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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/19/1975CITY COUNCIL 4W TOUN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS 26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills, California MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING cc: Reel 75, Side 2, Tr. I - 227 -End Side 1, Tr. 2 - 001-615 Mayor Pro Tem Leslie A. Heloesson called the Regular Meeting of the City Council to order at 7:40 PM in the Council Chambers of Town Hall. 26379 Fremont Road: A. ROLL CALL: Present: Councilmen Cheney. McReynolds, Councilwoman Miller, Mayor Pro Tem Helaesson, Commissioner Spencer for Planning Commission Absent: Mayor Grabowski Staff: City Manarler Robert Crowe� City Attorney Frank Gillio, City Engineer Alex Russell, City Building Inspector -Planner Ken Pastrof, Deputy City Clerk Norma Hislop Press: San Jose Hercury-Mews - Mr. Chuck Anderson B. CONSENT CALENDAR: At the request of Mr. Scott Overstreet, applicant, Item 3 a) was removed from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration. City Manager Robert Crowe asked that Item 3 b) be removed from the Consent Calendar and placed on the Agenda of April 2, 1975, at the request of the Mayor. MOTION SECONDEn AND CARRIED: Councilman Cheney moved, seconded by Councilman McReynolds and unanimously carried to adopt the remaining items on the Consent Calendar, namely: 1. Approval of Minutes: March 5, 1975 (Regular Meeting) March 7, 1975 (Adjourned Meeting) 2. Approval of Warrants: $23,445.19 4. Resolutions for Adoption: a), Resolution #873 setting time and place for a public hearing on b) Noise Element and Seismic Sz�fety/Safety.Element of General Plan, Los Altos Hills. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION: 3. Actions of Variance & Permit Commission: a) Approved variance request for back yard setback (only), Lands of Overstreet, File #Var.7013-74. 16v CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - March 19, 1975 LANDS OF OVERSTREET (cont'd City Manager Robert Crowe summarized actions taken by the Variance Planning Commission at their last meeting regarding this application. and the denial of the Commission of the request for a variance from the setback requirements for a garage -workshop. Mr. and Mrs. Scott Overstreet, applicants, presented view graphs of their property, and addressed Council concerning the reasons why they were requesting exemption from the setback requirements, and appealing the decision of the Variance & Permit Commission, who thought a lot line change would be better than granting a variance. Mr. and Mrs. Overstreet stated that a lot line change would cost them $2,000 or more; that no neighbors were protesting the granting of the variance; that because they themselves owned the closest lots, that it would be their property which would be devalued, which they did not think would occur. They explained why the request was being made, in that a mature oak tree would have to be destroyed and more gradinq done if they had to adhere to the setback requirements, and explained why this location was best suited to their needs. Cornissioner Donald Spencer, representing the Planning Commission, said he had not been present for this particular public hearing, and could not, therefore, speak as representing the Variance & Permit Commission; far however, as a Planning Commissioner, he stated that he agreed with the applicants regarding their request. Mr. Larry Steiner, Architect for the applicants, addressed Council concerning the placement of the building at this site and the applicant's reluctance to remove mature trees, and the reasons the garage -workshop planned was the size indicated. Councilwoman Miller stated that she had made a trip to the property, and before seeing it was in opposition to the granting of this request; however, when she had seen the property, she was inclined to view the request with favor since the variance would not disturb any neighbor, and would disturb the environment the least. She suggested that this matter might be put over to another meeting to allow Council to make a field trip to the site. Discussion ensued between the applicants, their Architect, and Council members concerning the unique qualities of the property in question, the driveway easement for their Lot #3, and the setback requirements of the Town. Councilman Cheney moved that this appeal be put over until the next Council meeting on April 2nd to allow the applicants time to present Council with another alternative for the proposed garage -workshop, and t5e requ�-�st for � varianc, for t'i�� setback requirements for the back yard granted by the Variance A Permit Commission be upheld. Councilman McReynolds seconded the motion which carried by the following roll call vote: -2- 4W OAV 4hr CITY COUNCIL MEETING - March 19, 1975 LANDS OF OVERSTREET (cont'd): AYE: Councilmen Cheney, McReynolds, Mayor Pro Tem Helgesson NO: Councilwoman Miller ABSENT: Mayor Grabouski ABSTAIN: NONE C. SPECIAL REPORTS: 1. Report on Ra Mayor Pro Tem Helgesson stated that the Santa Clara County Rapid Transportation commission had asked for approval and comments on Phase I of their Plan for the County; that the Plan had been presented to several cities, and he wished Council to hear a presentation before Council acted on this matter. Mr. Lou Montini gave Council a slide presentation showing various mass transportation systems now in use by other communities. He commented that he would give an overview of Phase I of the Report completed recently. He said the problem within the County was the over -dependence upon the auto- mobile, and cited the number of daily trips made by each automobile within the County. projecting this number's increase by 1990. Mr. Montini said that a rapid transit system c�,a!)I�- of 'i-ndling 30% of the population now depending on automobiles woul� be valuable. He discussed the estimated costs of the installation of 140 miles of the transit system in terms of cost per family within the County, and said this figure should be compared with the costs to the family in relation to owning and operating and maintaining an automobile. Mr.tiontini noted that his Staff was proposing an Action Plan for the developing of a rapid transit system, which had been accepted by the �,mmission, but not yet approved. lie said the Plan is to review the 140 mile planned network and obtain preliminary approval. A 7 mile demonstration segment would then be constructed to determine whether the technology worked, and to test public acceptance of such a system before a committment was made to construct the entire system. Mr. ilontini said that the County was asking Council input concerning four questions: 1) Should there be a Phase II RTPD Plan? 2) If so, what should Phase II consist of? 3) Is the 140 -mile system as proposed acceptable to the City, and if not, what changes would you suggest? 4) What station locations does this City feel merit investigation as part of Phase II? After his presentation, Mr. Montini responded to questions asked by members of the public and Council members concerning the proposed Plan. Mayor Pro Tem Helgesson thanked him for his concise Report , and requested Staff to note the questions of concern so the Council could respond to them as early as possible. 2. Re orts of Standing Committees: a) 5_1NLi�ronTtntal Dqsign Committee: Mr. Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environmental Design Committee, addressed -3- 4W n 4W, CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - March 19, 1975 Council concerning tke Committee's proposal submitted to Council for discussion this evening. He noted that the Committee had been working on plans to improve the median strips within the Town, and would like to know if they should continue workinq on this area, and if not, they would con- centrate on other areas. He said that the Committee was seeking Council approval of the principles contained in the proposals presented, and the Council's recommendations, if any, on any change in the order of priorities established by the Committee. Mr. Smith presented Council a series of slides showing the various median strips within the Town boundaries, and the location of signs noting the entrances to the Town, pointinq out the recommendations for improvements that were being -,)roposed at this time. The absence of signs, and the differences in'4esign of existing signs were also noted. Cost estimates of the noted priorities were indicated in the Committee's proposal which were based on figures presented by consultants. Councilwoman Miller complimented the Committee on their excellent presentation and on the work that had been done to date. ',Ilayor Pro Tem Helgesson said that all of Counsel would echo the sentiments a Report and the presentation expressed by Councilwoman Miller reqardinq the of this evening. Council then questioned Mr. Smith regarding the proposal of the Committee. Discussion ensued between Council Members regarding the possibility Of appropriating monies to the Committee out of the forthcoming budget so that some of the proposed projects might commence. Councilwoman Miller noted that the Committee had already made one proposal before Council concerning the 'Improvement of the median strips, and they had been instructed to appear before Counsel with actual costs, and at that time, Counsel would consider an appropriation to complete that work. Mr. Smith noted that it was the Committee's intention to come back before Counsel with comparative costs and an over-all design for Town entrances at a later date if Council was agreeable, but said the Committee would like to have a definite idea about the median strips so they would be able to proceed or drop the plans entirely. After further discussi�n, Councilwoman Miller suqqested a substitute motion in place of one made by Councilman Cheney to allocate the Committee $3,000.00 from this fiscal year's budget for the purpose of improving the median strips within the Town, and for the Committee to meet with the City Manager in order to finalize their budget needs for the forthcoming fiscal year. councilman Cheney acireed to the substitute moti�on, and Councilman McReynolds seconded the moiion, which carried by the following roll call vote: AYE: Councilman Cheney, McReynolds, Councilwoman Miller, Mayor Pro Tem, Helgesson NO: NONE ABSENT: Mayor Grabowski ABSTAIN: NONE -4- CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - March 19, 1975 4AF SPECIAL REPORTS (cont'd): 3. Presentations from the.Floor: a) Mrs. Barbara Eastman, E. Sunset Drive: Addressed Council concerning the 62 acres Df land belong to tne Falo Alto Unified School District. suggesting that the community apply for Land and I -later Conservation fund monies to purchase these acres for Open Space. Discussion ensued between Council members, Staff and Mrs. Eastman regarding matching funds necessary to be eligible for grant funds, the time factor of applying for funds, and the willingness of the School District to sell the lands in question. Because of the time factor involved, Councilman McReynolds felt that the Resolution before Council should be adopted contingent upon the City Manager's meeting with the School District to determine whether or not they would be amenable to the Town's proposal. City Mananer Robert Crowe suggested that a letter of intent to file an grant appiication be forwarded for the present. He said that this was all that was necessary, and pending his talk's with the School District, an application could then be filed, but the Town would be under no legal obligation to file such a grant request. Councilman McReynolds made this suggestion into a motion which was seconded by Councilwoman Miller. #AV Mayor Pro Tem Helgesson �xpresse,' concern about t'!e inability of the Town t Council dis- ,�, meet t,.e matching funds required for such a grant. cussion ensued, with the consensus being that the Town would be under no legal obligation in writing a letter of intent or in seeking to determine the School District's position concerning this matter. The question was then called, and the motion to direct the City Manager to write a letter of itent to apply for grant funds, and to meet with the Palo Alto Unified School District Board concerning the 62 -acre Parcel passed by the following roll call vote: AYE: Councilmen Cheney, McReynolds, Councilwoman Miller NO: Mayor Pro Tem Helgesson ABSENT: Mayor Grabowski ABSTAIN: NONE Speaking from the Floor: Mrs. Lugil Le ld, Ortega Drive: Regarding the water tank that would be placed on thegsgeulands, and the District's wish to ascertain the Community's feelings on the disposition of this property. b) Mr. Donald S Rio�ad:usSpeakinq as a private citizen, Comr6F_sioner Spen2c2erLe�r6teah"th2ec'hai do condition existing at the inter- sections of Page Hill and Moody Roads. He said that the Highway Patrol #AW had standards regarding site distance which could be sited to the County in an effort to have them reconsider the placement of a stop sign, since the lands involved were within County jurisdiction. -5- CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - March 19, 1975 4AV PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR (cont'd): Council asked the City Engineer to speak further with the County regarding the possibility of having a stop sign installed at this intersection. c) Mrs. Florence Fava low2 listor,�n: Reported on meeting held this T ar, CJ E ff�cg eveninTby C ntennial Commission and their plan to have markers indicating the route taken by DeAnza in his trek across California. This would be part of the County's participation in the Bicentennial celebration. She noted that the marker,which would be in- stalled within the Town's boundary,would be at the intersection of Fremont and Miranda. She said she was unable to report whether the Town would be asked to contribute funds for such a marker, or whether they would be provided by the County. Mrs. Fava also noted that the Agenda for this evening did not include a report by the City Manager regarding his discussion with Foothill College pertaining to the Willard Griffin Home. City Manager Robert Crowe briefed Council on the status of his dis- cussions to date with the Chancellor's office concerning the possible lease to the Town of this historical site located on the Foothill College campus. lie said that at their last meeting, the Board had given 40 approval to go ahead with plans to build a new facility, and had in- dicated that they would be willing to lease the Home if the Town would undertake the improvements necessary. Mr. Crowe said that the College had presented him with some of their cost estimates. Councilman McReynolds thought the idea should be pursued and the costs of bringing the building up to Code standards should be investigated and reported to Council at their next meeting. Council agreed to Agenda this matter to the meeting of April 2nd. J. STAFF REPORTS: NONE E. SPECIAL ORDERS: 1. Annexation: City Manager Robert Crowe reported that the annexation before them this evening was to complete a project started to correct a lot line. He said the property in question had part of its land within the County, and the majority of it was within the Town's boundary. He noted that LAFCO had approved the proposed change to incorporate that portion of the property now within the County to the Town of Los Altos Hills. In response to a question by Council, City Engineer Alex Russell said that the City Attorney agreed that this method was the best way to solve the 4W problem for all concerned. -6- 46V CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - March 19, 1975 ArINEXATION (cont'd): Councilman Cheney moved to adopt Resolution #874 approving the annexation of uninhabited territory, designated the Edgecliff 74-1 annexation to the City of the Town of Los Altos Hills. Councilman Weynolds seconded the motion which carried by the following roll call vote: AYE: Councilmen Cheney, McReynolds, Councilwoman Miller, Mayor Pro Tem Helgesson. NO: NONE ABSENT: Mayor Grabowski ABSTAIN: NONE 2. Public Hearings: a) Consideration of chanqes and amendments to LAH General Plan: With the consent of Council this item was deferred for hearinq at the City Council meeting of April 2, 1975. F. GENERAL ORDERS A UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NONE G. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Council Study Session on proposed revisions to the Subdivision Ordinance. Mr. Crowe noted that Council had received the Planning Commission's recommendations regarding proposed changes to the Town's Subdivision Ordinances. Council was in agreement that they would like the opportunity to discuss the recommendations in depth before setting a time and place for a Public Hearing on the matter. Because of the lateness of the hour, it was the consensus of Council that a special study session should be scheduled for this purpose. It was agreed to wait until the Mayor returned to set a definite date for this Study Session. 2. Councilman McReynolds: Because Mayor Pro Ten Helgesson was the Town's representative to the County Transportation Commission, he requested that he investigate the possibility of inquiring about the County's extendinq its bus service for the benefit of the school children in the area who were no longer being serviced because of school district cutbacks. Mayor Pro Tem Helgesson thought this request would be in order and he would pursue the matter. %V H. A6JOURNMENT: Council adjourned to an adjourned meeting on March 31st, 1975 to meet with the Purissima Hills County Water District. The meeting adjourned at 11:10 PM. Respectfully submitted, -7- Noma J. Hislop Deputy City Clerk