HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 12
Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee
Special Meeting Minutes
9:00 AM, December 12, 2019
Los Altos Hills Town Hall, Conference Room
Committee Members and Associates Present: Richard Contreras (Chair), George Clifford
(Vice Chair), Nancy Couperus (Founder), Peter Brown, Jean Struthers, Wendie Ward, Kit
Gordon, Karen Lemes (Associate)
Committee Members Absent: Sue Welch, Alice Sakamoto (Associate), Sharen Schoendorf
(Associate)
Council Liaison Absent: George Tyson
1. Call to Order and Acceptance of Minutes
a. Roll Call. RC called the meeting to order at 9:06 am
b. Acceptance of Meeting Minutes. Minutes from November 13 meeting were not
distributed. They will be reviewed at the January meeting.
c. Announcements:
i. Nancy Couperus’s term expired and she did not request re-appointment. We will
place on the January agenda a vote for her to continue her involvement as an
associate member.
2. Planning
a. 24160 Dawnridge Drive (RC, KG). The developer has requested that a side yard setback
be reduced from 75 feet to 30 feet. At the time of subdivision, 1954, all 9 parcels had
either side or front setbacks deeded as a condition of subdivision. The easement is stated:
“We also hereby dedicate for public use all easements for Light and Air under
and/or over those certain strips of land lying between the front and/or side lines of
lots and the lines designated as “Building Set Back Line” (B.S.B.L) as shown on
said subdivision, such strips of land to be kept open and free from buildings and
structures of any kind excepting irrigation and sprinkling systems and
appurtenances thereto.” RC moved and WW seconded the acceptance of the
report and these Open Space Committee recommendations. The vote was
unanimously in favor (RC, GC, PB, WW, KG, JS).
The committee made the following recommendations:
1. The Open Space Committee does not feel it has the authority to vacate a building
setback.
2. The Open Space Committee does not recommend modifying the existing building
setback.
3. The Open Space Committee recommends that conditions of subdivisions be kept in
perpetuity as they were intended.
4. The Open Space Committee is concerned about setting a precedent that could
undermine planning instruments such as easements and setbacks that are established
at time of subdivision or development
b. Fence Permit Reviews: None requested.
3. New Business
a. Native Plants for Landscaping Screening – no action taken.
b. Nesting Bird Box Speaker. GC moved and JS seconded for the Open Space Committee
to sponsor a talk on nesting bird box monitoring. The date is not yet set.
c. Revisit “Future Topics”. RC led a discussion of the Future Topics list on our agenda.
Several were combined or eliminated. All now have a lead contact.
4. Continuing Business
a. Stinkwort mapping. No new action but surveying continues.
b. Wildlife Friendly Fence Ordinance. EDPC will forward the most recent version to OSC.
KL suggested an article in Our Town on fences. She and others will recruit someone to
write the article.
Meeting adjourned at 10:04 am
Attachment A OSC Review 24160 Dawnridge Drive
Minutes submitted by Kit Gordon