HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-11-1981 Planning Commission Minutes "-': CIZTY 0'1=' DGA PL.ANNING COMMISSI
M ]~ NUTr!S
I'.)ATE: Wednesday, February 11., 19821. 7:30 p.tn.
PI,A(iE: City Counci. 1 Chambers, 13777 Fruitvale Avenue; Saratoga, CA
TYPE: Regular Meeti_ng
ROUTINE ORGANIZATION
Present: Commissioners Bol. ger, Crowther, K'i. ng, Laden., Moni. a and Zambetti
Absent: Commj. ss j_oner Schae.fer
Minutes
The fol. lowing correctj. ons were made to the. n~inutes of January 28, 1981: On
page 3, .under UP-476 (Drtun), the sentence should be added to the :fi. rst pa. ra-
graph: "Commissioner Monia requested Sta:ff to send the applj. cant a copy o'f
Article 1.9 paragraph 19 l(c) o'f the Zon.ing Ordi. nance 'regarding Occupat:i. onal
Home 'Use." On page 4, under A-739 and SDR-1386 (Val. ley), the second paragraph
sh. ould read: "Commj. ssioner Zambetti indi.cated that the ordinances do not permi. t
septic tanks, bu.t a. pp'roval. for a septic .tank had been granted 'tong ago to the
Quickerts. Comm:i. ssioner l,aden stated th. at the site had previ. ous'ly been ill. ega'l'ly
graded withou. t a grading permit. The treatment o:f the previously graded slopes
was discussed. 12t was noted that thi.s s;.i. te was originall. y 'l. ocated under the
HCRD Ordinance. Commissioner Crowther s!ta. ted. that the HCRD Ordi. nance 'requires
that a soil. s and ge01. ogy report be done before approval, and he did not see
that inEormati. on .i.n the report." On pa~e S, under A-739 and SDR-1386, it sh. oul. d
be a. dded.: "Commj:ss~i:one~' Crowther rai. sed 'the questj_on about the City' s lega'l
l:i. ab:k].j. ty w:i. th regard to the d'rj. vewa. y being too steep for fire access. Mr.
Hatper :i. ndicated that the read des.j. gn h.~d been changed, and that the road now
met a.ll. fire a. cces:s requirements." On p.a. ge.6, it sh. ou'l.d be added: 'Mr. Hari?e~'
was 'requested by Comnri. ssioner Monia to 's;ubmi. t th.e 1. each 'field study, sanita. ti. on
report and percol. ation test resul. ts pre'xciot, s'l.y don. e on this site." W-i. th th. ose
changes, Commjssion. er Zambetti moved to waive the reading of the minutes of
,.January 28, 1981 and'approve as amended.E Commissj. oner King seconded the motion,
which was carried unanimously.
CONSENT CA.I,ENDAR
1. SDR-1483 - 2[rv Kow~.li'k, Bonnie Brae ,Way, 1_ 1. or (over 50% expa. nsion), F::inal.
Buj. lding Site Approval. '.
Commissioner Zambett:i. moved, seconded by Commiss:i. oner Mon.i_a.,"'to approve the
above i. tem on the Consent Calendar. The moti. on was carrj. ed unan:imously.
PUBL'[C ItEARINGS
2. V-541 R. A. Maddalena, 3rd Stregt~ and Big Basj. n Way, Request for a
Variance from the parkj. ng r~equi rements descri. bed i_n Section 11.2
o.E the Zoning Ordinance for a combined restaurant/reta'kl sales
operation in the "C-C" (CommUn:i. ty--Commerci. at.) I)j str:i. ct; cont:i. nued
from ,January 28, 1981. ,
staff noted th. at Mr. Maddalena had a:4.~plied for a bus'tness 't'icense
November of 1979 :for a reta~.l. store 2With some sale of wine and tea. The
busines~ l:kcense was j. ssued by the f, ront of'~ice without a signature, wtn.i. ch
meant it did not come' through th.e Pl'ann:i. ng Department for review. l't was
brought to.the attention o'f the Planjni. ng Department that, in fact, j.t was
n. ot a retaj_l sales operatj_on Fl_()0g;, bZut there was a restaurant. The'y
commented that, in analyzing the va. rii. ance, :i.t was necessary to 1. ook at all.
the uses on 'the site. Sta'ff explai. n'.ed that about 1500 sq. ft. .is occup'Eed
by the 'Ups{airs-Downstairs (Ma. ddal. en~as). Based. on that, Mr. Maddalena.
would requ:i. re approximately :9' parkin:g spaces, and a total_ for the si. te is
approximately 40 parking spaces. StZa..f'E reported that there had. been some
discussion w'ith the applicant 's atto:rney ~egarding assessment distr~.cts.
One o:f th.e option. s considered was the potenti. a]. of buying into Parkj. ng
P.j.~n'n_~7~'g Commission Meeti Page 2
MixtUres 2/11/8.1.
V- 5'41 (cont.)
AssesSment District #1. Flowever, in. checking into th. at, it was found it
wa.s impossi'h'l.e because of the benefit and the fact that the district had
been formed 10-12 years ago; therefo're, the applicant had to apply for a.
-.."'.va~:iance. Staff noted. that tilere ha~s been a tremendous amount of support
for this restaurant, and it was also n. oted that a lette'r has been' received
from Mr. Maddalena, and also one 'l.-'ro'n~ Sheldon Ramsey, Vice-President of
MAI Industries, who is constructing .the new shoppin. g ce.nl~er across the
street.
Parking Ass.essment Districts were di~scussed., an.d Sta'l~f stated that if this
particular business were to locate, :.it would have to find a contiguo.us
boundary -For an assessment district.' It was noted. th.a.t Parki'ng Assessment
District I!3, which is located d. irect:ly to the northside of Big Basin, has
not been IFormed.
Chairman Laden. commented that the issue at thj. s time is that there zis no
Parkzing Assessment District in whi. ch' the applicant ma.y participate. The'y~
ds.:'an indi~ridual restaurant must fin'd the adequate parking in non-public
"places for the people who are using 'their services. She stated that if the
Commission feels' tha. t the applicant jna. y continue in business only as part
of an assessment district if he can't receive the private parkzing otherwise,
· then th. at coul. d he a condition ul~on. wh. ich he could conti'nue business. She
exp.1ain.ed that th. ere are certain merchants in tha. t area who are already
signed to be a part of Parking Asses'sment District tt3 when tile required
50% of thos~ peop].e wh.o have ].ands that woul. d. be contributed'to that Parking
Assessment District have signed and :it is act'i. vated.
Th.e pub.1. ic hearing wa.s open. ed at 7:48 p.m.
DOug Adams, .11_4363 Saratoga Avenue, attorney for the owner, stated that he
would l. ike an opportun'ity to discuss this at'a Committee-of-the*Whole,
since their engineer has been in Ge'r~n~any. FIe 'i. ndicated that tilere are a.
number of signatures supporting the .posit:ion. of tile Maddalenas. He
expla:ined that 'Mr..Ma. ddalena does not consider his estahl. ishment a restaurant
no ...c..ooking is done' on the .p. Zremises. 'Mr. Adams stated that l~is'..client~-
· iV~(~'d'~.~f~.~:'_in.~'.~a"li]~'..t_'o]~o-llOW"alO'~' wi'th :~he".i..d..~as regarding an assessment
d:i. str:i. ct in the area and would be st!ppo'f*tivc of such a district.
Ch. airman Laden stated that the Comm-~ssi. on would like to meet on-s:ite and
visit the existing. pa.'r'ki. ng districts. and see the existing parking problems.
She'pointed out th. at there are 35-40 seaks in the restaurant, which has a
rather extensive menu. The floor pl;a.n. and seating were discussed.
John Aird, President of the Village .Association, 'read a .letter f_'rom Pat
Anderson, o.f the l~raid Box, wh:i. ch _'i_s on the same block. Ms. Anderson
stated that she was in favor of this va. rjance, 'adding that her bus:i. ness
has been enhanced by Mr. Maddalena's Upstairs-Downstairs.' She indicated
that it h. as not-jnte'rfered w:i_ttl parking :in front or' back of her property;
there is always a good. deal of parking at the 'rear of the shop. Ms..
Anderson commented that most of. the 'people a're in town for another purpose
and.~stop and get light refreshments .at the restaurant. She added that
she felt :it is a. great asset' to the Village.
Mr. A:ird. commented that the V.i.l.'l.a. ge Association has discussed. this matter
at several. of-- their recent meetings, a.]ong with the j sst~e o-f. park:i_ng. He
stated that they are decidedly in favor of the applicant and request th. at
the variance be gran. ted. Mr. Aird Stated they have taken th.:is pos:i. tion
.f. or three reasons: (.1.) They feel that th.e project represents an enhancement
to th.e V:i'll. age, part:i. cularly from tl~e standpoint of it being an h:istorical
buildjno' (2) It is a pos.itive addition. to the bus-i. ness commun:ity. There
i.s no question that throughout the Village there :i.s a :feeling of having
th.e capacity for l.:ight re-freshment; .and (3) Most :importantly, there was the
unanimous feeling that there has not been any discernib'le'y-.pa'r'king impact
as a resu.1. t of the restaurant. Mr. ~Aird noted that the eight bus.inesses
closest to the restaurant have all .4i'gned a petition. IIe ~.lso noted that
another petition has been signed by ~cit'i. zens in .favor of the variance.
2
'PL[ann-~p,.g C, omm:kss:i. on Meet Page 3
M.!dnutes 2/1:[/81..
Commissioner K:i. ng asked :i..f_' th'e association had addressed tile park:ing d.:i. lY:f.:i.-
.: ties th. at ex-ist, espec:Lal].y at tuncht:i. me, w:i_th other restaurants i.n the
Viiiage.
Mr. A~rcl commented tha. t he was n. ot sure ahout the a. dequacy oi_" parkj..ng l-'or
other restaurants. He stated tha. t they had discussed the adequacy
park:i_ng a:nd the issue o.~. adverse iml~a. ct, and-[.eLt there was none i.n this
case. lie adde~d ti~a.t he was not '~.ami.:liar with the proh]ems o-~. oth. er
re s ta. tlran ts.
Chairman l_,aden commented th. at she [TeLl. t tilere were peop:le who go there just
fo'r lunch. Howev'er, perhaps the maj'ol'.ity are otherwise i.n the V:i.'llage.
She. stated that she had sat on the V:i_'l.l. age Ta. sk Force Com~nittee, the
majority o-iF wh-i. ch were merchants, an..d the major concern ha.d bee'n park:i. ng.
S'i. nce that time a. tL[ new and changed. use developments going into th.e Vil].a. ge
have been requi. red to provide on-site parking at the cost of g:i_vjng up
some o-t7 their comnmrci. al space, o~. b'uyi. ng additional. ].and, or o'lT putt:i. ng
doL[i ars into tile park:i. ng dist'r:ict. Th. at philosophy has been :f.olL[owed
tile Ci_tv.- Mrs. I,aden stated that her concern :i.s whether tha. t p-recess
should i~e stopped; :[.% parking rea.:l.:l.y: not a. probtem? SIte ind:i. cated that
she wou. l.d like th.e Vit:la. ge merchants. to g:i. ve the Comn~'ission some gu:i. de'l ines
as to whether there i.s ampte parking now, and what w:i.l.L[ be need. ed in tile
future.
Mr. A'i. rd stated tl~a.t the nature o.[.' t;he Vi'l. lage has changed clui. tea b:i.t
sj. nce tile Task F:orce cons.i. dered this issue. He exl?]:ained tha. t there are
new bUs:i. nesses wh:i. ch have given new vitatity to the \zil. jlage, and he wou]d.
l~ut the [lpstairs-l.}own. stairs .i.n that 'category. Mr. Aird stated tha. t he
was speak:i. ng to just' the speci'lTic :i.s.sue, which is the possj. hil-i. ty that
Mr. Madda]ena wot~l.d be precluded '~.ro'm h:i.s license. lie a. dded that he was
there to express their strong suppor;t that tile Comm.'i. ssion be as supportixre
as the,x...' ca.n for the continuation o.~. .that business. Mr. Aird stated t. hat
tile Connni. ss:i_on :i.s hr:i. ng-i. ng up other :p] ann:i. ng iSSLIOS, wh:i. ch he feJ. t are
· i.n~portant, but 1.~c].i. eves they shouL[d be looked a.t :in a broader context and
not: d:i. rccted. s:i.n~pl.y to th:Ls busj. ness.
Commissioner K:ing commented th. at he '~.e].t--i.t was tile resl~ons:i.b:i..l. ity o.f tile
ViL[lage Association to took at these. things in a broader context, and he
feL[t that .i.t was a.].so the:_assoc:iati. o:n.'s responsj. b:i.'l.i. ty to exhibi. t a con-
si. stent po].i.c.x..' :i.n that rega'rd. If the merchants don't have a. strong t.-'eelin. g
th. at there :i.s a. park:ing l~rol~l. en~, 'tl'~e,n th.e histot.lea1 apt:~roach, taken by tile
t::i.t:.v has poss:ib].y been in .the wrong d:i. rection. lIowever, Commiss'i. oner
King. ad. ded, he d:id not '.eeL[ tile C. omntiss:i_on .shou:ld dea]. with one specific
out of. the broadet- context, 'wh:i. ch is" a long term devolopment oi-' the Vi:l.'l. age.
Commissioner Crowt. her commented tha. t. parking is a.n un:i. versa'l problem that
a.'l.:[ merchants 7in tile ViL[:lage have to deaL[ w-ith.. However, he understood
Mr. Aird to say tha. thc felt this speci:~.ic bus.tness shot~Zl. dn't be singled.
out, but. that it was a prol~tom that had to be ].ooked at broadl. y by a.l']. o-~.
the merchants and d.e.aEl. t with on that t~as:i.s.
[::omm:i. ss:i..oner King po:i. nted out th. at other appl. i, cants have already t~eo:n
s'i. ngled OLIt; th. ey have aL[ready been 'charged w:i. th add.'itional 'f.ees or pro-
vis.i. on o:~. ].and, a.n o'rder that they m:'i. ght meet tile requirements of th.e C:i. ty.
Commissioner .Monia. commented that he: i.s concerned about the abi'l. ity to
treat cve'ryone Cai'rl.y. lie stated h.e would ].:i. ke the V:i.].lage Assoc:i_ation to
· recommer~d .to tile Comm-issj.on :['f th. ey '.'lTeel that the present '~.o'rmuJa :~.o'r parking
i.s not proper, wtiat :i.s a lproper 'formula.? · Thetel_ore, tile Assoc:i. ation j.s on
record of saying, as they did in. th.e' past., as to-what the.x., feeL[ j.s a. fa_-ir
amount of parking for tile a. mount o'~. business activity that is j.n that area.
C0nun'i, ssioner Mon ia a. dded tha. t perh. ap's then the Comm:i. ssj. on sl'~ou].d took at
.i_t and change the whole ~.ormuL[a. He a. dded that :i_t wouJd be d.i.f~.icuLl. t a.t
th.i.s l~arti cu:l. ar time to 'i tl S t '[ t" ).' a part-i. ct~tal' va. ri. ance on something that we
ha. ve extl'acted somo v'er): strong ~.j_nanciaL[ payments '~.rom other-members :i.n
tile Village.
- 3 -
Pl~nn"tffg Commi. ss i. on Meet ['age 4
M'i'~lutes - 2/11/81
V-541 (cont.)
Chairman Laden :~ndicated that th:i.s j. nput would 'help the Commiss:Lon make
some dec:i_sions. Sh.e added tha. t she wou].d li. ke to 'remi. nd Mr. Aird that
there is a_~.!!_op.p-ing center be:ing bu:i_]t across the street of approx~.matc'/);
'1'9';'0'~_0 '~'0' 2~,0'00' sq. :f-t., and that p~.r'king lot is now i,n use b'y people,
even th'b'u'~n ti~ose stores a~'e not open. She poi. nte~ out some other expan-
sions being consi. dered by restau. rants i.n thc area, and a].so some :i_ndica-
tion .for expan. sion b), some of the me~'chants. She ~ommented that a. 1]. o:L
th. ese w-i. 11' cont~':i. bute to the park-i. ngi prob].em. Commissioner Laden commented
that th.e Comm:i. ss:lon is trying to be faj. r to the lJpstai. rs-Downsta:i. rs, and
also to the people who have already put i.n. to tile present par'king d.:i. stricts.
Mr. Aird requested that Staff coordihate a tln~e', so that 'the Associ. ation can
meet with profes. si_ona]. Sta.ff i.'n terms of the exi. sting' :formula, and perhaps
appoint a. spec..i. al task '.force to work with them.
Commi_ss:ioner Zambetti. commented th. at. MA]. InduStr:l'es are concerned thaP
th. is var:i. an. ce :i.s granted, the), wj_'I.]. have d'tfficulty leasing their shopp_i_ng
center because of ].ack o:f park.lno iIe added th. at cl'rcu].a.t:i. on of traffic
i.s an j. mportant :[ssue to be considered.
Mr. McKenz:i.e, of Park:ing D:i_st~'ict ff'2~ stated that the), a're pa):i. ng heavi.].y
every )~ear for th:i.s dj. stri. ct. He :i. ncJi. cated that he t--'e].t that if the menfi.~ers
of that di_stri. ct are supposed to .pay, then ever)~one e].se should a].so pay
or he].p them to pay thej. r assessmentL Mr. McKenzie commented that there
· never wi. 1]. be en.ough parking because of the hi.].l on one 'side and the creek'
on the other. ]-lowever, he did not fee]. the City should cha'nge th. eir per-
centage o:f park:in~ per squa. re .f:oot. !-le added that .i.f thi. s exception was
made, then :i.t should be made 'for a].]:
It was d'i.'rected that this item be contj_nued to an on-si. te visit on March.
17, 21.981 a.t 4:30, at 'whic. l_~._._time othe_,r' _park:kng di. str:icts wi]_]_ be v:i. sited.
an.d also th.e conditions that ha~e been. placed on p'ri. or app].i. cants . A map
or table of-the Pa'rking Assessment f)istri. cts was a. lso requested f'rom Sta.:flT.
The Deput.y Ci. ty At. to~'ne>~ wa.s askeel.. to :3'rovi. de some specifi. cs about 'Parking
Assessment l)i. stri. ct t7o'rmat:i. ons. Thj..s 5_tem 'wj.].l be cont.i. nued to th.e regu].ar
meeti. ng on March. 25, 1981.
3. V' - 54 2 - 1) a v i d N o 1 ]. e r, R e q u e s t f o r a . V a 'r :i. a n c e t o a 1. 1 o w a p o r t :i. o n o f a. '1. o w e 'r
level. bt~j.l. dj_ng additi_o'n to ma.lntai. n a. m:i.n:imum 22' exte'ri_or side
yard setback where 25' :i.s required, at ].26.1.(') I.,i. d0 Way
Th.e proposal was described by Staf:f.' They stated that there were several
viable opti. ons li. sted i.n the Staf.f Report. They e'x:p'l. ai. ned that they
unab].e to make the requi. red. fi. nd.:i. ngs, primart[i), because there a.'re no
ph. ysi. cal const~'ai. nts associ. ated with. the site whic. h. wou'ld warrant a 'va'ri. ance,
and a.'re recommend:i. ng deni. al.
Mr. Bolger gave a 'report on the on-si':te vi. sit. lie commented that th.c :lot
.is rather strangely- cu'rved, so i.t does present some prob:lems.
The publ:ic hearing was opened at 8:55 p.m.
Ann Noll. e'r, the app:li. cant, described her request, stating that the)~ desperate-
17 need too're room. She stated that the): feel the.v are in no way encroach-
:i_ng u:pon anyone's pri. vacy. Mrs. No'l:].er stated. that the fence along the
side yard wi_.11 not be moved, and they have planted oleande'rs along tile
exteri. o'r of tile 'fienee. She exp]_ained that they had.!'done thi_s a year ago,
and it wi].:l. buffer sounds :from the st-feet and also added to the pr:[v'acy of
that part of the house. She subm:itt'ed p:i. ctul:es o-f tile house.
Louis Do Amaral, tile designer., d.i. scussed the Sta'ff Report, and stated that
a. ctual]')~ 'on].), about 20 sq. uare feet o'f the add. i. tion wou].d encl-oach into
tile reclu:i_red exterior s:i. de yard because the property line :i.s very ct.lT'ved.
at one poi. nt. He noted that thi. s ]or: i.s one of the sinai. lest corner ].ots
P].a nn!;i.n.g Commi ssion. MeetO : Page 5
M'inutes .- 2/11/8]. -
V- 542 (cont.)
.in that vicinity. The opt:i. ons were d-i. scussed. Mr. Do Amarol stated that
with Opt:i. on Yl the s~cond ch. imney :f:irep].ace could not be constructed,
and he :Ee].t it was needed in the family 'room. lie ~ndicatecl w'i. th Option #2
there would be major p. rol~len~s, such hs knock:ing down the ex:isting f:i. re-
p].ace, buildi_ng a new one, cutting down a. fairiF major tree, and disrupt-
:i.n.g some fair]_y new landscaping.
Tom Peters, 203_01 Seagull Way, stated t:hat the No]_lers ha're proven to be
nice ne'i. ghbors and they have improx:ea the property tremendo~m'l.y s'i. nce they
moged th. ere . l.le encouraged the Contmci. ssion t.o a. t3proge the variance, since
he did not feel the en. croachment will harm the looks of the neighborhood
and he would like to see th. em remain'.
Gordon Mason, 2010() Seagul'l Way, stated. that he w::~.s very appreciat:i. ve o.E
h. aving the Nollers /or neighbors-. l-I~ indicated that the addit:i. on would.
not obstruct their view and would like the Co. mm.i.s~,'i. on to grant the variahce.
Mar2. ene Richards, 12649 Lid. o Way, commented. that it is very d:i. fficUlt How
for a fami'ly to re.locate when their ./ami]y j s ext3and:ing because o'f the
prices and i. nterest rates. She ind:icated that they are .wonderful nei. ghbors
and she feels the addition will en.h. apce the neighborhood.
Ma'ry ,lane llof-fman, 2.2625 Lido Way, stated th:~.t she felt the p'l.a.ns we're ve'ry
tasteFu].ly d. one .and :i.t will definite].y improve the looks of the existing
house and enhance the beauty of the ne:ighl~c~'rh. ood. She commented th. at they
have a special neighborhood and th.e No].'l. ers are a real contributing part
o :f 'i. t:
Commissioner Zambetti moved to c'l. ose~ the public hearing. Commi~sione'r Ki. ng
seconded the moti. on , whi. ch was ca. tried unanin~ous l. y.
Commissioner Zaml~etti stated tl'~at ushally he is not one to vote for va'r'.i.-
antes, but as we move through an economic process, :i.t becomes nluch more
difficu'l.t to buy .i.~t Saratoga. l-.te added that liaybe in some of our deve].oped
nei. ghl~o'rh. oods, the Comm:i. ssion shou].d: start .l. ook~ng at varia. nces in a more
1 & n i, e n.t. wav. :
Conun:[ss.i_oncr Crowther stated that he: :Ls not sure he agrees about being
more 'l. en.i. ent on variances, but in this case he bel:[eves th. ere is an unique
aspect to the site, and that is t. he C:urvature of th.e property line and r:he
amount of intrusi. on that .i.s into the2 setba. ck being proposed i.s quite small..
Particttlar].v since the n. eighbors seem to be :ln favor of thi. s pro'ject,
Commissioner Crowther stated he would be .~n fay'or of it.
Commiss:i.o.uer K.ing stated that he had: no problem with the variance. He added
t. ha.t, as a nm. tter of co.ns.i_stency, th.e Commission should -i. denti~y certain
reasons wh. vc:the ~ind. inos can be m~.~d.e., such as the tmusua. 1 nature of the lot
and. the curv'e that has been. diS. cussed. He also noted that it is're'lated
toward the publ. ic d:i. rect:i. on , which wOt~'ld be consistent with'several prior
fa~p.~'id~t'iOn.~ .'Z' ...' ~f-.'."-
Commissioner Mon ia commented tha. t t.h~ fi. nd..ings ca'~ bc made reT~F'din. g '~o~mon.
"~'Pf~'V"i].cgc because of the fact that th:i.~ lot, as a corner ].ot, 'i.s somewhat
smal].er than other'corner lots .i'n th~ nciohborhood
l't was the consensus 'ot= t. hc. Comn~.i ssiOn tha't the findings for the granting
of the va.r:iance c~n Be.'~dde'. .C6l~'{~i?~ner C'r.'ow~her-.Z~oved .t'o grant V='S42,~ak_~hg
the necessary findings, because of the unique aspects of this particular
lot and the c~rva. ture of the propertY' line. Commissioner Bolgcr seconded
the motion, which was carr:i. ed uaanimo m'l.y.
-Break 8: 58 - 9: '!.5 p.m. ;
4.. D:i. scussi. on of the Specific Plan for the Northwest Hil. lsides and the Env:i. ron-
men. ta]. 'Impa. ct l'~eport; Cont:i nued from: Janua'ry 28, 1981
Cha'i. rman Ca. den noted that the ci. rcula. ti. on portion. oF th'i s document has
5
'P'l. an.R.in.g Commission Meet Page 6
l~l_i:n. utes - 2/11/8].
Specific Plan (cont.)
specifically been noticed for a puhl. ic hearing on February 25, 1981.
The public hearing was opened a.t 9:]75 p.m.
George Tobin, representing the Cocciardis, ~stated. that at the Committee-of-
the-Whole meeting last week he had p:osed the question of how broad. was the
intention. with 'respect to designatil~g the .former Cocciardi qu. arry as open
space. lie' ~:e~f~ested that some clear. er defiTnit~on be made in the Specific
Plan as to how much of a quarry they are ta~lking about. Mr. Tobin indicated
that he felt. that this is essential ~to the iprotection of Cocciardis' rights
and to some aspect of whatever liabi!lity th:ere may be upon the City for
requesting the open. space easements which are discussed. l.le also noted tha. t
in. the red.'raft o{.-' tile ItCRD Ordinance'. it mentions Md and Mrf c]assifi. ed
properties or qua. rries. He stated that tilere are no longer any quarries,
and 'Y6r{)~ Cocciard. i'.s qua. try hasn"~t b'een touched since ].972. Mr. Tobin also
requested that this section be more clearly defined.. He commented that
there is a lot of stable property on the 53 acres, and there are four
types of soil conditions, according to the :City Geo]ogist's map.
Staff clarified. that tile topogra. plnic'.al and !soils studies and othe'r design
pla. ns received on th.e Coccia'rdi property w0u]_d provide enough documentation
to p'resent to the Planning Commissio!n. to us~e in specifying the particular
area of the Cocciard:i. site whi. ch wou:.ld. be des:i. gnated a.s tile quarry section
to be removed F_-rom the computation and to b'e set aside .for permanent open
space. They added that the City Geo:].ogist would review and assist with
that detail..
Ed. G0mersall, Chairman of the Parks and ReCreation Commission, discussed
pages 62 and 63, specLificall. y'with regard to the proposed policies re].ated
to the Parks System section. With reference' to del. eting the park site on
the .Fremont tlni. on School site, he stated th:at in their determinations they
have found th.e Fremont [In_ion School Distric::t property, as well as the
Hincks property, as their h. ighest priority ifor retention. Mr. Gomersal. 1
commented that there are no parks in that area of the (2ity, and their
experience has been that when and 'i. 17: develo:pment does occur, there i.s a
.fair amount o'~ .1. everage on a developer.to h'elp develop or retain sites at
little or no cost to tile City. He i'dentifi:ed th.e location a.s the southerly
part o'r lower end of the Fremont School. property. Mr. (;on~ersall stated
that the Parks and Recreation Commissl.on s:ees that as an a. rea park that
would have access .probably to Kreisler Cour:t, so it wot.~].d be ava. ilab't.e to
th.e people-in th.e area of smaller lo:ts clos,er to Sa. ratoga-Sunnyvale Road.
Iqe' urged the Commission to recons:ide~ the proposed policies of the Specific
Plan. Committee in respect to this property.$
Commiss:ioner Crowther stated the folitowing ~concerns: (1) In Sect:i. on 1 of
Measure 'A', it 'i. ndicates that one o:.f the p.r:i.mary goals is to ensure that
the goals of tile 21.974 General Plan are met.: Since the 71.974 General l-'l. an
designates that as a park, he bel-i. eves it w.OL1]_c[ be i. nconsistent with
Measure 'A' to remove it, with the basic.object:ires of Measure 'A..', wh. ich
are to reduce density ..... etc, a:h.d'__'(2) ~sn '-a-i't]-~c-I~, "-a. pPeaV.r-'&c{ "i.n'~ th_'&;.'-.'lJ~nt~.dry-.-13,
iI981"'sail:.:rg~iSe"':Me~Chry';"::'{v]~ich ident-i. fd. es 'fo'r' San' ,.lose and a number of other
d:itiZes s~.x'/~ra'i 'kd'y !fac~,"i.e., the number ~0f-- park sites, the acres of
park sites, the dollars pe'r person p2er year. that the residents are paying
for pa'rks, and other statistics. Commi. ssioner Crowthe'r stated that he wou].d
like to see those statistics developed for Saratoga.
Mr. Gome'rsall stated th. at they will attempt to do th.a.t, but he felt that
they wj'l. 1 come out fa.r less in terms2 of cosjt per 'resident and acres per
resident :i_n. Saratoga, as compared to~ other :cities. He added that it may
not be appropr-i. ate to make comparisons, of course, because o17 the differences
between the communities. He stated ~hat th.ey will devel. op those statistics
on a per capita basis. He aga. jn urged the ,Commission to take the Fremont
si. te :into consideration, since tile Parks a. nd Recreation Commission does
see that as a. va.l. uat~le site. '
Commissioner F, rowther questioned the: word:i.n;g on page 13 under Proposed
[?l. annlfig Commission Page 7
M'ci. nutes - 2/1]./8].
Speci fic P] an (cont.)
Poll_ic:ies, which states "A lot., showIT. as a. unit on a recorded subdj_vis.i. on
or otherwise lega].ly created, 'is exe:mpt from the dens:i. ty requi~'ements of
the Specific Pf[an :i.f'on the date theZ Specific P].an takes effect the ].ot
fail_s t~o meet the minimum lot s:i. ze 'p'.rescribled by the Specific P].an."
He stated that the wording :i.s very coniCusing and is i. nconsj. stent with
Measu're 'A' .Sta-'ff commented that t:hat language was from the attorneys
and i.t has been modified.to be consi. Zstent with Measure 'A'
Commissioner Crowther stated that he: a'lso lqelt that Measure 'A' should
be in the biblj'.ography. Ite c]_a. ri.f:[e:d that ~he would like to see the actu. al
voter pamph].et for Measure 'A' a.ppea:r. Commissioner C'rowther also commented
th'at th-e P].an j. nd'icates that mi.n. ri. mal'. grad-[n'g 'w:~.]l be encouraged. Ile sta. ted
that he wou]_d ].-[ke to see someth:ing ::more sp, eci. f:ic in that area re the
max. j. mum t)~pe of gradjn~g a.l. fl. owable. 'He exl~]..ained that ]~e woul. d like to see
the depth .o~ c.t~t and fj.'l.] beyon. d wh:i.~ch special a.I~proval -i.s required, not
jpst cubi. c ya'rds. Comm:i. ssi. oner'(f:row'theT' stated that, pa. rtci. cufl. a'rl)~ :i.n th.e
hjl'ls:i. de area, the amount you are c~.[tti. n'g imto the s:ide o'[ the hi.'ll j.s the
kev c on s :i. de 'r at j_ on.. .He requested 'tl~a~ 'th'e s'~jecifj:catiohs "bn""~adjng rest~ic~iong---in bthe~:
Commissioner Crowther commented on the sectl. on on page 22 regarding
r:i_dgelines, and stated that he th.j_nk:s unfortunate].y- :i.t j_s almost a:lxqavs
the case th:~t'the ridoge'l.~nes are th.e most st. abl. e ground. I-]e :indicated
{:hat he fel. t the scenic ~'idgelj. n. es :~re not :going to be protected unless
i.t is d. ei::i ned wh. ere the), are and. est'abl:i. sh ssome c'riterj. a for protecting
them. Commissi_oner Crowther stated .that he wou'ld be w:i.:l.'ljng t.o provi. de' a
ma.p where he ~e.t.i_eves~they ate an.d where they shou'Id be protected. lle noted
t~at:-i3~ the :1.958~ Gepera'[ t3]an ':~ o~e -in tel'~ ~a.cre.'l'in~'t h~.~d been put o~ tlxose a.'reas :i.n t:.he
s.,.o'~e"co~serva.~:m ~one' to p'ro~ec~ tl~e scen'~.c rtd~el'~nes. -
(':o:i~'m':ESs:~:o:ne~' (:',rowther a'l. so stated tlm. t he w6'ul.a like to stTike"the""S~te~"
merit on page 25 which j.n.d'i. cates that, grazing on the Parker Rancl~ :i. ncreased
so:i. 1 erosion :i.n th.e area and j_t has 'l~een. reduced b)' the j_nj.t.ial. development.
lie stated tl'~at }~e did not believe 'tl'~at statement .i_s true, sj.'~lce there are
a tot of statistics in the record s~mwLng ~ha.t when )~ou grade a. surface
:l_:i. ke that, the ~soj.:l. e~osj. o3~. j.s o-reater than e'ven what )'ou would haste :in a-n.
.o~e~-.'g~d~'~d. area. He added that he' wou].d :].i. ke th. at statement e-ither
Connnj. ss:Loner Mon. i.a quest.i. oned i.'lT. the:re was ,an o'rdi. nance that could. be used
.lTor reEe~'ence rega. rd'i.ng the contro:l 'of 13'i. kes, moto'rb:i. kes, -recreationa'/
v'ehjc'Les, etc.. :i.n th:Es area and the .destrt~ct.ion o~ the land. Staf-F commenteel
that the Ncjj. se Ord'i_nan. ce would 'l.:>c~ tlie most: 'predom i. nant. Sta~J: exp:l.~-.~:i. ned.
tl~at ~3a. rt off the act:i. on ~roo'ram ~.,;ou'].d be tc, create an ordi. nar~ce -i IT there
:i.s ne ex.:i. st ing ord:i. nance to enforce ,a p.e~rt.i2cu'l ar sect. j. on o'f the Spec.i.f.:i.c
Plan. Conjmi. ss_i. oner Mor~:i.a stated that he t,,~ou.ld he would ].i. ke to see such
an o'rd'knance to protect the hi:l.:ts'i.c[es from ..these vehj_cles :4s one of the
re commend. at :i. on s f'OT a n act j_on -i. tern.
l.)ora G'rens, Old Oak W'a),', stated that~ there ,was an emergency o'rd:i. nance passed
:[n I_)ecembe't' o.ET 1978 .[or a one..~)rear per:i'.od, 'fol.].owing many meet:/n~s with. the
She~'.i.f'f. A.t th.e end of the year i.t was decided that i.t was indeed eftTect. ual
and j.t was made a permanent ordj_nance, with. a. $50 ~jne [Tot the f:krst offense
a n.d. i n c ~' e m e n t a. 1. I. y j. n c r e a s e d a iT t e r t ] ~ a t :~ o '~: , a '1 '1. o :E f - r o a d v e } ~ i c I e s w. i t h i n
500 ft. o'f an>~ structure~, The Depu~>." Ci. ty :Attorne)r was asked to research
this ordinance. :
Wi_].:l.j. am Kohl er, 221842 Via Reo':i na s~ated t:hat the 'j. mp:l. ementat.i. on of th. at
ordinance j_s ve'r>r dj. ffj_c. ul.t rj. ght:. now, s:i_nce 'we have many I3o'l.j. cemen who
service our area who a. re not very -tTam.i. 1..i ar:wi. th j_t. He :ind.:lea. ted that he
wou].d 1.'Eke to see that ordinance conf'i. rmed "i.n' the Specj. fic t"'lan, because
i.t will protect the open space. He [added ~hat dumping and noise are both
probLkems th. at sh. ou:ld be specj fied :i fi the Specj. f'i..c Plan.
Chaz-].es Guj. chard, Warde].1 Road., quesLj. oned th.e s.ec.t:Lon on page 82 regardj. ng ..
:[~ences, wall, and hedges :[n no event to enc].ose or encompass a.n a~'ea. j.n
excess o:~ ,I0,00() sq. ft. it was expla.ined .to Mr. Gui. chard that this
should have 'read 4,000 sq. ft. l)iscussi. on :fo'l.'l. owed on fencing to keep
deer out, wh.j. ch wou. ld requj_re a wire mesh. ~ence. M-r. Gu:i. chard stated that
7
Plamn.:i[.,,~g Commission Meet Page 8
Min'utes '- 2/]__1_/8j,
Spec'tf-i.c l~'l. an (cont.)
.:. he a.].read.~.' had some :l!encing and. wou].d 71j. ke to fence another 2 acres.
It was noted that und.e'r the present IICRD Ordinance he would be restricted
from 'l:enc'ino in excess of 4 000 sq ft 'l".l'~e l)eputy C-i. tv Atto'rnev stated.
that he wou:[d have to rev:i. ew Mr. Guj_chard's partjcul. ar situat:i. on, sj. nce
he ex:i. stj_ng fenci. ng may have been done before the HCRD Ord.Lnance waS. adopted.
He exp].ai_ned that further fencing wou.'ld be subject to the Specific P].an, as
the date -i.t is adopted..
Commiss.Lone'r crowther commented that this wou].d seem to d'i. scotirage agr:i. cu:l-
tura]. graz.i_ng uses of the propert),', wh.i. ch he dGes not th-i.nk j_s th.e j. ntent.
FIe indicated that he feLl. t that C~,l~at'.i:S being referred to -is so].j.d wal'l. fenc-
:i. ng and that should be c'l.a.'rj.f:[ed. ,
Dianne Bolger, a member of the Measur~ '.A' Commj. ttee, stated that they had
d:i. scussed the issue of solrid. wa].:[ versus the open. fenc:i. ng. She exp].aj. ned.
that one-concern that she had expressed j.s that peop].e are not den. i. ed the
r:i..ght to use so'l:i.d wa]..[ in certain areas of th. eir property whe're :i.t ma)~ be
p'rotectj. ve agaj. nst tra. flTj. c impact. Ch. airman Laden suggested that :i.t be
clar'if-Led to read tha. t so].j.d. fences and walls in no event shall. enc:lose or
encompass an area j.n excess of 4,(')00 Bquare :feet, wh-i. ch would mean that a
sound wa].]. cou].d be used around the home, but would sti:l_]_ a].low open Fencing
arou'nd the entire p-i. ece of property or ag'ricu].tural portion.
Comm:i. ss:[oner l~o.'l. ger stated that he would lj. ke to expand upon h:i.s request of
Staff with re~a'rd to the show:i. ng of the roads on. the C'ity Geol. ogist's maps,
and wou:l.d l'kke to i. nc:[ude j.n the 'cj'rculation portj. on that we show the new
proposed extensi. ons. Staff noted tha~ these would be :i_ncl. uded in the next
packet.
Chaj. rman Laden expressed her concern regaz'din~,' the [act that there wa.s very
lj. ttCte o.t7 the pul3:l. ic present at rhis meeting. Staff di_scussed the pub'l.'i.c
n. otj. clng on this matter, and it was noted that the Homeowners Associations
:i_n the a. rea will. be notified of the meet:i. ng on F:ebrua. ry 25, 1981 regarding
th.e circu].a. tj_on port:ion. They a:l. so noted that the entj.'re area w.i.:ll be
not:i. ced, includ-[ng th. ose.citi ze3~s on p. et'i~"i.Off~' that had pre'v'iousl. y bee'n
subm.i. tted. " ' '
Sta..[:l~ j_nd.j. ca. ted that the F:i. sca.:[ ]'n~pac~ Ana]_ysjs wi].]. be dup.ki. cated and gj. ven
to the Commission for further stud),. Comm:i. ssioner C3:owther s.-rn-:ed that one
of the key i. ssues facing tile City is ~he fj_na. nci. a.l considerations. He
commented th. at one of his bas'[c concerns is that it .:i.s his understand:i. ng
that :i.f there are through roads, th. en, the City takes over the ma'i. ntenance
of those 'roa. c'!s and j.s fina. ncia].].y oB.l CL~.'~ated to mainta:i.n th. em; whereas, -i.f
we had. 'l. oop stTeets or roads that don?t go through, they dan be private roads
w'h.[ch. are mai..ntained b), the peo'l?le that ]j. ve on the roads and would not ha. re
th.e same fj. nanc:i. al '.i. mpact on the City'. over th.e 'long term.
Commj. ssione3r Zambetti commented that j.f the City were to loop all1. the roads
we wou].d c:i_rcumven.t sofile of our own ordinances, and we may be .in a. worse
cont:i_ngent 1. j. abi'l.:[ty pos j. tj. on. w.i_th regards to the Safer.); E].ement. 14e added
that, w:i. th the requirements that Pub'lj.c Works puts o:n roads to be I~ui].t,
when th.e developer 'puts th. em in and p~ves them, they a3'e of the standards
th. at requ:ire no l~av'zng for a considerabl. e 'length o17 t:i. me.
Commissioner C3"owther stated that the:experience has been that. there j.s an
add'i.t-i_ona]. risk :i.n. the hil]sid. e areas ~ Ile explai. n. ed. tha. t there are cases
]_j. ke the H:i. gh].ands in San Jose Jose, Where the); have spent n~j..1.].i. ons of
do:llars due to the road problem whe:re:th. ere was .a s].j. cle.
The Deputy City Attornex~ commented that the Ci. tv may be drawn j.n a.s a. party,
even th. ough they d.o not own the road., : w-i.~.h the argument th. at, by approving
the 'subdivj. sion, the Ci. ty has incurred some ].iabi. lit)'.
Commj_ssioner Crowther sta. ted tha. t perhaps' the City's po:l.:[cy in' the ].ast
- 8 -
Speclflc Plan (font.)
number of years, o.17 'try:i. ng to make as'. many roads as poss:ible publi. c roads,
should be rea. na'Eyzed, part:i. cu:[arly :i.n vi. ew of the present -financial con-
s :i. de rat ions.
Bob McBa:i.n, of McBain and Gibbs, sta:ted that presently most o-~ the Ci. ty
streets today are publi. c, and Commissioner Crowther is sa.y:i_~g that, in the
f't~ture, anybody who .1. i. ves in a HCRD :district shou:l.d live on a street that
they mai. ntai. n themselves. Mr. McBai.n commented that he fel. t that would be
denying those future resi. dents the:i.r' particular r:i. ghts ~s they relate to
the rest o'f the people who live i.n the City already. FIe indicated that the
loops streets and cul.-de-sacs tha. t a..re alread. y existing i.n the City are
mainta:ined by the Ci. ty. 14e added that the i. mpact fi. nancially .lFrom through
streets :i.s no d.i'flFerent i.n th.e h. il'ls:i. des than i.t is presently :i.n the fl. at--
lands. It x~as clari'Eled that therei are a. few pri. vate roads in 'the City.
Co~nmissioner Crowther commented that he 17eels the r:isks i.n the h:i_l'lside
area are m.~ch. h:igher than they are :i_~n the :[l. atlands, and the number o:E'
peopl. e served by the roads is small ;i.n proporti. on, and is it fa:i.r for the
citi. zens in the flatl. ands to have to. p~y an inord:i. na. te amount o'f taxes and
take li:i_gh .gi.~anci_al risks to support: these roads into the lnj..l_jl.s.
Mr. McBain stated th.a.t, i.~ that is t:he 'prcn~ise at this time, then there
shou!d be an. ordinance pa.'ssed. stati. ng that.everybody who now l i. ves on
rbads :i_n the Pierce Roa. d hills:i. de area, and any road th:~t :i..s hi_gh maintenance
a-s ]Tar as .Pul~l:kc Works is concerned,' w:i.'l:,]..disannex themselves 17tom the City's
maintenance poll. ties and do tl'~e mai. ntenance themselves, so t.l'~at everybody
will. have th.e same 'ri. ghts.
Comm:i. ssi. oner Crowther stzl. ted. that 'he believes there is some trutl1 :i.n wha. t
r',lr. ;v[cBa:i.n sa:i_d, but he :i.s also referr:Eng back to Measure 'A', wh:i. ch.
essentia:l_]y says th. at the new roads shall. be mainta:i.n. cd by the new resi. dents
b~. 'thor_e_ _r.o'ads~.'
Cha:i'rman La. den comme'nted tl'~at she xcduld l:i. ke. the Public Works Staff to be
prep:-T'recl a.t one of the study sessioq.$ t.o give the background o.F pubtic
streets versus private, and if there is any legal i. mpl:i. cati. on in connecti. on
wj. th some of the po:ints that Mr. Mc[~r4in ha.s made, she thinks it is :impor-
tant for the City Attorney to t~ring 'these up in the discussion..
COmmissioner Crow'ther asked if :i_t i.s still possible to meet. the has:i.c
obj ect:i. ves of Measure 'A" 'wi. thout a. ssessment districts, by just keepi. ng
the roads as non-through streets. The Deputy City Attorney stated that i.n
the SpeciiTic Pla. n th. ere i.s an opi'nion from the Sa. ratoga's bonding counse'[
to the ef.fect that, whil. e speci. a.]. assessment di. stri. cts can be formed for
the purpose of const'ructino a road they can't be uti l_i-zed under Prot~osi. tion
15 17or the purpose of maintain:i_ng the road. He a.d. ded that ri.:E yOLt say
that maintenance shoul. d be handled pri. vately as a pr~'~.ct:i. cal. matter, un'!.ess
y'ou n're ctea'l:i. ng with a si. ngle subdi. vision having an associaCi. on which
rei'~l.'esents the owBers an.d can assess th.e owners through. some vehicle, ')rou.
run :i. nto a practical problem .i:F you ,are deali. ng wi. th. a. whole area and a
roact. which may' cut through.the area.: ~Vith respect to those roads which
may be private, he added, there may.be a subdivision assoc:i. ation responsi-
for i.t, whereas here you are goi. ng to have any sin. g].e private ent.:i.t.x~ that
can. be [ooked.to to raise the Funds; assess the homeowners a. nd perform
the work. Then i.f the roads are not ma.i. ntained, conceix~ab.ly the (2.i. ty i.s
all. ow'zi. nga n.u:i. sance to occur anti may have to take act.ion. a'nywz-~y.
l~'[chard Martin, Pi. kc Road, wh:i. ch :is "a pri~ate :roa. d, stated h.e ~qa.s i. nclined
to agree. l--le ind. icated that jn t. hc~long run the)' are not really practical.,
because 7i.f part o'C Pike Roa. d wa. shed2out, the City would. almost have to
come to the a..i.d o'f the people who mOi. ntazin ri.t. lie a. dcted that he ~e].t the
private road. s have outlived their 'l_:i. ne.
I?ubl:i.c Wo'rks Sta'lTf commented that Cbmmissioner Crowther's concerns are
well. rounded, si. nc.e maintenance otT the hi Tl.l. si.d.e roads i.s considerably
oreater than :151z.~t..1. and roads They i. ndicated that the Specit7:i c Pl. an speaks
9 -.
PZkann~.n.g Commi. ssi. on ~,'leetTtl Page 10
.M.4. nutes - 2Z]Z ]./81 --.
Spec~ :tTic Pl. an (tout.)
to that i_n two concerns: (].') greater it'.are nltlst bQ taken in locat~..ng the
roads, and [23 greater cal'e ~n/Is't be ~aken in the design oi~ the roads.
'l't was d:i_rected. that th:is :item be c. ont:i. nued to the meetino on February 25,
1981, at. ~vh~_ch. tlme the clrcu'l. at-i. on p:l. an wi:[l be discussed.
(Comm:i. ssioner Zambett:i_ l.e:fft the meetino'
· I')ESI(iN REV]:EW
. 2.01.3]_ Ranch. o 'Be:l.].a V:i. sta, S~ngl. e-Fam]Zl.v Ressi. dence,
5 A-743 - (;'i.'l. Sanchez, ..
F:i_na]. l)os'ign Review Ap'i3rovaI; Cont:i. nued 4Trom November 26, 3.980
Staff gave the h.:i. story o:1~ thi_s app'k:i. catlon. They expla. in.ed that the Comm:i.s-
sion had wanted to see the entire Si.~e l)evelopment Plan 'Eor th.e subdivlsi. on
wheel at an>, ti. me the s:i. te development Would be m'odi'~ied or a proposed
structure woLi]d go Oklt Of arl approved bu-Ll.d:ing envcl. ol3e Staff :i. nd:[cated
that approxj. mately 546 sq. 'ITL. o:ff th.irs structure encroaches out ot: the
approved envelope. "['hey conunented that they .were recommendj. ng a.pprova2l,
s:ince no trees are endangered and the setback 'requ:i_rements and'coverage
requirements are comp.l.:i. ed 'w'Lth. The g_l. ocat.i. on of the trees on l.:ots 7 and 8
were d. lscussed.wi. th Mr. Nino (;all_o, ~.he appl:icant.
Conunissj. oner Kjno moved to approve A~v43' per the Sta..fl? Report, the Addendure
a. nd Exhi. b:i.t "E" Conunj_ss:{oner 'Bo]_g~e r seconded. the motion, wh'j..ch wa.s cart:Led
u n a n i. ~o u s 'l. y,
6. A-74:1. - ,]'oh.n MarkuEl.:i.n, ]_5200 Mont. alv9 Road, SLtng]e-]';amil)~ Res:i. dence, l~i. na].
l)esi. on lZevi. cw Approval; (~ont:i.n. ued from January 28 71.98]
...................... ~. .............................. ~ ............................. ,
It was d.i. rccted that this item w:i_]'! 5e cont. rinued to the mee'C:i. ng on I:ebruary
25, .[98]., si. nce the appropriate plans have not be'on subm;kttcd by the app].i-
carIt..
7. A-75l - Ma'rt.:Ln Oudewaa]., Via Tesoro, Sj..ngle.-Fami. l.y Resi. dencc, F::i. na]. l)esi. gn
R e v :L e w Ap p r o 'v a 1
The cu'rrent proposa.l. ~'as desc'r:i. bed by Sta. f.~. They i. ndj. cated that thc)~ had
some concerns ;i.n terms of thC--pr:i. vacy :i_mpact on the adjacent norther].),
property, due to a rear ba]_cony. StAI:F stated tha. t they i'e].t that thi. s can
be mi. tigated ~).' ej. ther landscaping or by p].acement of a scrcen.
Commi_ss ion. er Kri. ng commented that there was concern at the tj. mc oJ~ the on-site
vi.s:it a. botlt the treatment oi7 the o]d~road Ln back oTf the property. Commj. s--
s:i. on. er Moni. a commented that he had discussed thj. s w:i. tt'~ the engineer, who had
st'.ated that the're were two roads and,it was thej. r p].an to b'lade both roads
and ].evel the Wh.o'l.e ground out. 'It ~'as determ:i. ncd that .C6~d'i~'i.On C-~liould .'.
be modiJZied to read: "Submi. t a. ].andsCap:i. ng p].an, ;i. nc].uding treatment o'1~ a].]
roa. ds on the sit. c, 7ffor Pl. anni. ng l)epa'~tmcnt rcvj. ew and approva].. l,a'ndscal~:i-ng
i.s to be .tnstailed prior to ~i'na]_ :i. nspect.~on/occupancy."
Commi. ssi. oner Crm,,ther moved to approve .A- 75]_, subject to the cond:i_tions in ·
the S.ta-ffi7 Repo'~t as amended. Comm'i. sstoner Ki.ng scconded the motion, which
was car'tied unanimous]_y.
8. A- 754 Phy'l.].:Es St i.l. es , Oak Crcck l.)evc]opment, Sara. tog~.,-Sunnyva].e Roa. d,
l."ina'l Design Rev.i. ew Al~proVa]. 17or Awning
The app].i. catTi_o'n was described by St.a'~Tff. They exp'l. ained that the al~pl-icant
i.s requesti. nga modj. tYi_cati. on to an ex-i. sting l)es:Egn Review .Approval of a
commerc:~al structure i.n the Oak Creek deveLl. ol-nncnt. They i. ndj. cated t. liat t.t'~.e
canopy and sevcra]_ awnLngs al. ready exist. Staft~ a'l. so commcnted tha. t there
was a.n il].cga]: sign atT:tT:i. xed to the sotlt. hel~l] sj_d.e of th.e bui.].di. ng wh:i. ch. does
not comply wj.t.h the sign program. and must be ren~ovcd. They stated that
thcy are recomn~encling den.Lal oE thi. s a[~p].icatj. on, bccause o~ the precedent
that would be set.
71. (I -
Comln:iss:i..oner Crowther stated that he di.d not :feel. the awning j.$ too obtru-
s'i. ve, but it would a 1. or better i_f the steel poles were th.e same col. or as
as the other wood beams that are nearby. He added thal. his major concern
is that th.:is would set a. precedent, Wh:i. ch would cause probl. ems :in other
s h o p p :i. n g .are as. :
C}m.:i. rma. n I, aden expla'fn. ed that this. en~t'i. rc center was develol~ed under a. use
perm:i.t under a. planned deve.l.opment. She commented that there was to be a
cons:i. stenc)' of s:i. gnage and :front a.rch'i. tectt~rc of a.l l tl'm build.:ings :i.n order
to mai ntai. n some continuit'y' o:t: the center.
Mrs. Stil. es', the apI~l.i. cant, stated th:at she had not realized she needed a.
pern~:i.t for the ca. nopy, si. nce she had 'been told b7 the awn:i. ng company that she
d:i.d not'need one beca. use i.t was not a. ttact~ed to the bu:ilding. Mrs. St'i.:les
-i. nd'tcat'ed th.a.t none of the other peoljle in the center i. nten. d to put one up.
She add. ed that the owner o:f the cen. ter a. nd other shop o~q~le~'s would 1.:i. ke to
!%~1. a n-n f n g C o m m i. s s i
~:Minutes -. 2/11/81
A-758 (cont.)
d'irectl. y behind it.
Marry Oakley, the designer, stated. tliat th.e own'ers w:[sh to have a s-ingle-
story home, and basjcall:y w:i. th th.e 4,700 sq. ft. l:i. ving area :i.t :i.s gO:ing
to take a fa:i.r].y l. ong home to acqu:i. re tha-t. To n~.i.n:i.m:i. ze the gradi. ng, he
exp].a.j. ned, the.y h. ave' to ma-i. nta'in a. sha].low depth as 'Far as the dimens'i. on
from the :t'7ront of the house 'to the r~ar, and :i.f it were in a L shape, it
wou'l.d con. stj. tt~te additiona. l grading,
Comm:lssi. oner Mon:ia stated that he :fe]_t that Mr. Haas ha.s done a.n excel. lent
job in trying to address the c. onccrn~-of' the~:-Commis-sion, but h.e feels that
the length. Wi'l. 1 cause an :intrusion. on the nc'i~','hbors
Comm:issioner C'rowther commented tha. t]' the lot is on].y 41,000 sq. ft. He
stated that: i.f th'.i_s large a home is go:i. ng to be a. s:i. ngle-story on that
.lot, and :i.:f you consider prob].ems .for the lot further to the sou. t.h, he
would question, f'rom a'n eng:i. neer'Ln~ ~t. and.,~oint, j.f much can be done unless
the house :is made smaller.
Chairman Laden stated that she di'd not think any of the Cornmiss:loners truly
].:ike see~.ng that :l. en~th :for a. house,: but the compensa. t:i. ng factors to the
neighbors x~,ere somewhat o:f an o'ffset., as far as mov:ing the house towards
the street and. making sure :i.t was no~ a. two-story.
B:i.:l.]. Li. nder, 'l.,-i. fc Oa.k Realty, agent .'for the proposed buyer o:f this property,
Stated that he h.a.d shown his c.l. ients. many properties, and th'ls one :i.s
perfect for their purpose. He indic'a'ted tha't they ].:i. vea particul. ar ]-i..fe-
style, and th. ey d.o a lot o:f ente'rta. i;n:i. ng and need th:is design.
Chuck Allen, rei}resent:lng Mr. a. nd Mrs . Berman, 'the proposed buyers, stated
that they have taken pa:i. ns in the de'sign of th-is house. He commented
that they are at retirement stage, and j t :i.s important to them not to have
stairs. He ex:I}lained that, because 'of the e].evat:i. on drop o'f the house, by
turn'i. ng the house or puLting a.n I_, :in'to the house ancl going dowl].ward ill]tO
the e].evation, .i.t woul. d probab'l~' cause a numl}er of stairs to be put :into
the house. l'le added that they are v'ery cognizant o.f the screening that
will. be d. one. Mr. A1].en commented t.hat they have taken 'out an exercise
room to bring th.j.s house down to the' present square footage. t-te add that
they want to n~aint. ain the tree co~er'. as much as they can. and are ve~'y wj.:l.l_-
:i.n.g to a. dd to the quant'ity of trees .tha. t exist.
I)r. Mancuso, Chester Avenue, stated ,that he b~l:ieves tha.'t an honest .attempt
has been made by everyo'3. e to tr~~ to ':work the prob].enm out. He commented
, ~ ,
that if the C'ommissi. on 'feels that ex~erything has been done that' can be d. one ,
he cannot stand in the way of these :people bui].ding what they wa. nt to bu:i.].d.
Dr. Mancuso stated that he woll].d :ler the Comm:i. ss:ion decide; -if they wou.l:d
approve this desj. gn oth. crw:i. se, he w:E].l not object to j.t.
It was noted th. at there will bc an airhor along the drivway, and Exh:i_bjt "'B"
shows this, but Exhib:lt "C" does not:. It was determined that Cond:i. tion F
should be added to the Staff l~eport,. stat:i. ng "Exh.:ll.}'it "C" shall. be mod~.'f:i. ed
to 'refll. ect the d. riv'ewa)~ d. es:i. gn shown :i.n l..Lx:h ib:i.t "B" .
Commlss:i. oner King commented that he feel. s that this :i.s a 'l. ega]_. lot a.nd. a.
leoal application, and the api~]i. cant has wor'kc.d. with the Comm'i. ss:i. on to deal
',with most o:f the concerns. He moved to approve A-758, per the Staff
Report as amended., with the addit:ion oJT Condition E rega. rding the 15 ft.
p.l. ant:i. ng st-r'i p, previous'l.y m. entj. oned, and the addition o'f Cond'i.t:lon '1:,
regard:i. ng the modif-i cat i. on. o:f Exh:i.b:i_t "C" Commissioner Mon.i.a seconded
the motion, wh:[c]l was ca:rr'i. ed unanimous].y. Staf-f noted that th'ere w'i].]. be
.a. study session concerni. ng imperv'ious surface, :i.n connection w:ith the Two-
Story' Ordinance.
C OMMU N .[ CA T I O N S :
O 'r a. 1
1. Discussion o'f I,and Development Committee - '['h.e compos:i. tjo'n of the
- ]2:
[,l')(j (cont.)
],and 1')eveZ~opment Committee was di. scussed. Commissjone:r Mon:i.a noted that.
two o.~ the three peop'l.e on the l.,a.n.c'l l)eveZl. ol~ment Comm:ittee are not 'residents
o:f Saratoga. He stated that he ~vas awa.'re that the St~bcl:i. vis:i. on O'rdinance
spec:i.~j_call. y d:ict~.tes w'h.o shall si.t on i.t; however, he 'i.s concerned abot~t
havin. g two d.:i..Et:erent p].anning a. ssoci.'atj. ons going on at the sume time. t--le
p~oce Commiss.j,o. ner. Moni. a
stated that this i.s a wel'l advert:Lse'd meeting, whj. ch i.s at~end:i. zed, ancl
people have an opporttt'n:ity come i.n a.n.d express thei. r v:i. eWs. lqe :i. nd.i. cated
that he .l~eel. s the l?].annin. g Comn:i ss:i.o'n meeti. n.g :i.s also a better-form :i_n
whi. ch to ,3oft'ray that the Collllqi.qq ion iLs go:i. ng to be very res,3ons:Lve to
the' c. ommtmity and will also ensure that there is as mucln :Lnput on eVer'y
process that comes be.l'5ore us as ,3ossi:ih].e
Chairman Laden stated that her concc.rn i.s where do we t:~ut those items
currently hein,, hand]_ed b'v the LDC; do we conti. nue l~av'i. ng the d. avt:ime
n~eeti. ngs .a.s :i.n the past, or do we tr:,y to adcl i.t into tlne agenda for this
Commiss:i. oner Crowther commented that. before 1.976, when the Suhdi. vj_sj_on
Ord:i. nance 'was changed, .there was no .Land .DeveZ[opment Committee, a. nd these
i. ssues came up hel'o're the l>lann. i.n.g Comm:i. ssi. on.. lie stated thal; in many
cases on'the sma].] subdi. v'is:Lons, the;re weren't major issues a.nd th. ey did
not take ve'rv milch. o'f the Comm'ission;'s ti. me.
Cornmiss:loner Moni. a commented thaU a iot o'f the sLtbdivis:ions now are more
sen. siti. ve, and he Ee].t that there 'will. he better attendance i.n the even:ing.
Th.c Deput"~ Ci. tv At:torney suggested a trial per:i_od. He stated that. p'osg~B"L~'~""';~-
th.e Pl.a. ny~r~g Commiss:i. on, as i.t :lTi..~'~'Is i. ts workload :Ls :LncreaseCl be},ond.'ttne
reasonal3Zl. e I.~ounds, t~'~.}.' find. it 'too bUTdensor~e. He stated t.l~.at at a. mininiunt
· tinere wou].d l~axro to I.~e so~ne act:i. on r~co~'~n~e~'~ded l>'y tt~e Cotn~n:issi. o.n to t.l~e
C:i.t'}." 'C]ot~3. c'i. Zl. to ei.l:t3ermocli.tSy the exi. st.i_~.g ordinance or st~spencl its opera-
t:i. on, pendi~g a- stud',~, of t~o~ zi.t :Ls go:i. ng to work witl~ a.l. 1. matters go.i..~g
co!~e to .o~1 ~:l~ese sc~'~s:Lti.'vc i. ssties a~l(1 ext3ress tt~.eir v.i. ex,,s.
13e revO'kecl, c~.~d. :fo~:' tl~e ti.~ne he:i.'r~g tl~ese duti. es and l~o~'e~'s 13e ctel. egated
A tt'a.:L1 per5. oct. wa.s 'd:i_scttssed. 'Ft~e l'/el?t.~'t:}, Cit}' Attorney comn~e~ted
the [3rocecl. t~'e. ,
'l']~e I)el3L~ty City Attor~3e}, stareel tl~at I~o cot~].cl. prepc.tre a l?'z:oi3osed 'resol. t~t:i. on
~.~'.~
~ ]:-a~l~.tj i ng Comm:i_ss j. on Page 14
"' -~','1 i n u t e s2 Z ]-.1_ / 8 ]
(7 c on t. )
for adoption b.v the Commj. ssj. on. a.t its next meeting.
Commissioner Mo'ni.a stated tha. t he wdu].d accept a change to his molt.ion.,
to state that -Lt be recommended. to tile City Counc~.]. that the powers and
the duties de leo~ted to the La. nd .i)evelopme,~t Comm:i. ttee under the Sub--
div_Ls:i. on O'rdjnance be repealed, rather than revoked, :fro't' a n'i. ne-.month
tr'i. al per'iod, and :tTor the t:i_me be'i. ng t. hese dUt:ies and powe'rs be delega. ted
to the Planning Commission. Conun:i. ss:i. oner Crowther, who had seconded tile
previous mot:i. on, also accepted th:is ',change. The vote was taken on tile
motion, and :Lt was carr:i ed unan:i. mousl. y.
2. City Counc:i. 1 Report -- Comm:i_ss:i. dner Monia gave a. brie-t! report o.n the
Ci. ty Counci. 1 meeting of. 2/4/81. A Copy oi7_- the mj. nutc.'s off tll4_s mee'ti'ng is
on f:ile .i_n the City Adm.i. nistration OJT'~ice.
3. Ch. airman. Laden thanked tile (;ood. ;Government Grout~ :for attend:i. ng tile
n~eetj_ng and servi. ng cof:t_:ee.
4. :[t was noted that the Conuni. ttee:of-the-Who:le meeting on .Marcl'~ ]7, 198t
:i.s cancell. ed. because o:t.-' a. lack o.17 qdorum..
AD JOURNMI:iNT
Cornmiss:Loner K:i. ng moved, seconded b.x., COmm:iss'i. oner Mon:ia, to ad.jou:rn the
meet:i. ng. The mot:i.'on was carr:i. ed un. anilnous'l.y, and th.e meeting was adjourned
a t jl_ 1 · ~ 8 p.m.
Secretary
R S R: c 'd