HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-25-1981 Planning Commission Minutes CITY OF SARA'I'O(3A P.LAENIN5 COMMISSION
Mzi. nut ~ s
I)ATE: Wednesday, Februa. ry 25, 1981 7:30 p.m.
PhACE: C. ity Council Chambers, 51.3777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA
TYPE: Regular Meeti_ng
ROUTINE ORGANIZATION
Roll Call. ..
Present: Commission. ers Bolger, (2rowther~, King, Laden, Monia, Scha'efer and
Zambetti
Absent: None
Minutos.
The :following correcti. ons were made to the m:i. nutes of Feb'ruary ll, 1981:' On
page 4 in the f'i. rst Daraoraph th.e size. o[: the shopping center be'h'~g built
sho~.ld be 19,000 to 20,000 sq. ft., instead of 40,000 to 50,000 sq. ft. On
page 5, :i.t should be stated. that Commissi. oner Crowther moved to approve V-542.
O.n page 7, i.n the second. paragraph, .the :sentence should be added. "Commi. ssi. on. er
Crowther requested that the speci ITi. ca. tions on gradi'ng restrictions in other
communities, such as Los Ca. los and Los .~ltos llil.]s, be reviewed in establishing
cri. teria." On page 7, in. the third paraggraph, the sentence should be add. ed
"Commissi. oner Crowth. er noted that in the 1968 General Plan a one [n ten acre
li.m.i.t had been .put on tlnose areas in the slope conservation zone to protect
th.e s'cenic ri. dgelines." On that same page, in the fourth paragraph, the word
s.tricken in the fi. rst sentence should 'read strike, and older grazed 'area should
read an over-grazed area, and th.e 71. a.st sentence shoul. d read: "14e added that he
wou].d like that statement either cla'ri l:ied or removed." With those changes,.
Commissi. oner Zambetti moved to waive the reading of the minutes of February 171.,
.1_981 an.d approve a.s amended. Comm:issi. oner Crowth. er seconded the motion, which
was carried, wi. th CommisSioner Schaefer:abstaining since she was not present a.t
the meeting. ;
PtJBI,]5C HEAI'~INGS ~
la. Negative 1)ecla. ration - SDR-1484 - Harold Thompson.
lb. SDR- 1484 - Harold Th. ompson, 14906 gobey Road 2 l,ots, Tentative Building
Site Approval
Sta. Ef descr-i. hed the project, sta~ing that there was a requirement th. at
the Cominigsion make an exception i'tY they wish to approve it. They
ex:pla:i'ned that tt!i.s proposal. would create a 'fifth l. ot on a private access
street, which creates an inconsistency ~i. th t'.h.e General .Plan. 2[t was
noted that the Land Devclopmen. t CoMnittee has been very consistent in
.-thei. r act_i. on.s with. regard to creation of a f:i.'Eth lot on a pri. vate access
road an.d has consistent'l.y denied. such an application. Staff also noted
th. at the .minutes were attached on the Jacobsen project, which was a
simi. Iar situation. The Land Development Committee had denied this project;
:it was appealed to the City Council., and the Council approved the fifth
lot. Staff noted that there had been a letter receiv'ed from Mr. Chest,
a. neighhot, in opposition to this project.
The publ. ic hearing was opened at 7::45 p.m.
.Jitka Gymhal, representing Westfal. 1 t.inginecring and the applicant, stated
that the property line cottld be straightened out i.f the stable was moved,'
and i.t was always the intention of th.e app'l. icant to move i.t. She
indicated that this private access'. road was in much better condition
than the road involved i.n the .lacohsen project. She clarified that the
neighbors had not been approached 'as to the possibility of maki.ng the
road a .puhl:ic road. :
- 1 -
I~.~I ann i ~g .: C o mm-i. s s i on 1.-' a g e 2
Meeting Minutes - 2/25/81
SDR- ] 484 (cont.) "-
Mrs. Tho~npson, the a.l-~plicant, stated' that she had tal. ked t.o Mr. 'Vernol~,
a neighbor, and he d-id not oppose th.e project. She discussed the natural
runoff stream which goes through th.e end of h. er property, under the access
road. She stated that when there is;. a lot of water it runs towards Mr.
Ghest's property after it goe~ -. under2 the 'road. Mrs. Thompson commented
that this water comes .~'rom next" door] to_ her property and al'l. the surround-
ing properties and does not {~ where Mr Chest indicated in his l. etter
The road and easement was di_scussed,: along with the kitchen in the guest
house and the barn.
Clyde Ghest, 14900 Sobey Road, stated that they had moved there because it
is a. rural environment. He explaine:d that they had looked a.t the ordi-
nance when they moved there and understood that on a private road there
could only be .four properties. Mr..Chest stated that th.e past owner ha.d
indicated to the Thompso~ wh. en they 'bought the prope'rty that it was llot
possible to subdivide l~eCause of the ord:i_n. ance. He stated that he was .~
opposed because (1) i.t destroy's. h'i.s .view, and his property w-~lue wotlld
decrease, and (2) jt is a.. private ro. ad, and the're will obvi. ously be more
Wear and tear on the road.. Mr. Chest stated that he 'felt that the 'ordi-
nance has kept the sort of environme'nt which Sobey Road has. He described
the swale on the property', stating that in order to build you woklld have
to d:i. vert that dry creek, wh.-i. ch wot~.l.d be a. substantial amount of work and
involve a 'l. ot of grading. ;
Carolyn Fel:i.x, 14908 Sobey Road, a.g'~eed-with 'Mr. Chest. She expressed
concern over the drainage prob].em, stating that it was a very ser:ious one.
It was explained to her that if this' project were a. pproved., j_t would be
approved on tl'~e con. di. tion that the drainage problem be taken care of to
the satis.lFaction of the Engineer:i.n.g Staf.f.
Commiss:i_oner Zambetti moved to c'l. ose the public hea'ring. Commissioner
Monia seconded the motion which was ~carried unanimously.
Commissioner Zambetti. stated. that, r~f the Commission were to grant a
fifth lot, they would be i'nco'ns is tent in rega. rds to the Su'bdivision O'rdi-
nance and also cont~arX to the General PZlan. t-.le stated that h.e would.
-m0ve'tb deny the' ~pplica~'i'on--~ithOut-prej udice; 'and. the. j~pplican~' could
appeal it. He explained th. at i~e would have r. remendous difg:i. culty making
the findings because of the density :problem along Sobey Road, and there
would be five lots accessing on a. private access road. Commissioner
Schaefer seconded the motion, stat-i.~4g that if someone buys a home on a
private road, with an ordinance stating that only four homes will be servecl,
that should offer some stab:i_lity to .people to kl~o~q what to expect as far
a.s projects being built there.
Commi. ssioner (2rowther stated that, as one who has appeared before this
COmmissioner in the past and heard many other cit:i. zens appear and quote
these sections of the General Plan and asked that they be considered with
regard to fairl. y large subdivisions, and essentially ha. re them generalized
~.~ st~ch a way that they were ignored., he 'Einds it curi. ous that on a one .
lot situation a].l of a sudden the General Plan 'i.s being en.gorced. FIe
stated that he strongly supports the motion, si. nce he believes th. at th.e
Subdivision Ordinance must be upheld, but he thinks the statements here
about the General. Plan are inconsistent with past actions of this Commis-
sion, and he feels that the Commi. ss:~on woul. d have a. hard time basing the.
motion on. incons:i. stency w:i th the Gen.eral Plan because of that.
Chairman Laden stated that, since tl~e General Plan is a document of policy
rather than ordina. nces, sh.e supposes that it is open for interpretat:i. on
as to whether it h. as been I7ollowed' for consistency o'r .not. She stated that
she 'Eeels that the ordinance specifically states no more than IFour lots
on a mini. mum access road, and that perhaps the applicant has not made all
th.e eiFfort tha. t could he made to ma'ke a pul3'l::i.c"'-:road 'i.'f that is a possi-
bility. If th.a.~. is not a possibi. lity, she added, she feels that, until
the ordinance i.s changed, the Comm:i. ss:i. on must abide by it.
P'.k..an'n:i_i~g' Commi. ss i. on Page 3
Mi. nutes Meetin~ ?/25/81
SI)R- 1484 (con. t. )
Commissioner Crowther stated that he would like i_t clear that he has
n.o problem interpreting the General Plan thi. s way; in fact, he ]ieli. eves
.:i.t should be i. nterpreted th.:i.s w~.y, but he thi.nks th.e Commjssi..Qn should
be consistent i.n the 'future on ~.121 dases of interpreting i.t.:':. '2 .......... :' "
Commi. ssioner Zambett:i. stated that h~ feels we have to realize that
are talki. n.~, about a Subd:ivis:ion Ord:inance and a Zoning Ordinance and
the General. Plan is general. l-le added that th.e Subdi. visi. on Ordinance
states what can be done, and th.e Comm:i. ssiOn h. as to abide by 7it and work
w:i th i.t.
The vote was taken on the motion to deny SDR-].484 without prejud:i_ce. The
motion was carr:[ed unanimousl. y, and th.e applicant was informed o.~ the
1.5-day appeal_ period..
2. UP-295 Saratoga Gardens Nursery, 12585 Sa'ratoga-Sunnyva]e Road, Fj'rst
I';:i. ve-Year Revi. ew of the LIs6 l-'ern~i.t Approval (approved 'Eor a
15-Year Peri. od) to ope.rate. a.s a noncon'~orm:i.n.g nursery use in the
R-].-].9 500 district
Sta. f.E gave 'tl~e background of th.':[s use permit, stating that this was the
first F'LvezYear revlcw of the a.l~proxral. It was noted tha. t there h. ave
been no compl. ai. nts regarding th=is operation. Staff :i. nd:i. cated th. at they
have made on-sj. te visits and ha. re ribted that the nursery is in vi. olati. on
o:tT Cond:ktions 1, 3 and 4. :
Condition 1 was discussed. St~ff nbted that there are areas that are
not completely enclosed; there ,are bags o.f soi:l"_mi~ter:i.a].s that are not
housed w:i. thi. n the structu. re, and st'.acks of concrete and wood steps and
tools used in thi. s operation a~e outside.
The public hearing ~as opened at 8. f:15 p.m.
Sarath Vi. danage, own. er of the ~ursery, expl. ai_ned that "~'t 'the' 'time"
th.e use p. erm:i.t was approved they were asked to build a structure to house
all o'f the 'fert:ll. i zer and non-I~l. an.t' material. It was determined at that
t.'lme th. at' such a structure woulSd haye to be five times the size o.f the
structure they have today. l. le ij. nd:lcated that they had rcce:i. veda ].etter
from StafviT, dated September 3, :1976:, stating that Condi. ti. on I was modi:fi. ed
to i. nclude only 'fert:E].'i. zers and nonip].ant items, and. soil co'nd.];.t:LOne'~"s
potting soi.ls, stepp:lng stones~ etc. would be left outside. He stated
that he knew' o:[ no n. urseries that store soil condi. t:ioners insj. de an enclosed.
structure. Mr. Vidanage j ndj. cated 2th. at there were no chemica].s or ferti.-
lize'rs stored. outside. It was .noted b-), Sta'~f th. at there is no copy o'.f
the letter menti_oned by Mr. Vidanage i_n tlne use permit 'fil. e.
Condition 5 was discussed. B'Ir~ V:i. danage explained that at th.e time the
s:i. te approval was gi.xren to build a. structure, there was a ]..ocation fo'r
the trash compartment. [.Ie called and asked the garage company if it was
possib].e to have the containers at ~the point shown on the map, but they
said they could not bring the equTi. pment into where i.t was designed, so
he has moved the garage bin to'the .corner o'f the 'property and away .from
t'ratTfic. He -i. ndi. cated that trees provide a screen, and i.f they were to
huild a. '.large enough structure;to House this they wou].d have to cut most
of the branches of two evergreens wh:ich provide a. natural barri. er.
Conditi. on 4 was di. scussed. Mr: Vi_danage stated that they contacted a
surfacino 'Company and were i_nfGrmed that in order 'to stripe it, they
would have to resu'rface the parking lot. lie explained that they have
not had the .funds to do that a~ ye~, but are p].ann:i. ng to resur'face sit.
He stated tha. t th. ey could defini. te'ly l~a:i_nt some si. gns. The circulation
of traffic wa.s d:i. scussed. ,
S:ince no one e~se appeared, Commiss:ioner Kino' moved to close the pub].i_c
hearing. Comm:i_ssioner Zambetti seconded the mot:i. on , wh:i_ch. was ca. rri. ed
klllarl i, IIIOuS ]_y. :
P'] a.nnii~g- Commi ss ion : Pa 'e 4
M:inutes - 'Meet ing 2/25 / 8 ~1.
UP-295 (cont.)
Commi:ssjL'oner King suggested that' the conditions be reviewed for toclay's
situation, to see :i_f the present conditions are appropr:iate. Commissioner
Mon. i_a sta.~ed th. at he would have. a probIem by total].y deviating -fro~ the
present condit:i. ons, and he ~elt that the condit.~ons establLshed at the
time of the approval of the use': permit took into considera. tion its impact
on the surrounding neighborhood. as we'll..
Condition No. :1. was discussed. :It was suggested that th. is cond:i. tion
be modi'fied to al.]ow outside st0ra. ge of soi'l cond:i. tioners, potting so:i.]s,
stepping stones, etc. Commissioner Scha. efer moved that Conditi. on No. ]_
be amended to read: "A].I fertilizers, ch. em:i. ca].s and items that would
relate to the public h. ealth, sa.fetv and welfare sh, a].]. be stored within
enclosed structures." (]ommissioner:.zambe~'ti ~seconded '{!%e"m.0~ion. Commis-
sione~ Monia commented {hlat'tie ~eels the condition shpul.d be_ studied, and
'.if the .Gommissi'on' 'ae'cid'eS 'to alloW' this appliddnt'~o start storing soil
condi{.ioners a. nd supp].ies outsid. e, he would ]:i. ke to see some ].imitations
on the quantity o.f materi. al that be'will. store.
Chairman I.,aden commented th. at in th& past it has been ve'r>~ diff'i. cu].t to
make some determ:inations of tlne: exa. Gt quanti. ti. es i'f the Comm:ission is not
famil:kar with the business. Sh~ stated that, since i.t is a use permit,
the Comm:i. ss:i. on ha.s continuous jurisd:i. ction 'tO control and review it.
Commissioner Monia suggested t. ha.t an extension be a. ll.o~ved for 60 days,
a.'nd the applicant can come back' wi. th the kinds of things hc needs to
operate, and then Staff can look at it and determine whether o.r not th. at
will. meet our ord:inan. ces and wh~ther or not we have some safety :factors.
At that t:i. me the Commi. ssion cou.ld modify o'r accept it on that'basis.
Comm-i. ssioner Schaefer stated th'at she had grown up i.n a family who wa.s
in the 'l. an. dscapino bus:i. ness an:d she' feels she :i.s quite aware of the
companies in this area. She st'a. ted: that she gives them credit for know-
ing more a. bout the:if'business n:eeds. She commented that she felt the
a.l~p'l. icant has been an ext'reme].y. responsi. b].e bus:i. ness person a.nd knows
the needs of the community, andi she. did not feel.the Comn~i. ssion shot ld get
invo'lved i.n setting quant:i.t:i. es, etc. until we see a need or reason to get
i. nvo 21. ved.
The vote was taken on th.e motion to. amend Condition No. '1.. The moti. on was
ca. tried, with. Commissioners Monja, Bo]ger and Crowther dissenti.ng.
Commissioner Crowther commented that he had received a ca:l.'l .from a con-
cerned citizen related to the s::i. tuarion occurr:i. ng on Canyon View Drive,
where chemical's were :i. nvolved, a. nd he feel. s there i.s concern throughout the
communi. ty that our ord:inances a.'re not properly structured to take care of
th.e situation and protect the public hea. Tlth and sa.:fety. l-'le stated that
is p-arti. cularly concerned about' th.e way this motion was worded, because
it does not say airything about that' obligation, and in this case things
l:ike :tnsect'i.c:i_dc cou].d be stored in: large quantiti. es even inside :i.n such
a. way th. at i.t would endanger a .neighbor's residence. He added that he
· fe].t this has to be addressed a;nd tlne Commissi. on needs to det'(~':m:i. ne wlnat
needs to be done in the o'rdinan:ces to cover this.
Commi. ssioner Zambetti agreed., s'tat:i. ng that he :i_s in a. bt~s:i_ness that has
a tremendous amount of chemica. l.'s in. it, and every six months he .i.s investi-
gated in.regards to the chemic~l.s that he has on the site, by di.Eferent
agencies. FIe added that ma.)~be 'the 'ordi. nance does need to address some of
the th:i_ngs that exist j_n. the cQmn~unity, but we wou].d have difficulty
enfo'rcino i_t Comn~:i. ssioner Crowth. er stated that one of the comments was
that we didn't have an.y way of :pros:ecuting a.n individua'l or even col'leer-
ing the City's expenses assoc:i.~ited. with. the circumsta. nces on Canyon View.
Drive.
M~. Vidanage stated that .the:i.r 2mater:i.a].s '.fall into two categories,
ferti. lizers and insecticides in one. category, and soil amendn~ents in th.e
other. He explained th. at all of th.e materials such as -~ertilizers and
4 -
I] 1 ~:~ n n :i. n~g c o mmi s s :k o n P a g e 5
Minutes Meetj.ng 2/25/8
UP-295 (con. t.)
.insecticides ~re in an enclosed. bu:i..l. ding and are subject to :i. nspect.i. on
by the State and the AgriCu].tural Commi. ss:i. on. FIe added that no
chemicals are stored outside of the building. Fie cla. r~.iT~ed that they
do have specif:ications a.s to the use and storage o.f those ch'emica'/s.
Condi. tj. on No. 3 was discussed. Comm.i. ssioner Bol. ge.r stated that he
wou:[d ].j_ke to see the Sta. l::[ be given an 6pportun~.ty to work w-i. th. the
appl:Lcant to see if there -i.s a way.that they will not dest~'oy an>~ trees
an.d stil:l. a. ccomp].'Esh a. screening. .There ~qas a consensus to leave Con-
d:i.t:i. on No. 3 as stated and ha. re the Staff work with the appl:i. cant .
Condition. No. 4 was d:i. scussed. Comm:i. ss:i. oner K:i.'ng stated that he i.s no~
sure that the pav.'i. ng and stripjno of a parking lot j.$ necesse~rilv the
best th:fng to d.o in a. somewhat rural a. ppear:ino' nu'rserv, where x.'o~ wOL~:Ld
put a n.~.ce fence along the front. 2(Zomm'i. ssioner Bolger agreed, stat'i. ng
th. at perhaps the Staff or th.e Commissi. on as a who].e should l. ook at this
parking area an.d see wh. ether or not -i.t ~.s adv:i_sable to pa. ve.. lie stated
th. at he wotl.]_d also he somewhat again. st any undue ha'rdship placed on a
commercj_a]. venture j.n. our communj. t~.- Commissioner Zambett:i_ stated that
he fel. t the striping ~.s necessary.: He stated that he feels :i.t is :i.n~por-
rant tha. t people have a loacl:i. ng and.' tm'l. oading area, and there :i.s some
type o.~ parallel. or d~agona. 1 parkj'ng th. ero to a].l. ow someone to know where
to park.
.,.
Commj. ssioner Monj. a commented that l~e feZIt the Commission was miss:i.-ng the
po:i_nt here. l.le commented that the ,.al~pjl. i. cant has a use permj. t because j.t
i.s a busj. ness activj. ty that is j_n a resi. dent-i. al area., and he has a
responsil~i].j. ty to keep this thi..ng u.p in a decent manner. [-le stated that
he iFelt the stripi~g is part of j_t; and he thinks that having a good
drj. vewa'y, good. c:l. ear s'Lgnage, :i.s al:l. an. :i. mportant pa'rt of th:i_s appl:i. cant
compl. y:kng with th.e use pe'rm:[t that .was or:i. gj.n.a].'l.y granted, a.s we].:l. as
keepi. no it i.n tiptop shape in the a'rea. where the a. ctj. v:ttv j.s l--le stated
tt~at h.e would like 'to see the app'l:i. cant st'ripe, rather than to have a
very 'rural. driveway.
Commissioner Crowther commented th~:~t he fe].t that you have to ].ook at
thj. s s'i. te. He sa:i.d that he :~'elt a, larger i~rob]en~ i_s that somet'imes plant
m3terials are stored out j_n the driveway. There are large true'ks there
at times and -i.t somet:i.mes get very:congested, and he l:e].t. th. at 'i.s more
important than pavin. g and striping: He suggested lookj. ng at the whole
situation and revj..ewing the use pei'mit.
Commissioner Zambett~. moved to have Cond:it'i. on 4 to read as jt now 'is
stated.. Comm:issioner Mon~a seconded the motj_on, which was car'r:i. ed, w:i. th
Comm:i. ss:i. oners Bol. ger, King and. Schaefer dissenti. ng.
The a. pp].j. cant stated tha't .s.:i_.xty da.'~s would be a' reasonabFle time wi. thin
which to compl'y with Condi. ti. ons 3 and 4. Commissioner K':i. ng moved to
accept the cond':i. tion i_n the Staff Report which states that the applj_cant
h. as si. xty days in wh'i. ch to compl'y with Cond. itj. ons 3.and 4. Comm:issj. oner
Zambett'i. secon. ded the mot:ton., xqhi. ch was carried unanimous'l.'y.
3. V-543 Kornel Sp'[ro, 19753 Mi. noq~m. Court, Request 17or a Vari. ance to
allow the construction. o.f:a 4'1'.6 sq. ft. soZl. ar accessory struc-
ture (about 3.5' h'Egh) to.mai. ntai. n a. 10' rear yard where 25'
'i.s requi red
Staff commented th. at the applj. cant has submj_tted revised. site pla.'ns
j. nd.:icat.i. ng a. 3 ft. rear yard, rath. er than a ].0 ft. rear yard. They
stated that the item would have to:be readvertj. sed. s~.nce j.t i. ncreases
the variance 'request ~ and they req~ms.ted th. at it be conti. nu. ed to the
March 25, .198'1. meeting.
The publ:i.c hearing was opened at 8:45 p.m.
Norman Marti. n, ]2524 M:El. ler A. venue~ sta. tea that he was patti. ally responsi-
5
l.)]=a!~nimg= Go.remiss ion Pa. ge 6
'rC]~et'ing - Mi..nutes 2/25/8]: v
V- 543 (cent.)
b:/e for the section in tile Subdiv:i. sio~ Ordinance on accessory structures
in rear 'yards, and. h.e th. ought he wo(t].d try to c'lar:i:fy tile thinking o:t!
th-i.s ord:inance 'for tile Commi ssion's cons j. de-rat_ton. tie expl. ained tba. t
prior to 1.969' accessory structures were allowed to be l. ocated .i.n any
pl. ace in th.e rear yard. He stated that j.n the smaller zonj. ng areas this
created. quite an overbear:ing ef:t:'ect upon nei_ghborj. ng yard. s. Mr. Martin
stated that the Council. was getting appeal. s on rear yard. setbacks, with
the threat that j.f it wasn't given, tile peop:l.e would detach the ad.d:i.t:ion
from the house and make it an accessory structure, since tile def:i. niti. on
of an accessory structure a.t that time was a bu:i. ld:tng 22 'ft. h-igh, wh:i. cb
could contain al. 1 the rooms that a ,house Wou5Ld contain except cook:i. ng
fac-i. lit ies. As a resul. t of a s:i. tuation ~.n l',i.~' neighborhood, he exp]_a. 4..ned
that he was a member o:f a comm.tttee wbj_ch made suggest_i_ons to the Council.
on ways to change the"ordj. nance, and the present section i.n tile Subdiv:ksion
OLrdinance. is the resul. t. He -.i_ndicated that their purpose xqa. s to prevent
essentj_ally add.:i. tions to houses be:i. ng bu:ilt wh:ich were very overburdening
on 'neighbori. ng yards. Mr. Mart'i_n stated he would 1. j ke tile Comm:i. ssion to
take this into consideration when this appl. i.'cati. on is discussed, since 'it
may be thn. t there are now structures that..~tre being bui. lt,_ for example,
so]_a.'r panels, that are cGnsi. derabl. y' lower than. the 6 ft. height, and the
Commj. ssion may want to change the o,rdinance so that these th'i. ngs will. be
al].owed. 1-]e :cbm'ni~B_tejd that patios can be put ri. ght tip to tile rear 'fence,
and he d'idn't 'real. l.y see the di'ff-erence between a patio and a. st'ructt~re
that is very l. ow which is not di. stuTbing to tile neigh. borhood.
It was directed that this item be continued' to tile meeti. ng on March 25,
.1981.
Break - 8: 50 9: 0 5 p.m.
4. A-756 - Kathleen Ba'rri. e, 1.2896 P:i.e.rce Road, Single-Family Residence, I-::i. nal. Design Review Approv:al
Staff gave a description of tile proposed project. They exi~l.a'i. ned that
this two-story structure over 22 ft,. in he:ight is on a lot with an average
slope 1. ess than 10%. There.fore, it. fa].l.s under the requirements of the
urgency ordi. nance and is a noticed t3ubl. ic hearing. sta f-f i. nd:~ca. ted that
it complies xqj. th three oiT the five c'r:kteria. o:f the urgency ord.i. nance.
l'lowever, it wj..l. ZL create some .privacy i. mpact problems with a xqind. ow
th.e second story elevation. Stafff-' indicated that a single story structure
in the same vic~tnity would have the sane privacy impact. They stated that
tile structure i. tsel. f WiZtl parti. a.l.l.y b21. ock the view of the property to
tile northeast; however, the ord.:i.n~n'.ce :i. nd:icates that it has to be an
unreasonab].'e i. nl~e'rference with views. Again, tile sdtith'ern view o-f the
property to the northeast is un-imt3a-i. red; therefore, 'Sta. f:g feels that th.i.s
particular proposa.'l does compl. y with Lh. ose two criteria, and they are
recommend:i. ng approval..
The publ. ic hearj_ng was opened at 9:.1.2 p.m.
Robert Bostedt, 21.2890 Pierce I~oa.d, expressed his opposi. tion to a 2-story
house being there. He stated. that he feels this will. shad. e a sol. a.r
heater wl'~ich he :i.s p.l. anning in h:Ls 'back yard. Staff stated that they
di.d. a 'sh. adow ma.i~ of th:i s structure and :i_t did not impa:i.r the solar access
of his property. Mr. Bostedt stated he wou'l.d l. ike to see tile engineerj'ng
data on tile shadow map a.t a 'l. ater date. He also i. ndicated that quite a
few months before tilere was 150-200 yards .of f:i.l. 1. brought j.n tbj_s area
wilere tile house wil.'l be. lie cli. scuSsed lLh. e flood:i. ng problems onto his
property -from this property. Mr. Bostedt stated. that the swal. es on the
applican. t's property h. ave been fill. ed in. He cornmen. ted th. at he wou].d like
some assurance when thi. s house is bUi_l't that he doesn't receive more f].ood
water than he al.~eady has. Mr. Bo.4tedt stated. that h.e fee].s tl3j_s struc-
ture wi21.1 unreasopa_hly interfere with h'~.~.: view and it x~'il.l. const:Ltute an
unreasonabl. e~-~i_n'va. sio~;Z of privacy. I-le added that any house woul. d, but
a ].-story house would be l. ess o'f a2prob]em than. a. 2-story. Mr. Bostedt
PYanning Cornmiss ion ILlage 7
Mee'ting Minutes 2/25/81
A-756 (cont.)
stated that th.e :f:i.]l had been dumped between the cottage and hyis yard,
where the plans show the new h. ouse ~s to be located.
(]hairman ]_,aden stated that she felt the Commj_ssi. o'n ha.s concerns that
ca. nnot be addressed tonight,' i.e., ~he re:lat:i. onshit~ of on.e lot to another
and the des:ign o.f the house. She sdggestcd that this :i. tcm t~e put on a
study session, with the app'l. icant bx;inging in a site pl. an show:i. ng the
surround:i. ng homes and the:it elevat:i.dn in comparison to thi. s ].and, so th. at
the CommisSion can look at that 'i.n '~:;e].ationst~-il~ to.the other' property.
.She stat:ed she also has some concerns about the building in genera. 1.
Mr. B0stedt Commented that he had tentati. ve site apl~:rova:l. to bull. d a home
in his back yard, but th. at :it had just expired. He exp'lained that the
present zoni. no' does all. ow him to I~u:i. lda home and subdi. vi. de his lot
MrA. Ba. rri. e, .the appl:lcant, stated that Mr. 'Bosted. t's house is qu.i_te a
distance from th.:/s house that she j_~ p:l. annj_ng to bu:il.d. She st'.ated that
there :i.s no fill underneath the area where the proposed build:ing will
be. She exp].ain. ed that she had put in fi. ll. because she 'forrod she wa.s
down in a gu'l.'l.>.' and had 'lost a:l.:l. o.f .her top so:i.]. Mrs. Barri. e exp:l.a:i_ned
that 'when she t~'i.~'st..].:ivcd on this 'l. ai. nd the people 'l. iving i.n Mr. Bostedt.'s
house had perpetual prol.~lems with flooding, and the're was no structure
~vh. ere 'the cotta-ges are now. She indicated that she has spent considerab].e
time, el:fort and money, after bui.'I. ding the :first t~ui ld:i. ng last ),ear, to
'regra. cle Pa. rce]. B so that water drains dowl] tox~'ard the dra:i. nage Cl:i. tch at
the i~ot:tom of Parcel. A.
She :i. ndicated tl4a. t if this ma. tter was continued to a stud.y session on
March :l_7th., she felt i.t woLll_d be too ]ate and she won't be ab'le to build
it. She stated that she had not kl]Qwll she needed l)esign Review Approval
and her contract w:i. th Cap Homes :i.s running out; therefore, she w:i. ll :lose
her money and. h. er financ:ln.o 'l'h.e pOss.lbi].:i. tv of continuj. ng this matter
,. O' ' i '
to the meet:lng on March .1.].tl'~ was discussed. Mrs. Barr.i.e. stated that it
m:i. ght he'l.p, and she w'['l]. subre.it all. :o.f the :information needed..
Con~m:lssioner Monia stated that h.e h~.id spent a long time on th:i.s si. te.
He commented th. at he could not trigu're Out why there was concern about
the 'shadowin. g of th:is bu:lidi. ng onto.the other p~-operty. t4owever, in li. ght
of th.e fact that there :is some consideration to subdivide the next :l. ot,
h.e feels the concern 'rea].ly :is more the upcom.lng home and the possible
subdivision nex:t. door, 'rather than the present :i. mpact o:f the prol~osed home
on the a:l. ready ex:i. sting neighbor:i. ng home. Comm:i. ssioner Moni. a stated. tha. t
he was quite sa. tisified with the project a. nd would ~ove to a. ccept the
recommendati. ons of the Stafi5 and approve A-756.
Commiss.i_oner Zambetti stated. that he woLl].d ].j. ke to see this matter con-
tinu. ed. l-le added that al..1. of the cr:i. teria :i.n the urgency ordi. nance must
be met, and the nc:ighl>o'r says that this structure imt~a.:i. rs his na. tt~ra'l. v:i. ew.
.Commissioner Mon:i.a .stated that he :i.~ concernbd that, :l.lT an>, individual
comes forward and speaks to some ncgat:ive 'find~ rigs, we keep postpon:i_ng
ev'e.ry public hearing. or design review. lie stated that he j.s sa. tis:fied
tha. t there is not a'neighbor's home wi. thin 5.0-60 fee.t of th:is h. ouse.
lie also indi. cated that he did not see any grading on that p'rope'rty, and
there are trees in tha. t area. where the home wi:l.] go. Commissioner Mon:ia
stated that he :i.s not certaj. n that all. o'f th. ese concerns mentioned are
val:ld. l. le stated that he fee:Is he l~a.s enough 'info~'n~ation on d'ra:inage
and topograph>, from the packet and being out on the site.
Commissioner Crowther stated that he did not -Feel he has en. ough i. nforma.-
tion. He commented that he persor~a.l.]y would l.i. ke to take more t:i.~ne to
get additional. :information and look at j.t more careful.].y.
Commi. ssioner Monia too'red to close t]~e public hearing. There was no second
to the motion. It was the co'nsensus to continue the public hea'rino to
March 1]_, 21.98].. 'l']'~e app].:icant was requested to submit th.e -foil. owing:
- 7 -
A-756 (cent.)
(1) Slt:ing ot_" the su'rrounding structures, with elevations
(2) topographica]. in:Eormat_i. Qn
(.5) ln:t~orma. tion off the gra. dj. ng that has been done
(4) in:format ~on on the drai na. ge sittm. tion.
5. l)j. scuss ion o~ Ci. rcu:l. atj. on Portion ~:f th.o Speci:/].c Plan 'for the Northwest
Hil].sides; Cont:i. nued from February. ll, ]981 (8:30 p.m.)
Sta. ftT noted the co~'respondence rece:i. ved. on this matter.. ]:t was also
noted that on March 3, 1981 the con. suZl. tants will be present at. a study
session to answer some otT the more, techn:i. ca] questions.
The pul~].].c hearing was opened at 9~50 p.m.
i):i_anne Bo].ger, of th.e Speclfic 'Plafi Gemini. tree, exp].a].ned that they had
taken the entire Measure 'A' area, :asked the Staff to calculate the. tota.].
potent.ial number of'homes that wou:Id go in, a'nd then asked No]re ~ Associ-
ates to take that numl3er, l.,.ooking ~:tt .four di-f:ferent va. ria. tj. ons of 'road
patterns, and come back w:[th a map,cons:i. sting of those road patterns and
the varj.ous .computations, and what the 1rapact would be :i.n terms of di:E~erent
comb:i. nat:i. ons o:f roads. She stated.that the'it discuss:i. on centered pr.imar'i. ly
around those number counts. The geological over].ay o-f wh. ere the 'roads
would go over th.e ex:ist:i. ng geo.logy.was n. ota. vai].able then; :i.t :i.s now.
She added that they had not addressed the circu].at:i. on patte~:ns th. rough
the Pa~'nas d. evel. opment and through' the-McBaln 6 G.ihbs development.
Comm:i ss:i. on. or Crowther stated that N'Ieasu're 'A' 're:lFers to the :Einanc:ia].
r..ksks to the City o:f maintaining streets i.n h:i_].].sj. de areas, and he asked
to what extent the Committee addressed those risks and ew.lluated
such thi:ngs as lands :l. ]. de ]~a. zards, slope stab:i.l_ity and costs related to
the c:i. rcL~latj. on p].an. Dia. nne Bolger stated that they had addressed the
who:le issue o'f the roads in terms 6f ci. rcu].ation p'r:i. maTi. l.y. There was
some discuss:i. on in te'rms of gradj. n.'g and proportions o.f sl. ope, but most o.f
the construction of the roads :from our pe~'spectjve was goj. ng to be taken
care 'oiT hy th.e va.]'ious developers,:and then the City would.be responsible
'for the maintenan. ce once they became pul_3].lc roads. She commented that
the Cone Repo~t, which discusses the :fiscal :i. mpact olT the roads for the
· City, came to the Comm:i. ttee very ].a. te and a.t that tj. me d~d not have nt.nnl~er
d a t a ]. n i t.
Commiss:~oner Crowth. er commented that, in read:i. ng over the Cone report
on the financial aspects, h.e believes the ntnnbers are not val].d on the
ma:i_ntenance o.f roads in th. at area.. He explained that the Cone report
addresses the fact that these st're6ts w].ll adcl ].4.~ to the t. ota'l b].anket
gt'reets ]_n the City, but it a. ssume~ that the cost wou].d also on].y be
increased by ].4%, and it cloesn~t properly account fo'r rea'l r].sks and
.fi~ancLal cons ] derations. in. the h] ] 1 slde area.
Wa].ter Cze'ropski, 12672 Arroyo d.e Arguel].o, stated that he had just
~'ece:i. ved notice o:E the meetj. ng and have not had an opportun'kty to purchase
a- copy 6'f th.e Plan. He 'i. ndica. ted he wou].d. g].ve :[nput at the study sess:Lon
on Tuesday.
Cl'ruck 'H6ZGa?:', a 'resident o.g Kreis].er Court, asked 'for a defin:ition
the proposed emergen. cy access road'. Chairman Laden stated that i.t wou].d
be used only in case of a 'fire or ambul. ance need and would not be a
through roa. d. She added that there wou].d be a barrier, determ:i. ned by
the Fire Del~artment and othey agencies invo'Lved. StaEtT cla'rifi. ed that-
there had been a. pl_an submitted on the school p'roperty :i.n that area,
wh. ich is not consistent under MeasUre
Commiss:i. one'r Crowthe'r noted that th.e geelog'it maps do not show th.e school
property in the Measure 'A' area. :He a].so commented that the Measure 'A'
- 8:
Plra~nnin~d Commi. ss ion Pa '~e 9
g
Meeting - Minutes 2/25/81 '~
Specifi_c P].an (cont.) :
maps show the property as R-I-15,000 and. that :i.s not consistent w:itb the
Genera] Plan. Sta't:,'ff ex'plaj_ne.dthat the 1974 Genera].. P].an i. ndicates that
if a school :i.s not to be built i.t will go along with the surround proper-
ties. Commissioner Crowther stated:that that is ne:ither consistent with
Measure 'A.' or the Genera'l Plan and' i.t seems inappropriate to include
th. at zon:ing :i.n. a Measure 'A' map. ~t was noted. that the geo].ogic maps
are to just sb. ow the circulati'on and the geological problems, and they a. rc
not in fact show:ing that that is th.e zoning that i.s go:i. ng to end up on
the property. ;
Mr. ::"'i.i;&hdr stated that .i.:f the plan is to have an emergency access road
by the d. er[-'inition given ton:ight, then he :feels the resi. dents of Kreisler
Court wou].d be acceptable to tha. t type of arrangement, rather than a
through street; the>: are very concerned about Kreis'ler becoming a' through
street.
Wi].lem Koh].er, 2].821 Vi.a Regina, ~ta. ted that lie wou].d ].:ike a de.fi. ni. tion
o:f an emergency access from the Fi.r~ Department, and also wou].d ].ike to
know wh. at kind o'f barrier would be tlsed. He a'l. so asked who has the
responsi. bi].i. ty' for the emergency access. Mr. Koh].er sta. ted that the
people on Via Regina are very concerned. about the responsil~i_].ity :for the
roads. Ile stated that topographical maps are needed, with ].ocati. ons where
the proposed roads are. Cha:irman Laden stated that the map was to
indicate connections and n'o-t neCes. s~'rily th.6 enginGe're.d direction of
each o:t.-' those roads, but to indicate the general area that the road. wou].d
come i.n and what roads would be connected by va. ri. ous means.
Commissioner Crowther agreed x~ith. Mr. Kohler's comments that th:is in.tTor-
mati. on is n. eeded because he thinks the risks to the Ci. ty are a 'funct:i_on
of the slope on whi. cb these roads are being bui_lt. He commented that
a.t th.e time of the 1974 General. Plan it was i_n. dicated that i.t was :i. mposs.i..-
b].e to extend Wa. rde].l. Road because .i.t was too steep.
Mr. Kohler ~.l. so stated th. at tie would ].i. ke to ask aga:i.n to get a clear
ordi. nance for off-road vehicles and. :imp].ementati_on of that ordinance.
Capta:i.n Sporleder, o'f .the Saratoga F:i. re Depa. rtn~ent, stated. that an
emergency access 'road would be one ,'for emergent>; vehi:cles, i..e. the
:f:ire department, ambulance and police vehicl. es. He exp.lained tt%at the
t'ype of barri. er would bare to tie i.n' conjunction w:i. th Publi. c Works, the
po].i. ce and the fire department r:fnd the type of lock that would be on that,
if :in :fact there would be a lock. Captain Sporl. eder stated that the cost
ot--' 'replacring the chain or barricade wou].d be the person re'lated to the
.fire or the insurance company. He stated that the>, would probal~ly on'l.y
cut the last 'l. ength on the cha:i.n.
l~ubl'i c Works Staf'f commented that the emergency gates a. re not util. ized
regul_a.r'ly and have not become a tremendous burden on the Ci_t.x.: for main-
tenante. He stated that he could n'ot 'reca].l. when we ha. re bad to expend
Funds 'for the rep].acen~ent o]-'. any of the gates or barri. ers. Sta.:ff added
that these accesses prov:lde a.].so for emergency out', in the event of
dl.sruption to the road.
Ron Knapp, 2(/885 Ward. ell1. Road, stated that he was not ' spea.'ki. ng o'f:fi. cially
for the Wardell Homeowners Associ. ation, but th. ought lie could express th.e
conce'rns o'f some o:f. them. He stated ttna. t the concerns and probl. ems o:f
the people in that area are rea.].ly the same a.s before Measure 'A', when
the Circulation E].entent. was being discussed. Mr. Kna. pt~ stated that a lot
of peop].e :i.n that area have not real].>, been aware of what is going on and
haven't in m~iny cases studi. ed tlne ne~v plan properly. He stated that quite
a :few people will xvant to speak to .the d:i.t~'ferent issues, such as traff'i.c
'f'l. ow and topographical a.n.d geo].ogi. ca'l concerns, the :fi. nancia.]_ aspects,
and rights-o:f-way at the next meeti~.ng.
Commissi. oner Zambetti commented that '_i.t is ve'ry important that th'e Plann-
9 ~
; Pl..anni~g Comn~i. ss ion Page 21.0
Meeti'ng - M:inutes 2/25/821.
Speci'Fj.c Plan (cont.)
ing commj_'ssion get the Spec.ific P]_an to the C:ity Council and that the
Council acts on this before April 25, 1.981, or the City wj. 2[1 be 'i.n a.
very poor legal position in regards to not ha. vj. nga Specific Plan which
was required in Measure 'A' to be p'roduced within one year. lie added.
that the Speci. fic Plan Comm:i. ttee met and those meetings were public, and
they were posted. :i.n different areas. Commissioner Zambett~ stated that
the c:i. rcu'l. ation being discussed 'i.s ver~' simila'r to what was in the EIRs
for th.e subdivisions in that a'rea.
Commissioner Bo].ger pointed out that, under Section 3 of Measure 'A',
it states "The City of Saratoga sh.~ll within one year from the ef:fective
date o'~ this ordinance, or as soon'thereafter as feasible complete the
comprehensive review .... ".. FIe stated that basically there are a. lot of
issues that the Commission needs to take a. very ].ong h. ard look at, and
he thinks we have the time to d.o it now and should not rush to do these
th ings.
Commissi. oner Za. mbe~'ti commented that he d-i_d not want to rush this matter;
however, there are only certain alternatives th. at we have in circulation
j.n the Northwest I'lil]sides, and he'.does not want to constantly co~tinue
the .i. tem. He emphasized again th~:~t he felt the April 25th deadline
j.s ve~'y important to the City -from a legal standpoint.
Th.e C'i. ty Attorn. ey stated that the advice of the Special. Counsel
Measure 'A.' has consi. stently been to t~?y to meet the April 25, 198_].
deadline. There is some question as to the exact meanj. ng of the port:i, on
o:f Measure 'A' that Commissioner Boil. ger read. It does not set up a.
definit:i. ve time schedu.l.e; it just says a.s such reasonable time thereafter,
and it ;is a rather subject:lye stan. dard. 'lln an effort to avoid any con-
flicts or problems that the i. ndelTini. te wording might present, we have
recommended that the City Cou~cil Shoot for adoption by Apri. 1 25, 1981.
Commissioner Crowther stated that he thinks it is perhaps i. mportant t0
shoot 'for that t. ar~et but he-feels it is more j. mportant to compjl. ete the
comprehensive review that Measure '.'A' calls for. He stated that-he is
conce'rned that there have been many hearings on the circulation plan. s
in the past; th.e're h.'ave been pet'itH. ons circulated and prior dec:is:ions
have been made, both in General. Plhn modi.ficatj. ons and other cases, l:i. ke
Pa'rker Ranch, where it was decided2 not to put a through connecto'r road
and the present tentative map o.f t~a. rker Ranch shows no connector road
through. that area beca.use o:f the .input from the citizens. He added th. at
he thinks that now, with the lower density, which was one o'f the key
aspects of Measure 'A' we are showing more roads than we have e'ver
shown before, an.d he questions wbethe'r that makes sense. Commissioner
Crowth. er stated that he thi. nks that the Commission needs to do a very
ca~*e:ful review of this and come to: something that is goj. ng to be more
acceptable to the communi. ty. Ile a'dded that he does. not -feel. it would
make that much d.i'f'ference irf we 'were a few wee'ks ].ate and d~i_d a better job.
Chairman Laden stated that she trel.t a.t this point, since the City has
retained legal. counsel to advise us, that the Commission would be out of
order not to make every possible e'.F-fort to pass this on to the Council so
they can adopt 'i.t by Ap'ri. 1 25, ]_98.]_. She stated that she understood the
concerns o'f everyone. Chairman Lalden asked. t:o'r a.s much public i.'nput at
this meeting as posslbl. e. She sta. ted that she thinks it is the Conun:is-
sion.'s duty to take the input of th.e cj.t:i. zens to try to turn a document
out that speaks to the best otC ou~ abil. ity and that of the Committee,
to the City Council as the w:i11.ofl the commu'nity, and move on expeditiously
a.t this poj. nt.
D'i. anne Bo]ger commented that in one o-I= th.e Apl:yendices to the Speci'k'ic
Plan there -ks the map that gives ~he road counts 'Cot the various al. ter-
natives. She stated that she :ffee]~s a key issue for the people on Warde].l
to look at is th. at, iiY you do not ~put Wardell tl~rough, and you put
Comer through to the new proposed "road that runs para].lel to Pierce, the
impact on the existing homes on Wa. rde]_21 is the same, if not worse.
-
P.]~:u~nir{g' Commission Page 11
Meeting - Minutes 2/25/81 ~
Specific P].an (cont.)
Dee Ful'gham, 'representing the Warde]_1 IIomeowners Associ. a. tion, stated
that there is a title conflict on upper Warde].]. She stated that they
need to inform two new own. crs that the road runs across their back yard..
Sh.e indicated that they would bring all of thei..r information back at the
next meeting. Mrs. Fulgham expressed the fo].].owing concerns: (1)' th.e
private 'road. They need a copy Of the geological. maps to show their
members; (2) the creek on lower Ward. eli; (3) traffic impa. ct.
Commissioner Cro'wthe'r stated that he questio'ned serious].y whether the
c:irculation l~'l.a.n that has been prepared -i.s cons:istent with Measure 'A'
He noted that in the present 1974 General Plan Comer -i.s not shown as
going through.
Virginia Romeo, 12848 Pierce, expressed: 'her concern regard:ino' the many
acc'idents on Pierce Road. and Saratoga-Sunnyv'ale. She stated that if a..l.].
these hi]ls are go:ing to be deveLl. op~d, there wi].]. be a prob]en~ on Pierce
Road. 'It was pointed out to Ms. Romeo that a road has been suggested th. at
runs between Mr. Eden and Prospect, ]which will. connect with. some of those
roa. ds a. nd hopei~u].]y take some of the traf:fic to that direction away from
Pierce. Ms. Romeo a].so stated that 'she felt there should be anotlner signa.'l.
:light at Blauer.
l?ubl:i.c Works Staf:t: stated th. at the City Council has recentFly referred
to the General. Plan Review Committee the matter of a tra:ffj. c s:igna]. :i.n
th.e v.:i. cinity o:f Pierce, Brandywi'ne and Blauer, and that wi:l. 1 be reviewed
as part of th.e General P].an review.
I):ianne BGlger stated that there had been n.o Specific d:i. scussion as to who
might l~ui.].d the road between Mr. Eden and Prospect, or when :i.t m:ight go
in.. She added that there was sollie ~a:l.'k about the design of that road
be:ing part of the Water Assessment D:i. strict.
Staff exp.l.a.lned. that when the Water Assessment l)istrjct was original'l.y
proposed, [~n improvement district wc[s added. to j.t which. wot~]_d i~'~c].ude the
road connectin. g Prospect and Mr. kEd. en. They :i.:nd:icated th. at there was an
EiI:R for both. of these projects that was approved by the C:i. ty Council.
It was not-ed c~Hat ~e deve].opers would pay for the construction of the road,
not the ma:i. ntenance.
Commissioner Crowther questj. oned -i.f':the Cj. ty could af:ford to take the
r:i_s'k o.f ma:i_ntain:i. ng that road, si. nce 'i.t is on very steep la. nd and ]a. nd
that is indicated as uns'tab].eC. or pofentj.~lly unstable.
Com~nodore Woodford, 12755 Arroyo de ,Arguel]o, stated that' they have just
moved the.re, and the:i.r p'roperty has 'a roa. d running through its back yard.
IIe stated he would need some t'i. me to prepare some questi. ons an.d get some
in:formation. [-le stated that he had not been told of the ro~.[d when he
bought the property. Commo.d'ore Woodford stated he would like to know
where the road wi].l be; how i.s 'it going to affect his property; how many
people 'it will ser~ice, and what are the options if you don't put in
Comer and Ward ell. He urged the Commission not to hurry through th:i.s and
allow h:i.m to protect his property.
Comm:Lssioner Crowther stated that Wjjl].iams .and Mocine, wtno prepared the
].974 Genera.]. Plan, at 'the public hea, rings o'n the General Plan, :ind:i. cated
that Ward ell Road was too st. eep to extend. IIe stated that the Comm:i.s-
s:i. on need. s to go back and reviexq th. at and find out xqhat th.e facts are.
Char'l. es Gu.'i. chard, 21]_30 Wardell Road, stated that he owns a 40 :ft. ease-
merit on Wardell Road; He commented .that there are six l~eop].e who have a
40 ft. easement.from the Qu:ito 'lj. ne to where Wa. rde'l.l. Road :is now. M'r.
Guich. ard expll. a.i. ned ~.hat he had previously gi. ven the Commiss:i. on all of the
deeds app].ying to' this 'road with the easements over :i.t. He stated that to
have people say there is some question about the underlying rights people
have to build that road is _[ncorrect. He subn~itted a subdivision map to
the Comm i. ss ion.
:l-U..:itnnj:rtg Comm-i. ssi_on Page 12
Meet'i. ng Mi. nutes 2/25/81.
Spec.i..F-i c l.'ltan (cent.)
Mrs. M. Ven. ator, 2].1.20 l:Varde].]. Road," s'tated that she had prev:iously
submi. tted documents to the Czi. t), 'sho~,~:i. ng that this -i.s :indeed a pr-i. gate
· road, a. nd ),ou do not have an), r-i. ght-.o:ll-~.vay across zi.t. She also'commented
that the U.S. Geo'log.i. ca.l_ Survey' Map .has %.~'ardel. 1 Road superi. mposed.' on the
sectj_ons that are so unstab.l.e the), are absol. utel), unabl. e to contazi. n a
road. Al. so this map does sh. ot~, th. at there are areas that are too steep
to builtd a road by the zol~.j]lg that :i_s put i.n for hi.l'ls'ide conserx~ation.
Mrs. Venator asked ~hO was going to .pay for the cost of deridetuning the
privat.e 'road and land.
The Ci.t)TM Attorne}.' stated that he -is 'not in a position to .in.d.i. cate what the
star. us of any road j_s there, and this ~i. 11. hage to be determ:i. nod. ~,Vith
regards to matters o-f condemnat:Lon, .i-t! those are exre3- needed, the costs
of the condemnatci. on are borne by the condemn:i. ng autho3'it.y. Be)~ond tha. t,
he added, he cannot say x,~,hat woul. d be n:~'~f~:ed~;.;.-i.f.anything, ./or th.e condemna-
Mrs. Ve~ator sta. ted that sl~e t~,ot~]ct. 1.:i. ke the Cit), to bear in mj. nd tha't, i.:f
· i.t is to be condemned, (,'ha.t t,~oul. d. it' cost the Cj. ty; and ~,,hen you get to
the U.S. Geot. ogj ca:l_ Map, how it t,,i].l j. ncl:i cate the .imposs i. l~i.].j.t'>.~ o-IT con-
structing the road. She added that., j.f someho~,~' a'court ~,,oul. d condemn it
and th. en turn a. ro[mcl and .force he'r to pay for the construct:i. on , how would
the City allTotal to .maintain it, ~v'hen '>'ou are pay:i. ng bet~,~oen $4,000 and
$S,00() :for one .foot for maintenance of h. il:lside roads.
B.i:l.]. I"lei. ss, eng:i. nee'r :for Parkor l'~anch, expla. i. ned that the're ~,'as a through
road, so cal.'led, J5rom Prospect Road to the rear pa.~'t of the Pa. rker Ranch,
~.,'h:i. ch ~,'as termi. nated, and had an emergency connect:i_on. on.l.y ~,j. th a gate
bet~een those t~vo Do'i. nts; there ~va.s no through con. nection 'into that propert>~.
Commi_ssj. oner Zambetti noted tinat there ~,as a].so a cond.:i. tjon :i.n the tenta'tive
maI~ that, wj. thj. n a :fi. ve year period of t:ime, the Parker Ranch development
cou:l.d turn. t.l~o road into a. through s:treet j_:f they 'found that tlne res-i. dent-.s
that ~vo'rc !i. vi. ng on the Pa. rker Road ~,,antcd a through st. feet i.n ~'egards to
health and sa:fet>,'. Mr. Heiss stated' t. hat they had to 'p'rovide the casement
and bond, so that :i '/th.e (':i.t}' determ:ined that 'i.t ~,~a.s approl3r:i. at.e that the
road be connected as a publ. i.c conncc't:i_on, that :i.t ~,,ou].d be done.
Comm:lssioner C'rox,,the'r commented that the General P:l. an ~vas modified to sho~,,
that road as not goi. n.g tl'~rough, j.n '1.976 or 3977, and :i.t '~ould seem :l..iko
that prov':i. si. on o'f the tentati_vo map :j.s clear'ly :i. ncons.i. stent with the
(;erie ral P.tan.
Commj. ssioner Zambett:/sga. ted. that :i.n' ,June o:tT '1.978 the final E.I:R on Pa. rke'~:"
Ranch xqas app~.'ov'ed and th. en the tentat:i. ve bt~il. cl:i ng site app'roval t.,;as
grant. ed, and at both of those t:i.m'es the roads ~,'ere' d:i. scussed. I:n Oc.tober
of ].978 P.]ans 2A an.d. 2B ~,ere 'rov:i.'sod, and at these'.~oet-i:ngs"j.t was men-
t:i. oned man')~ ti. mes that the most' :i.mpo:rtant thing j.s thro.ugh c'i.~'cu:tation.
B.il:l He:i. ss, enoineer :for the Pa'rnas Corporat'ion stated tha. t on the
:i. ng there 5. s no d.:tscussj. on o:f anot:her possil3:l.e through road, an extens:i. on .
of 'l.'o:]_lgate x,'esterly from its prQsent t. ermj. nt~s to P'ierce Roa. d. · An agree-
merit has been reached bet~v'oen l'a. rnas Corporation. and the City to pe'rmj. t
deve'i. opment ot7 that parti. cular propert)'. Parhas ag'reed to reduce the
densit>. in conformance to Measure 'A' and h. ave an agreement to a.!.lok, them
to proceed. One of the quest'Lens :in' that partict~:la.r process ~,,a.s whether
or not th.i.s through road t¢ou'Id be ma. ae a pt~blic roacl or an emergency'
connectj_on, and th.is should be reso:Lved, since' construct:i. on ~,,j.l. 1. begin j.n
,.lanet llarr:i.s, 2.1.083 Comer l:)r:i_~re, sta. tecl that the poopLie on Comer ~.~ere gory
happy ~,,Lth the :i. ni. tial. plan that the>~ thought ever),bodv agreed:to, and
that x,;as th.e loop concept, and that :in the:i.r mind serves the :Local. circu-
1. a'ti. on for res:i. dents of the area. Sh.e commented that they are conc. e3'ned
Comer and 1-~'i. erce x,,'i ll become tho'.rough:tFares ~,'i. thout the t~;a'rdel]. connect:i. on,
a. nd sh.o quest'i. oned the need :for a. tho'rough.fa're. If the dens_i.t)' i.s go'ing
-
.p!a..nni.'ng Commi_ss ion Page 13
Meeting Minutes - 2/25/8].
Specif_i.c Plan (cOnt.)
to be .l. ower i.n the hi.l. ls, and we don.' t want commuters comzi. ng through that
area., then why do we have to have through traffic, she asked. She
stated. that if there is going to be Lhe north-south alternate route,
then they want a,lot of di.f~erent accesses, but the key one shou].d be
Wardell.. [f we can't have Wardel.l., go back to the loop concept and just
serve the ]_oca.] people and not have the through tra. f~ic at al.]_.
Mrs. Woodford, kI. 2755 Arroyo d.e Arguelie, stated that they h. ad not kn. own
that there ~vas an easement o'n .the property xql~en they bought i.t. She
stated. that she did not understand how a deadline could be reached on'
the Speci. fic Plan when the owners o.~ the private road are n. ot in agreement
a.s to whether they want i.t to be a l~ubli. c road or not.
Comm:i. ssioner King commented tha. t tl'~e, deadline is for the Commission to
move something forward to th.e City Council, not a deadline to build a
road in a specific pl. ace.
Chairnmn Laden stated that there has~ been some d. iscussjon ~Or
of years as to the rights-of-way on :that particu].ar easement. If the
City adopts thi. s plan and i.f the roa~Is arc :i.n fact designed to be con-
strutted, those legal prol~lems will have to be resolved a.t that t:i. me.
Dora Grens, 1.545]. Old Oak Way, expre.ssed gratitude for the findings in
the Specific PZlan rega. rd:i. ng Old Oak Way and Quarry Road. She described
the accidents that have hat~pened in 'that area, and an emergency road only
will help prevent these accidents. She asked about the barrier, stating
that in that territory there will be wide spaces an.d one road, and one
barricade is not goi. n.g to d.o much good. Sh.e agreed xqith Mrs. Harris,
stat:ing that i.f the through circulation is not accomplished they would
prefer the loop concept. It was clarified that th.e developer will be
responsj. l~le for bringing Quarry Road back to mi. nimum access standards.
Marcus Peck, ].389.1. River l~a. nch Circle, stated that he was. in support of
the plan prop0sedL He asked about the difference :i.n the number of homes
that could have been built under the' tentati. ve map approvals and wh. at
will be al. lowed under Measure 'A' :He stated he x,,as concerned about the
lawsuits the City is facing, '.the legal. i. mplicati_ons, and how much tax-
payers are goin. g to have.-to pay for .maybe a few ho~nes. Staff estimated
that in the case of Parker Ilanch, for example, there xqas approximatel'y a.
-]0% reducti. on.
Commission. or Crox,;ther stated th. at h.e thinks another financial consideration
i.s the lawsuits that the City faces .due to deve].opment on unstable soi 1..
Those Financial risks are possi. bly much larger, Lhe added.
M'r. Peck commented th. at lne 'Celt the engineers, with all of their education
and experience, can d.o a good. job i.n addressi_ng th.e geol_ogica]. problems
that they a. re encountering.
Commissioner C'rowther commented th. at the map shows areas of l~otenti-al
landsli. di. ng where the City 'is pe'rmi~ting houses to be bui_lt. l-le stated
that h.e feels the City i.s taking a ~::i. sk when they approve building permits
in an area where i.t is mapped out that there is a risk. Commissioner :
Schaefer commented that she [e].t :i.t is important to remember that there
are different opi. n'[ons on this.
Vince Carted, 22600 Mr. Eden Road, Stated that he thinks the plan is a
good one and recognizes that i.t is not compl. ete. I.le commented that, to
move peopl. e out, you need roads a. nd'circulati. on.. He i.ndicated that Pierce
Road i.n :i. ts present condition is a dangerous road, and he feels Tollgate
Road sl~oul. d bc expended. Mr. Carted di. scussed the road-in connection
with the Water Assessment l):i. st'rLi. ct, sta. ti. ng that they had an 12IR, and
the geo].og:i. st and engin. eer~ said :i.t was ~easil~l.e. He commented that the
proposal was that th.e road. would be ~bu.i. lt by p'~i_vate funds; however, the
Ci. ty Counci.'l. has never had a hearing on the project, and they have probably
lost all of their opportunity to go through the bonding capabi. li.t:i. es. He
'~i.~.nn:kng Cornmiss ion Page 14
Meeting Minutes 2/25/81
Speci_ fic 'Plan (cont.)
stated that th.e .Comm:i. ssion shoulcl. go: 'forward with the ci. rcu]ati. on and
Specifi. c F'lan; if they put it o.[f the')/wil. 1 lose all o'f the opportunities
to get a. nythino done properly
Mrs. Venator commented that the (]'i.t>,~ :is n. ot going to meet the:lr dea. dl_i. ne,
because the people who have the pr:i. vate .property are going to issue a
restraining order :if the City tr.ies to take thei. r road.
Cha:krman Laden noted that the Spec:li7~ic Plan -[s, as has been stated., a plan
that we need to move forward on, and: if the legal ramificatj. ons can't be
resolved. and the City ever goes ahead w:ith j.t, that is' another step.
Pub].i.c'Works Staf'f commented that the ownership or lack o.f it relative to
the Wardel.1. Road extens:ion is no di.:f:ferent than any o:f the balance of the
circu].ation plan shown there, which ti.~' a. ll across prjva. te propertj. es.
Comm:issioner Crowther pointed out that over half of the total maintenance
cost to the City in the 71. ast fi. ve '>.'e~rs has been on two roads in th.e C:i_ty,
Bob].man Road and RedwoOd Gu].ch Road.,: both hil]_s:i. de roads j. nvo].ving erosion
control. and correction of slides, so. there is ev:idence that these ki. nd of
roads in the h:i. lls are costing the C~ty.
Bob McBa:in, 16461 Los Gatos Blvd., stated that McBain and Gj. bbs j.s p'resently
under obligation by contract and bond to the City to conti'nue the street
at the present ti. me through th. cir property onto Pj. erce Road. He indicated
that they have obligat'lons that lnave. been paid for and contracted with
the C:i. ty to d.o. FIt was noted that tb:is :is the same 'road that Mr. I-Ieiss
had l~revious].y relYerred to. ,
It wa.s directed that thi. s :i_tem w:i. ll. be continued to a study session on
Ma. rcl'~ 5rd a.t 7:30 in the Community Center Meeting Room, and the regular
meet:trig of March 11, 1981.
I)ES '[GN REV ]jEW
6a.. Negati. ve 1)eclaration A- 741. ,John Markul:kn
6b. A-741 ,John Markul:i.n, 1.5200 Montalvo Road, Si'ngle-Fami..1. y Residence,
Fi. nal Desi_gn Revj. ew AplTrow~l; Cont:i. nued from February 11, 1981
StZ~f'E described the proposal, stating that the 'applicant has indicated
that he will conlYorm with th.e concerns of the Commi. ssi. on prev:iouslv expressed..
They noted that the app].:tcant has removed a portj. on of the 3-car garage
so that the structure itself is not over a slope of 40%. l.lowever, they
have :i. ndicated tha. t part of that a. rea w:i. ll be fi.l. led and a retaining wall
used to support that. Staff commented that they feel there :is no adverse
rimpact associated w:i th th.e structure2, and they c'oncur with the appl. icant's
architect, who has sul~mi. tted a letter. to the Commiss:i. on , also addressi. ng
these po:ints.
Commissioner Zambetti moved to app~'ove the Negative l)ec].arat:i. on fo'r A-74]..
Commiss:i. oner King seconded the motion, which was carried unan:i. mousl. y.
Commissioner Zambettj. moved to approve A-74'i, per the Sta:f:f Report a.nd..
I2xhj. bj. ts "C-I.", "D-1", "E-i" and "F". Commissioner King seconded the moti. on,
wh. ich was carried unanimously.
7. A-7SS R. Haas, Chester/Via Teso'ro., Lot 114, Tract S924, Single-Fami:ly
Resid. ence, Fi. nal l)esign Review Approva. 1
Staff described the current proposal; 'l"hey stated. that th.e appl.icant has
submitted a 'l. etter :~ndicatino--some of the modifications he wishes to make,
due to the discussion he has had with. the adjacent l~roperty owner, which
would further reduce the visual -kinpaCt and height of the structure. Staff
stated that the'y h. ad j_nd:i. cated t.o the applican. t that he submi. t revised
l?-l.~;nn'i~g Commi. ssion Page 15
Meet:i. ng Mi.:nutes - 2/25/81.
A-755 (cont.)
plans showi. ng these changes. Sta±'f s'tated that the st'ructu~*e as .:i.t now
stands complcles with ordinance requirements, with the exception of the
deck area on. the north s:i. de of the structure, which. wou].d have to be
reduced or modified to co'nform with. ordinance reciuirements.
Mr. ,James Burns, 2i.4506 Chester, stated that be has an addit:iona.]. concern
regarding a rather .l. arge eucalyptus tree. He indi. cated th. at j_:f that
could rema:i.n it would minimize some 6't~ the problems associated w:i.t.h pri-
vacy. Mr. Burns d;onnhented th. at if tt~at .coul_d be done, a].ong with th.e
other th.:ings mentri. oned. 'i.n Mr. Haas' lllette'r, he would approve the plan.
Mr. Haas, the a. pp].ri. ca. nt, agreed to t}'~j.s. Mr. Burns di.d note, for the
Comm:iss:i. on's consideration, that it was a. very large house.
Comm:i. ssioner C'rowther stated· that he was troubled because it has a slope
o:f over 20% and yet is is only a 41,000 sq. 'ft. lot. He asked· i.f th.e
average ].ot s.i. ze in the subdi. v~.sion :~s in accordance wi. th the Suhdiv~ksion
Ordina. nce. Sta'f-ff explained the site 'cGverage :ffo'rmu].a.
lit ~,a.s the consensus of the Commi. ss'Eon that a swimming pool location be
sh. ox~,n a.s part o'ff the design revj. ew a.l?proval. Commj_ssion. er Crowther stated
that with th.e slope o't7 th'i.s s~.te and the way :i.t .[Ta. ces Chester, a ].ocat:i. on
t~o~ra pool wol.11d be very d.:i..lTficu].t. He asked if there was a so'i.'Is report
on th:i.s site. Mr. Haas commented that there was a. soj.'l.s report that was
required as part of this subdiv:i.s'i_on.
BiZI_]_ lte~ss, the engineer, stated· that Terratech di.d a soils and geotechnical
:i. nvest-i_gat:i_on o]·7 the site. They dril.]ed a sei'ies o i~ boring throughout.'.the
project, but he di.d not th. ink there ~,as a speci:fii. c boring on thri. s ]_nd. ivi. du~l
lot. flowever, they t~ound a cons.iste~)cy. with. in the basri. c area 'w:ith the
borings that the'y h.a.d and did develop a cr~terj. a for -IFoundation design.
The sZlope and oradTi.'ng were discussed
Comm:i. ss:i_oner Moni. a stated that he 7felt the applicant h. as done a good job
in d:i. scuss:i. no' h.:i.s plans with the neighbors and try:i. ng to wo'rk and alleviate
some of the concerns. He stated he l~as a problem xqith. the size o7~ these
· :i~U~eLsand the impervious surface coverage. He expl. ained th~:~t if there i.s
goj. ng to be a. new ordinance soon, he is not sure at thj_s parttitular tj. me
:k:17 the CommTi. ssion waists to continue to approve houses o'ff this size that
are essentj. a. 1].y go:i n.g to be :i_n contTl. ict w:i. th the llew ordi. na. nce that probab].y
w:i. 1]. be passed wi. thj. n a short t~.me.
Chairman Laden. stated that she felt the Comm:i. ssion has to approve o'r deny
an app].ication on what the'y have to work with today, rather than on a
possj. ble new ordj.nance. Commissioner K:i_ng commented that he has a problem
with trying to deal with an issue that :is not in the ordinance we a-re
dealing w:tth. l.le added that he d.j.d not fe¢~l. the a. pt~l:i. cant shou].d he held
up on something that might not happefi. '
~[t was directed that this ~.tem be co~ti. nued to the meeting on. March ].1,
1.98]., and the applicant was requested to subm~.t a plan showj. ng the loca. t;i. on
of a pool.
8. A-757 - R. Ila. as, 1.4()24 Camino Barco, Si. ngle-Famil. y Residence, Final Design
Revj. ew Approval
Sta'ff:iZ exp'l_ajned that this project l'~a.d been to the Commiss~.on s'everal times
and also to the C:i_ty Council. They noted that the applica'nt has talked
to the ne~.ghhor:ing property owners and they have aoreed on th. Ti.s design and
on the d. riveway a].j. gnment for this s~.te and the Ilenry property.
CommisSi. oner Bolger a.s.ked ~.'E thj_s pad is j.n a fl. ood pl. ai.n area·. Staff
reported th. at thj_s proposal. was revi.~wed by the l)epartn~ent o[7 Inspection
Services and these pad elevations were suggested by that department for
that reason, to ensure th. at the stru(zture wouZl. d not be damaged o'r not. be
in a flood situation. Commi. ssioner Bolger commented that he had visited
the site a'Fter a 'raTi. n and ].ooked across the street, a. nd that property's
l?lanning Commission ..,.. Page 16
Meeting Minutes 2/25/81,
me nts t'd't~he drainage' of ~:h'iS pa.r~.:i.~..~'~ar p>o'~z~ty"; includ'G~g';'~':'~'u"i'>e~t
and cleaning out that swale area.
,,
CommissiOner Monia noted that a new :. drjveway had been cut. Public Works
Staff exi3].ained that the're was a gr~di. ng permit to gllow relocation of
that driveway. They. stated. that part of the condition of the gubdiv:ision
of the Henry prgperty and the creation of this lot'was the relocation of
that driveway..:,:~.-~_C
Jim Stuart stated that he had noticed that the driveway had been moved
and 'it appeared that some grad'ing had taken p].ace on the property itself,
away from the driveway area. He asked. :i.t~ some calculations had been done
to make sure that the culvert below that new .driveway is not going to back
Up on top of Mr. Balboni's' property.and create more 'problems.
Public Works Staff explai.~ed that the grad:ing that has taken pla. ce is
relatzi'~e to th.e driveway, They indicated that there was some clearing
of brush. They added that an extension had'been'added to the existing
p~_pe and. some of the drainage to that culvert area is less now than it
was when it was first install. ed. Staff stated that they. did not think
there is water year round in the stream, and the main channel an.d the pad
· -elevations were such to preclude flooding damage to this structure j.f
there was a backup in that .main chaBnel.
Commissioner King moved.to a. pprove A-.757, per the Sta'~'g Report dated
February 19 198]. and Exhi. bits "B", "C", "D" a.nd "E" Commissioner
Sch. aefer seconded. th.e motion, which was carried, witt~ Commissioner Bolger
dis sen t illg. '
9. A-760 - Mandaric (R. Haas), Chester/Via Tesoro, l_,ot g3, Tract 5924,
S:i. ngle-Family Res i. dence, Final. Design l~evi. ew Approval
Staff described. the current 'proposa. i. The applicant stated. that he knows
oE no plans for a pool for this site. It was the consensus of the Commis-
si. on that i.t is important to include a pool location. It was noted that
a tenni. s court would be inappropriate because of the Slope.
'It was directed that this.item be cbntinued to 'the meeting on March 11, ].981.
"l'he applicant was requested to subm:'i.t a plan showi.ng the location o'E a
swimming pool.. Commjssioner Crowth.~r noted that the overall height
th. is structure is given on this pla~, ~here~s' it'was not .given on the
plan for l.,ot ~14, A--757. The applic~.nt was a'lso asked to submit this infor-
mation at the next meeting.
COMM[I N I CA T IONS
Written It was noted that the matter' of the mezzanine in the V:E1].age
Square Shopping Center has been 'wn~t.h. drawn.
Oral
1. City Council. 1 Report - Commissioner Crowther gave a brie'E
· report on tlne City Council meeting held on February 11, 1981. A copy o'ff the
minutes of tha. t meeting is on file in the (]ity Admini. stration. Office.
2. l,and Development (]ommittee - The timeframe involing tlne
Land Development activities was discussed. The possib_Elity of setting up a.
Subdi. vision Committee of the Commission was considered. Chairman I.,aden asked
the Commiss:i. onors to consider the opt:ions and they will be discussed a.t the
next meeting.
3. Chairman Laden thanked Councilpersons Jensen and Clevenger for
attending th.e meeting, and the Good Gov~rm'ent Group for 'attending and serving
c o f 'f e e.
- 16 -
l:>i~ h~i~:i_~'~ *Connn~s s j. oI~ Page .]. 7
Meeting Minutes 2/25/83.
AD.JOLIRNMENT
It was moved. by Commits :i. one'r Monia, secondeel ]')y Colllnliss :i older Scha. e'fer, to actj ourn
the meeting. 'l"he lllot:i. on. was carrzied Ll'nanzi.~nOtlS]y, and th.e meeting was adjournc~d
at '1.2:20 p.m.
\
Respect:lTully submitted,
RSR: cd