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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/20/1992 (2) Minutes of a Regular Meeting May 20, 1992 Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Meeting Wednesday, May 20, 1992, 6:00 P.M. Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road 1. CALL TO ORDER,ROLL CALL, AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Hubbard called the Regular Meeting of the City Council to order at 6:05 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Town Hall. Present: Mayor Hubbard and Councilmembers Casey, Johnson, Siegel and Tryon (arrived at 6:55 p.m.) Absent: None Staff: City Manager Les Jones, II, City Attorney Sandy Sloan, Town Planner Linda Niles, Director of Public Works Jeff Peterson and City Clerk Pat Dowd Press: None 2. APPOINTMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 3. PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT The Town Planner reported that in addition to the planning items on the Consent Calendar, the Planning Commission discussed formulas for determining floor areas at their meeting on the 27th and also agreed to continue Lands of Finn - request for a site development permit for a decorative second floor widow's walk to the next meeting for additional information. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR Item Removed: 4.1 - May 6, 1992 Minutes (Siegel) MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Casey, seconded by Johnson and passed unanimously by all members present to approve the balance of the Consent Calendar, specifically: C May 20, 1992 (Sr Regular Meeting 1 4.1 Approved Minutes: April 29, 1992 (Adjourned Regular Meeting) 4.2 Approved Warrants: $22,843.75 (5/5/92) 4.3 Adopted Ordinance #353 amending Title 6 (Sanitation and Health) Chapter 4 (Sewage) Article 4 (Sewer Use) and Article 5 (Grease Disposal) of the Los Altos Hills Municipal Code 4.4 Adopted Resolution #13-92 approving a minor adjustment to the Los Altos Hills Sphere of Influence, Urban Service Area, and Town Limits to allow a lot line adjustment between two parcels located on the southwest side of Stonebrook Drive between La Loma Drive and Northcrest Lane 4.5 Decided Not To Review the following Planning Commission Actions at Its Meeting on May 13, 1992: 4.5a Lands of Hansen, 25431 Adobe Lane: request for a variance for a fence height - waived 4.5b Lands of Helms, 12410 Casa Mia Way: request for a site development permit for an addition, driveway modification, fence and trellis Item Removed: 4.1 Approval of Minutes: May 6, 1992 (Regular Meeting) MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Siegel, seconded by Johnson and passed by the following roll call vote to approve the minutes of the May 6, 1992 City Council Meeting with the following corrections: page 3, Item 4.9, change "intent to purchase or lease" to "interest in purchasing or leasing"; and page 5, last paragraph, change the word "process" to "procedure". AYES: Councilmembers Casey, Johnson and Siegel NOES: None ABSENT: Mayor Pro Tem Tryon ABSTAIN: Mayor Hubbard May 20, 1992 Regular Meeting 2 re 5. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR Dot Schreiner, 14301 Saddle Mountain Drive, commented that changing the beginning time for Council meetings was causing some confusion. She suggested clarifying the time for the Council meetings as well as for public hearings on the agendas and public hearing notices. Elayne Dauber, 27930 Roble Alto, reiterated her comments on the number of real estate signs in Town especially at Arastradero and Page Mill and she suggested Council consider changing the Town's sign ordinance to correct these unsightly situations. El Monte and Stonebrook was also pointed out as another location where there were far too many real estate signs. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS 6.1 Request for Approval of a Site Development Permit for a New Residence and Swimming Pool, Lands of Becker, 14290 Saddle Mountain Road Council commended the Town Planner for her excellent staff report on this application. Siegel did note however that the applicant had not marked the proposed house to show its bulk and he believed that this policy which had been adopted by Council was an important one. The applicant had not reduced the size of this house and it was difficult to determine what the impact of the house would be. Siegel stated that he would like to defer a final vote until the house was so marked. Hubbard believed it was unfair to delay this applicant as the Council had not had a consensus vote on specifically how to mark such houses to show bulk. It was agreed this policy would be brought back to Council for clarification at a later meeting. Mr. Becker, applicant, addressed the Council regarding his project and commented that he had understood if the house were redesigned it may not have to be reduced in size. His project had been redesigned substantially. He noted that they had been before the Planning Commission about four times and it had been a costly and timely process when in fact he believed they complied with the ordinances in the first place. He did ask for direction from the Town on condition #11 which called for a grading and construction operation plan. Henry Mourad, 14300 Saddle Mountain Drive, noted that at the 1/15/92 Council Meeting, Mr. Becker had been directed to reduce his house to 5,000 4 May 20, 1992 �r Regular Meeting 3 square feet which he had not done. In addition he had not met with his neighbors to share his plans as had also been recommended by Council. Mr. Mourad suggested relocating the gargage and further expressed his concerns about access off Saddle Mountain. He strongly believed there was a safety issue in creating a three-way access and other properties on Moon Lane would be developing in the future which would be a further consideration. He commented on the possibility of installing gates on Saddle Mountain or on Moon Lane. Mrs. Mourad, 14300 Saddle Mountain Drive, objected to the placement of a gate at the top of the knoll. It was a beautiful area and a massive gate would have a negative visual impact. Kim Tam, 14297 Saddle Mountain, commented on the safety issue. There was a steep hill and a car could easily lose control and roll over the hill. Drew Anderson, 27820 Saddle Court, stated her concerns about the traffic issue. She believed the area of Arastradero and Stirrup should be given special attention by the Sheriffs Department. She further believed that construction equipment was a concern on Saddle Mountain and she did ` not believe the neighbors should be impacted by these developments. Ms. Anderson stated that any damage done to Saddle Mountain by this construction equipment should be repaired by the developer and there should be an emergency contingency as there was only one way out of Saddle Mountain. She supported Siegel in his statement that the house should have been marked to indicate bulk. Dot Schreiner, 14301 Saddle Mountain Drive, referred to a letter she had distributed to the Council which included her concerns about Moon Lane. She believed the three-way intersection was dangerous and Moon Lane turned into a loop at Saddle Mountain which was in violation of the General Plan. She did not believe gates were going to solve the problem and recommended that Council look at the whole area and not one house at a time. Her letter included the statement that the remaining lots on Moon Lane included two five acre lots, two three+ acre lots, a nine acre lot and a four+ acre lot - all capable of lot splits or subdivision status and all with deeded access to Saddle Mountain. Carol Gottlieb, 24290 Summerhill, commented that some time ago the neighbors in Barley Hill were involved with the Clausen Subdivision [ May 20, 1992 7� Regular Meeting 4 concerning access. Their concerns were to have been considered when the Clausen subdivision came in but as it turned out they were not. She urged getting the issues resolved now. She further noted that Rossi had a gate on his property which was left open for a certain number of hours a day for mail delivery, etc. Elayne Dauber, 27930 Roble Alto, suggested an amendment in the General Plan to include this area when Moon Lane developments came in. Mr. Becker, applicant, stated that he intended to pave the stretch of Moon Lane to the road and he also addressed the logistical problem of the gating issue. Mr. Gerhard Sanders, applicant's engineer, commented on the access to Moon Lane. PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To amend condition #3 to include the installation of landscaping to protect the Mourads from the intrusion of headlights and to state that this landscaping would be subject to the approval of the Mourads and to further state that a sign would be placed stating "Private Driveway - Not a Through Street". `, PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To delete 'Specifically no on street parking is allowed.' from condition #11. PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To amend Condition #15 to read: "A 5' wide pathway shall be improved by the property owner along the north side of Moon Lane from the project driveway entrance at Moon Lane to Saddle Mountain Drive to the satisfaction of the City Engineer." MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Tryon, seconded by Casey and passed by the following roll call vote to approve the request for a site development permit for a new residence and swimming pool for Lands of Becker, 14290 Saddle Mountain Road, subject to the revised conditions as prepared by the Town Planner and as amended by Council. It was further approved that the issues related to this application such as access, circulation, General Plan conformance, future development and construction plans be agendized for a future meeting and the issue of clarification of the Council policy on staking and marking developments be agendized for a future meeting. May 20, 1992 Regular Meeting 5 AYES: Mayor Hubbard and Councilmembers Casey and Tryon NOES: Councilmembers Johson and Siegel Siegel reiterated his statement that the proposed house should have been marked to indicate bulk and Johnson concurred. He believed this was an important issue and this was the third time an applicant had been asked to show the bulk of a proposed house and the results had been unsatisfactory. 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 7.1 Reconsideration of Barbed Wire Fence at Byrne Preserve MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Johnson, seconded by Casey and passed unanimously by all members present to schedule a public hearing on reconsideration of the barbed wire fence at Byrne Preserve for the June 3rd Council Meeting and to mail notices to all owners within 500' of Byrne Preserve, to the Chairmen of the Environmental Design and Protection Committee and the Pathways Recreation and Parks Committee, to the President of the Horsmens' Association, to all who spoke at the earlier public hearing on this subject and to post notices at the Preserve. 8. NEW BUSINESS Obur 8.1 Request from Supervisor Ron Gonzales for Support of the Revised Workplan for Proposed Santa Clara County Hazardous Materials Advisory Committee MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Johnson, seconded by Hubbard and passed unanimously by all members present to table the request from Supervisor Ron Gonzales for support of the revised workplan for proposed Santa Clara County Hazardous Materials Advisory Committee and to direct the City Manager to send a letter to Supervisor Gonzales stating that the Town would continue to monitor the responses from the other Santa Clara County cities for the potential of bringing this item back at a later time. 8.2 Request from the Santa Clara County Manufacturing Group for Adoption of an Ordinance Establishing a Santa Clara County Local Transportation Authority Mr. Gary Burke, President - Santa Clara County Manufacturing Group, addressed the Council and explained the formation and the goals of the ihor May 20, 1992 Regular Meeting 6 Santa Clara County Manufacturing Group. Specifically, he addressed his request that Council approve the establishment of a Santa Clara County Local Transportation Authority so they could move forward with their plans to place a transportation initiative on the November ballot. In order for this authority to be established, approval needed to be granted by a majority of the City Councils representing a majority of the County population and a majority vote of the Board of Supervisors. In addition, he was requesting Council approval of the expenditure plan entitled The Santa Clara Country Traffic Congestion Relief and Transit Improvement Plan. Mr. Burke urged Council to support this resolution in an effort to bring traffic relief to the residents of Santa Clara County. Ruth Dressler, Greenbelt Alliance, stated her support of the establishment of a Santa Clara County Local Transportation Authority. She noted it was important to the County for this issue to be placed on the November ballot for a variety of reasons, including preservation of the greenbelt and assistance in meeting housing needs. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Tryon, seconded by Johnson and passed unanimously by all members present to adopt Resolution #14- 92 establishing a Santa Clara County Local Transportation Authority. Councilmember Casey stated her support for this resolution but was unable to be present for the vote due to a previous commitment. Casey left the Council Meeting at 9:10 p.m. 8.3 Congestion Management Agency - Presentation by Colleen MacCarthy and Adoption of Commuter Network's Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Ordinance and Creation of a Countywide TDM Program Colleen MacCarthy first noted that the Congestion Management Agency was changing its meetings to the first Thursday of the month so there would no longer be a conflict with the Town's Council Meetings. She then proceeded to explain that all cities and counties were required by both the Congestion Management Program and the California Clean Air Act of 1988 to adopt Transportation Demand Management ordinances and to implement TDM programs. If the Town chose not to join the Commuter Network, an agency presently in place, it would have to create, administer and enforce its own TDM program. The other Santa Clara County cities had adopted TDM ordinances and it was noted that gas tax subventions could be lost if the Town did not adopt a TDM ordinance. May 20, 1992 Regular Meeting 7 Councilmembers noted that the Town was being mandated to adopt this illW ordinance. They further commented on the cost and bureaucracy of these ordinances and their implementation. Hubbard noted that the goals were worthwhile but the administration of this and many other programs was becoming enormously burdensome. Casey concurred with Hubbard and believed the best way to arrive at trip reductions was through an incentive program not layers of bureaucracy. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Siegel, seconded by Casey and passed unanimously to waive further reading of ordinance. MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Siegel, seconded by Hubbard and passed unanimously to introduce Ordinance adding Article 14 (Transportation Demand Management Programs) to Title 4 (Public Safety), Chapter 3 (Traffic). MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED: Moved by Siegel, seconded by Johnson and passed unanimously to designate the Santa Clara County Congestion Management Agency (CMA) as the recipient of AB 434 funds (vehicle registration fees). Council took no action on joining the Commuter Network. `. 9. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES, SUB-COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES 9.1 Gold Card Tryon noted that at the recent meeting with the School Board, Don Phillips had mentioned that he would like to form a joint powers authority between the Town and the Schools for the Gold Card program. 9.2 Los Altos Library Commission Elayne Dauber, member Los Altos Library Commission, referenced a recent status report from the Commission to the Council on library issues including computerization and the contributions of the docents. 10. STAFF REPORTS 10.1 City Manager 10.1.1 Status Report on Sun Country Cable 4 May 20, 1992 �+ Regular Meeting 8 �Ir The City Manager referred to his staff report dated 5/15/92 which asked that Council appoint a sub-committee to work with the City Manager to review information received, determine if work has been completed and to determine if hiring an outside technical consultant is warranted. PASSED BY CONSENSUS: To continue the request for appointment of a Council Sub-Committee on Cable TV to the second meeting in June. Siegel reiterated his request that the Town's newly appointed audit firm be directed to perform an audit of Sun County Cable. 101.2 Budget- FY 1992-93 The City Manager requested and Council concurred to schedule the following Special Meetings to discuss the proposed budget: 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 22, Tuesday, May 23 and Thursday, May 25. 10.2 City Attorney 10.3 City Clerk 10.3a Report on Council Correspondence dated 5/15/92 It was agreed that Edwina Comiso's resignation from the CDBG Advisory Committee would be agendized for a Planning Commission Meeting and the Director of Public Works would prepare a response to Naomi Moustakas' letter concerning a civics class project. 11. COUNCIL-INITIATED ITEMS 11.1 Community Relations Committee (Tryon) Tryon suggested and Council agreed that letters and certificates of appreciation should be presented to the members of the Community Relations Committee for the outstanding work they did on the recent Town Party. 11.2 Silicon Valley Investing in the Future (Tryon) May 20, 1992 Regular Meeting 9 lbw Tryon reported that Los Altos Hills had been profiled in the new book Silicon Valley Investing in the Future and it also included an interview with her in which she commended volunteer efforts in the Town. 11.3 Fence on O'Keefe (Tryon) Tryon asked about the status of the white fence on O'Keefe and the Town Planner stated that she would look into the matter. 11.4 Appointment to Bay Area Air Quality Management Board (Hubbard) Council discussed the importance of this position and suggested that Councilmember Johnson at the City Selection Meeting at which this appointment would be made strongly urge the nominees to explain their background and expertise in this area. This appointment also included the area of Congestion Management and the process among these various agencies did not have consensus in the community. It was important to appoint someone who would address all of the issues involved and who would speak out. The Clean Air Act was one piece of legislation the nominees should be asked about prior to appointment. 12. ADJOURNMENT tie There being no further new or old business to discuss, the City Council Meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Respectful submitted, Patricia Dowd City Clerk The minutes of the May 20, 1992 Regular City Council Meeting were approved the June 3, 1992 City Council Meeting. May 20, 1992 Regular Meeting 10