeting. KG seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor (GC, RC, NC, KG, AS, SS, WW, SW). 2. Special Guest: Ken McCloud, Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences. OSC members welcomed Ken McCloud as a potential speaker for a proposed seminar on snakes and explained the OSC wildlife seminar series (e.g., format and typical audiences). Mr. McCloud reviewed his academic qualifications, work experience, and speaking experience, which includes talks to Boy Scouts, Humane Society, academic audiences, and other groups. OSC suggested a weekend date (e.g., Sunday afternoon) in May and topics such as benefits of snakes, pets and snakes, children and snakes, info for gardeners and what to do if you see a snake in the road. JS will finalize plans with the Town and Mr. McCloud. 3. Special Guest: Allen Chen, LAH Director of Engineering and Public Works. OSC members welcomed Mr. Chen, who joined LAH staff in Nov 2016. Director Chen summarized his past work, interests and expertise, and goals. OSC members introduced themselves and their areas of interest. The following issues OSC wants to work on with Mr. Chen were briefly discussed. A. Stirling Property. Town requirements requested for slope of proposed trail through open space easement. B. Byrne Preserve Fence. KG and NC reviewed status of the fence proposal in the Byrne flood plain. On Dec 16, KG, NC, and SW met with staff and barn manager, Torie Dye to discuss options for fencing, which must be safe for horses and permeable to wildlife. Allen Chen reported that the fence will cost about $3K, based on estimates from LAH Maintenance Supervisor Jacob Asfour. Grassroots Ecology will provide $1K from the SCVWD grant and the remainder will come from the OSC budget. Town crew will install the fence in February. SW moved that OSC request the Town to provide from the OSC budget up to $2,500 towards construction of a fence to protect the restoration area in the floodplain along Moody Creek in Byrne Preserve. GC seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor (GC, RC, NC, KG, AS, SS, WW, SW). C. Manure Near Moody Creek on Westwind Community Barn Land. Manure is being piled along the creek near the lower paddocks and riparian vegetation has been cut back from the creek banks. This area has historically been undeveloped and SF Bay EcoAtlas shows an ephemeral creek (a tributary of Moody Creek) running from the lower arena through this area and connecting to the tributary that runs down through the grassland (Attachment A). Substantial run-off, including drainage from the feeding pasture and upper paddocks, flows through here during rainy periods (Attachment B). Allen Chen said SCVWD made a site visit in January and will send recommendations to the Town for corrective actions to these violations. SW showed examples of methods for manure disposition (Attachment C) and KG offered to refer consultants with expertise in manure management to help find solutions. D. Creek Signs. KG reviewed the ongoing project to install signs to identify each of the 13 named creeks in Town. R. Chen, previous Director of Public Works installed signs for Deer Creek and Adobe Creek. OSC FINAL_Minutes17-0112.docx 2 E. Invasive Plants on Pathways and Private Lands. Invasive pest plants continue to be a problem in many locations. Town has recently received complaints from residents about large infestations on properties in their neighborhoods. OSC plans to distribute information about weed management via Nextdoor and possibly Town-wide postcards. F. Subdivision Ordinance Update. OSC will follow development of the document, comment, and work with staff as needed. 4. New Business A. Rodent Management. KG volunteered to write and post on Nextdoor information about legal and environmentally responsible methods for rodent management. Complaints about rodent damage and inappropriate management advice have been posted. Info can include a link to the video of the “Oh, Rats!” seminar hosted by OSC in 2014. KG will prepare a draft for OSC review next month. B. Mayor’s meeting with Committee Chairs. NC reported that Mayor Waldeck will meet with Chairs of all LAH Standing Committees on Jan 19, 2017. 5. Continuing Business A. Byrne Preserve Grassroots Ecology Update. After a brief hiatus for the holidays, GrE has resumed invasive plant removal work and native plantings at Byrne. A number of special group volunteer workdays were held and Byrne Brigade will start workdays every Monday from Jan 30 through end of Feb (except Feb 20, Presidents’ Day). Work has focused on removal of teasel, poison hemlock, milk thistle, and purple star thistle rosettes. Bioengineered willow dams installed in December performed well in recent storms. B. Stirling (Top Elegant Investment, LLC) Subdivision. AS,
SS,
and
SW
recused
themselves
for
 proximity.
In
response
to
Jeff
Peterson’s
December
8,
2016
presentation
to
the
Open
Space
 Committee
on
the
Stirling
Subdivision,
KG
presented
a
proposed
addendum
(Attachment
D)
to
the
 October
18,
2016
Open
Space
Committee
Recommendations
Stirling
Subdivision
Memo.
A
meeting
 with
staff
is
recommended
before
a
committee
vote
on
the
addendum.
Meeting
request
has
been
 sent.
No
other
action
taken. C. Our Town Articles. Deferred. 6. Planning A. Fence Permit Reviews. NC reviewed fence plans for 11354 Hillpark Lane (existing non-conforming fence); 25691 Vinedo Lane; 13350 Burke Road; and 26062 Todd Lane (full perimeter fence). No open space issues were identified. KL reported an unpermitted fence on 27360 Sherlock Road was installed across a drainage swale above her property (in violation of LAH fence ordinances) and is collecting debris and impeding run-off through the area. She contacted the Town compliance officer, but the fence has not been removed. KG moved OSC request the Planning Department to inspect the location of the fence installed on 27360 Sherlock Road. Based on a report from an adjacent neighbor, we believe this fence is impeding water flow in a natural swale. The OSC recommends removal of the fence across the swale. WW seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor. SW seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor. (GC, RC, NC, KG, AS, SS, WW, SW). B. Site Plan Reviews. i) 12815 Deer Creek Lane (Lands of Chan; APN 175-43-047). Reason for OSC review is a 2-lot subdivision. All OSC members have made a site visits. Deer Creek flows through the subdivision and an OSE exists on Parcel A. Parts of proposed Parcel B have groves of significant trees and slopes >30%. GC moved that OSC requests the Town to ask the developers to place parts of proposed Parcel B along the northern border and in the southeast corner with slope ≥30% be placed in open space easement. SW seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor. (GC, RC, NC, KG, AS, SS, WW, SW). ii) 14172 Amherst Court (Lands of Lakhani; APN 182-41-006; #373-16-ZP-SD-GD). OSC voted on recommendation for this project last month. iii) 13875 Mir Mirou Drive (Lands of Somekh; APN182-32-029; #364-16-ZP-SD-GD). NC, JS, SW made a site visit and reviewed plans. No creek runs on the property and it has sewer service. Deer trails and scat were evident on the parcel and a herd of 6-8 deer was observed during the site visit. Steep slopes, dense oak woodland, and proximity to Arastradero and Matadero Creeks confer OSC FINAL_Minutes17-0112.docx 3 significant conservation value. Large, contiguous open space easements on parcels throughout the neighborhood facilitate wildlife movement through this area. Six-foot wood/wire fencing is installed along the property line with 13927 Mir Mirou. Extent of this fencing (how far down slope it goes) was not determined. A 4-ft tall wild-life permeable rail fence exists along the border with 13920 Mir Mirou. Extent of this fencing (how far down slope it goes) was not determined. Developers’ plans show an existing OSE along the eastern border of the parcel and curving slightly around the NE and SE corners. Topo map shows steep slopes in excess of 30% on the most of the eastern border and portions of the northern and southern borders. Adjacent parcels (13735 Paseo del Roble, 14975, 14965, and 14945 Page Mill Rd; 13920 Mir Mirou Dr) all have dedicated open space easements that were put in at time of subdivision (Tract 6604) (Attachment E). OSC recommended increasing the open space easement along part of the eastern slope to include additional parts of the slope that is greater than 30%. The proposed new border of the OSE is shown as a red line on the attached map from the site plan (dated 3/11/08) (Attachment F). This area includes at least 17 Heritage oaks and most of it has slopes >30% (including slopes up to 47%). GC moved OSC accept the recommendation. WW seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor (GC, RC, NC, KG, AS, SS, WW, SW). iv) 14414 Saddle Mountain Road. No plans available. v) 13441 Robleda Road. GC, RC, and KG volunteered to make site visit and draft recommendations. 7. Communications from the Floor. None 8. Open Discussion. A. Proposal for Garden in O’Keeffe Open Space Preserve. OSC discussed a proposal for a community garden and/or commercial organic garden in O’Keefe OSP. OSC considered this idea in the past and determined, based on the General Plan, that these gardens (that would require fencing to exclude wildlife, irrigation systems, increased traffic in the neighborhood) are not appropriate in open space preserves. OSC appreciates the value of these gardens to the community and suggested advertising on NextDoor, the Town web site, and/or other venues to find an alternative location. A private landowner may be interested in accommodating a gardening operation, as was done for years for Craig Murray's organic garden. 9. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 11:17 am. Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, February 9, 2017 9:00 AM at LAH Parks and Recreation Building Attachment A: Moody Creek Tributaries as Shown on San Francisco Bay EcoAtlas Attachment B: Run-off Flowing through Manure Near Paddocks at Westwind Community Barn Attachment C: Methods for Manure Management Attachment D: Draft Addendum to OSC Recommendation for Stirling (Top Elegant Investment, LLC) Subdivision Attachment E: Open Space Easements on and Near 13875 Mir Mirou Drive Attachment F: OSC Recommendation for Open Space Easement on 13875 Mir Mirou Drive FINAL minutes were approved without amendments at the Regular OSC meeting of 02/09/17 \Is*s \\( A- \ S !\J-$ 5 s{ $U (- e -s <.J*s SJA J.Ir:s e. o s\\ 3 d DRAFT To: Suzanne Avila, Planning Director of Town of Los Altos Hills Date: January xx, 2017 From: Open Space Committee Subject: Addendum to Comments & Recommendations on Stirling Subdivision Proposal, dated October 18, 2016 Introduction As discussions continue on the Stirling Subdivision, the Open Space Committee would like to clarify and expand on these subdivision elements. 1. Site visit 2. Brian Wines' visit 3. Large lot request 4. Swale on proposed lot 7 5. Road decisions: private v public, pervious v impervious, location 6. Slope on pathway - meet with staff 7. Landslide subdrain system - wait 8. Updated slope classification map with new LUF calculations 9. EIR v MND 10. Quimby Act 1. Site visit The Open Space committee would like to visit the site to mark the exact boundaries for these recommended easements; Landslide, Spring & Oak Easement, Drainage Swale & Oak Easement and Oak Woodland Easement. We would also like to review the road placement on site. 2. Brian Wines' Visit We request to be present when Brian Wines tours the subdivision site. 3. Large lots The Open Space Committee recommends large lots (LUF > ??), not minimum LUF lots for this subdivision. We urge the planning commissioners to specify large lots. Lot size diversity is in the best interest of the Town and keeping newly formed lots from descending to minimum LUF benefits all parties. 4. Swale on proposed lot 7 DRAFT The Open Space Committee (OSC) October 18, 2016 memo noted 10 Town policies that prohibit development or modifications in swales. We wish to further highlight that the Romig Geological Hazard Report refers to the area that compose lot 7 is defined as a swale, specifically the bowl of the swale currently planned for development. The geologists clearly state the proposed lot 7 development area as a swale over 30 times in both text and figures. The entire proposed lot 7 is recommended as an open space easement as our Town policies do not allow development in a swale. The Romig Geologic Hazard Report concurs by stating that substantial earthworks would be necessary to safely building on lot 7. See appendix for references. 5. Road Decisions Private v Public: We recommend keeping the road as a private road to minimize road width requirements. Perverious v Impervious: The Romig Geologic Hazard Report recommends impervious road material and we concur. From Romig Geologic Hazard Report, "We recommend that measures be taken to limit the amount of surface water that seeps into the aggregate base and subgrade below vehicle pavements, particularly where the pavements are adjacent to landscape areas. Road Location: We ask to view the site to further recommend road location to minimize tree loss and swale modification. The Romig Hazard Report recommends earthworks if the road overlaps the swale, as currently planned. 6. Landslide Subdrain - wait The Open Space Committee recommends delaying the decision on the landslide drainage system. We continue to stress that the landslide should not be divided between two lots. Extensive piping on unstable landslide soil is not recommended. 7. Slope and Length of Pathway (Meet with Town staff to discuss steeper, shorter path and to understand their request.) 8. Updated slope classification map with new LUF calculations The Open Space Committee noticed discrepancies in the slope classification map and contour map. We ask for an updated slope classification map. 9. Environmental Impact Review (EIR) v Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) If an EIR is not prepared, we request the MND to be consistent with the subdivision proposal. Several discrepancies exist. 10. Quimby Act Town policies require donation of land or in lieu fee when subdividing. We recommend ?? DRAFT Qumiby Act Policy References: 9-1.1403 Requirements for park and recreation dedication fees. (a) Every subdivider shall be required to dedicate a portion of land, or pay a fee in lieu thereof, or a combination of both, at the option of the City for the purpose of providing park and/or recreational space/facilities. Said authority shall be governed by Section 9-1.1402. (b) Fees in Lieu of Land Dedication. A subdivider may pay a fee to the City in lieu of dedicating land if (1) there is no park or recreational facility to be located in whole or in part within the proposed subdivision or site, or (2) the proposed subdivision contains fifty (50) or fewer lots or parcels. Such fee shall be in an amount equal to the fair market value of the amount of land which would otherwise be required to be dedicated pursuant to subsection (b) of Section 9-1.1404. “Fair market value,” as used herein, shall be the greater of (1) the average estimated fair market value for all residentially zoned real property located in the Town as determined by the Planning Director, or (2) the fair market value of the land in the subdivision or site, based upon its then assessed value modified to equal market value in accord with the current practices of the County Assessor and as determined by the Planning Director. (c) The land, fees, or combination of both are to be used only for the purpose of providing park or recreational facilities to serve the subject subdivision. (§ 1, Ord. 232, eff. July 3, 1976; § 2, Ord. 429. eff. September 7, 2003) 9-1.1404 Amount of real property to be dedicated for park and recreation. The amount of real property to be dedicated shall be five (5) acres for each one thousand (1,000) persons residing within the Town. For the purpose of this article the population density shall be assumed as three and six-tenths (3.6) persons per dwelling unit. (a) The basis for determining the total number of lots or parcels shall be the number of same that appears on the approved or conditionally approved tentative map. (b) The specific amount of real property to be dedicated in a given subdivision shall be eighteen thousandths of an acre, or seven hundred eighty- four (784) square feet for every lot or parcel that appears on the approved or conditionally approved tentative map. (§ 1, Ord. 232, eff. July 3, 1976) 9-1.1405 Land credit toward park and recreation requirements for subdivisions of fifty lots or fewer. DRAFT Land to be utilized for park and recreation purposes and reserved for the exclusive use of the inhabitants, guests, employees or tenants of the subdivision shall be credited against the park and recreation obligations as set forth in Section 9-1.1404, inclusive. (a) Should the private park and recreation area exceed the requirements of Section 9-1.1404, inclusive, no monetary compensation or land credit shall be given the subdivider by the City. (b) Should the private park and recreation area fail to fulfill the requirements of Section 9-1.1404 inclusive, the difference between the area utilized for private park and recreation purposes and that required shall be satisfied by the payment of moneys. (§ 1, Ord. 232, eff. July 3, 1976; § 2, Ord. 429, eff. September 7, 2003) 9-1.1406 Procedure for land credit for subdivisions of fifty lots or fewer. The procedure for determining whether a subdivider shall be given credit for land which is utilized for private park and recreation space to satisfy the requirements of Section 9-1.1404, inclusive, shall be as follows: (a) At the time of the filing of the tentative map for approval, the owner of the property shall as part of such filing indicate whether he or she desires to reserve an area within the subdivision for a private park or recreational area, or a combination of land dedication or reservation and the payment of a fee, or the payment of a fee only, to satisfy the requirements of Section 9-1.1404, inclusive. (b) Whether the City Council approves the area reserved for private park and recreation use as proposed by the subdivider shall be determined by their consideration of: (1) The recommendation of the Planning Commission; (2) That the amount and location of land to be dedicated or reserved for private recreation bears a reasonable relationship to the park and recreational needs of the future inhabitants of the subdivision; (3) That the topography, size, shape, geology, or access to the private park and recreational area is of such portion and nature to allow for human utilization. The determination of the Council as to whether offers of private park and recreational space shall be considered in whole or part for the fulfillment of the requirements of Section 9-1.1404, inclusive, shall be final and conclusive. (§ 1, Ord. 232, eff. July 3, 1976; § 2, Ord. 429, eff. September 7, 2003) DRAFT Appendix: Swale References from Romig Geologic Hazard Report Page 5: A relatively broad shallow swale was present in the central area of the site. An ephemeral creek descends from the swale down to the west to the flowing creek. Page 8: Borings EB-8, -18, -19, and -20 were advanced within the broad swale located centrally within the site. These borings were primarily used to identify the location and depth to the Monta Vista Fault, as well as the lateral extent and soil thickness within the swale. At the locations of Borings EB-18 and EB-20, located upslope within the swale, approximately 6 feet of sheared greenstone bedrock of the Franciscan Complex was encountered. Page 9: At the location of Borings EB-8 and EB-19, located further downslope within the swale, approximately 8.5 to 10 feet of fat clay to sandy lean clay was encountered. Page 12: ... identified on the log of Test Pit TP-2. This test pit was situated on the upper slope of a broad colluvial swale. ... Test pits TP-9 and-10 were utilized to evaluate the soil thickness in the large swale. DRAFT Page 16: We also observed a broad bowl-shaped feature in the center of the property, which is situated primarily within Lot 7. There were no current indications of landsliding, but the feature is the locus of an accumulation of colluvium, and may have experienced landsliding in the past. Page 17: The primary topographic features within the subject site are the two landslides on the northwest portion of the site (Lots 5 and 6), which have experienced slope failure in the past, and the broad colluvial bowl in the center of the site (Lot 7). Figure 4 indicates the margins of the landslides and colluvial bowl. Page 17: An additional significant site feature is the broad generally bowl-shaped drainage swale (Figure 4), which extends from above the water tanks a portion of the distance downslope to the creek in the central part of the site. ... There appeared to be evidence of soil creep within the surface soils of the broad swale and in Test Pit TP-10, although there was no indication of a slide plane. ... Very subtle surficial features suggest possible landsliding pre-dating 1939, and although we were not able to confirm the presence of landsliding within the colluvial swale, we recommend considering this feature as a potential landslide for the purposes of development grading. Page 18: Exploratory Boring EB-22, located above the bowl feature, encountered ground water at a depth of 25 feet beneath the ground surface during the drilling. Page 18: The earliest imagery was flown in 1939. ... The northern slide and central swale areas are evident, with the heads of these two features approximately corresponding to the Monta Vista Fault as located by our subsurface investigation. Page 18: The well house is visible in the 1955 imagery. ... Both the northern landslide and central swale area are evident, although subtle. .. The central swale appears to be an accumulation of colluvium; Page 18: There is a shallow drainage channel along the swale center line. Wet/saturated soil is visible in the subsequent 1974 imagery, with the water seepage emanating from near the break in slope delineating the head of the northern landslide (near Test Pit TP-8), and draining the center of the central swale. The upslope slope break of the northern slide area appears to be the landslide head scarp as well as correspond to the Monta Vista Fault as identified by soil borings and test pits at this location. Page 19: Two areas of previous or potential landsliding were observed. We refer to these two areas as the northerly area and the central swale. Page 20: The recommendations for slope mitigation would be similar to those presented in the following sections of this report for the broad central swale feature on Lot 7. ... In our opinion, there is potential for slow, soil creep of the near surface soils within the broad central swale feature on Lot 7. Page 20: While there are no indications of active or previous landsliding within the swale, DRAFT the soils should be considered susceptible to shallow creep or slump type movement, with some potential for landsliding to occur in the future if the area is left as is. The slope can be stabilized by removal of the upper soil and weak bedrock to a depth on the order of 10 to 15 feet, and replacement with a properly benched and drained compacted fill. Recommendations for development within the swale are presented in the following sections of this report. Page 25: The colluvial swale on Lot 7 should be mitigated during development of the lot. Page 26: An additional geotechnical concern is the dormant landslide located on Lots 5 and 6 and the colluvial swale located across Lot 7; recommendations for mitigation of the dormant landslide and colluvial swale are presented in the next section of our report below. Page 27: Due to the sloping nature of these lots, the expansion potential of the surface soil and bedrock and the potential for downslope creep of the surface colluvial soils, it should be assumed that residences on these lots will need to be supported on moderately deep pier and grade beam foundations, which extend about 12 feet into weathered bedrock below the expansive surface and colluvial soils (or in structural fill where placed for the reworked colluvial swale below Lot 7). Page 28: To repair the colluvial swale on Lot 7 (and upper dormant landslide on Lots 5 and 6 if the residences are relocated closer than 20 feet from the landslide margin), we recommend excavating the colluvial soil in the swale and any areas of potentially unstable material and rebuilding the hillside with a properly keyed, benched and compacted engineered fill containing proper surface and subsurface drainage, as discussed below. Page 28: A portion of the colluvial swale extends into the northeast side of Lot 6 Based on the subsurface conditions encountered within the approximate limits of the colluvial swale on Lot 7, the colluvium extends to a maximum depth of approximately 15 feet. Page 31: The road will extend across the upper portion of the colluvial swale near Lot 7. The colluvial soils should excavated in this area and replaced with a compacted fill that is keyed and benched at least 2 feet into bedrock following our earthwork guidelines. Page 36: ... colluvial swale grading and mitigation, subdrain installation and site drainage should be performed in accordance with the geotechnical report prepared by Romig Engineers, Inc., dated May 12, 2014 Figure 12 marks the boundaries of the swale in cross-section F - F'. The proposed lot 7 is within the swale designation. Figure 16 marks land surrounding the proposed lot 7 development as colluvial swale. SJA.q!!IArt''(s o il )J:Utno 2 e o I J () F z l o o F z 6 I e o 6 tt Uq o 7t,tv! ,:-t t ffi;21,,rs-s :E ffi(-6"!d, S4id;5$: Iil,b-f-sd,$t $s\r $rL\I -ftJr6oa{-:-"' -E Eo6<[ioc s $ ut aiq 'u0 rvoToo J ! w=k3q) Ea)Cla .E dL(J\ s/atto E J o F =f o (, U (, L o F(J e F k d s $a \) dQ \.\v) sN_ O * .-Y*cEr* ffiw (A X I vqJ \^t ,9tl $'e./ /t i$g sg/s.\ \,s *F is;5SF$,ffiTks*{,jG,tE* s=e ts o it^l i'id/ -e _.-c/ 6 go/":, / l^fitl { It'F**rl i*=F--" d-gt-, *ffir'', -rztu- ft4Zlet r----"r: ,l r q; "o'6 - __r"m_rE z$o'rgs i)l dN - *'.*L* _t;liS o,9 *.l."ili *e"lo{ i 76 ugr RA FUz o I;