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Home My WebLink About07-02-2014 Desk Items City Council meetingCity of Saratoga CITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING Meeting Discussion Topics Joint Meeting with Parks and Recreation Commission and Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Advisory Committee July 2, 2014 16:00 p.m. Saratoga City Hall I Administrative Conference Room 6:00 p.m. Dinner & Introductions 6:15 p.m. Parks and Recreation Commission: Updates, Work Plan, Movie Night 6:30 p.m. Pedestrian, Equestrian, and Bicycle Trails Advisory Committee: Updates and Work Plan 6:45 p.m. Other Remarks & Wrap Up * The Regular City Council Meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Civic Theater. Joint meeting attendees are invited to attend the Regular Meeting and share an overview of the joint meeting with the public during Oral Communications. Saratoga Pedestrian, Equestrian and Bicycle Trails Advisory Committee 2014 Report to City Council Joint City Council Meeting with PRC and PEBTAC July 2, 2014 • The beginning of the year saw funding awarded for the Blue Hills School RR Crossing Safety Project by VTA. Contact with UPRR has taken place by City staff. Additional information about this "Reconnect Saratoga" project as it is popularly known prepared by one of the neighbors is attached. It is important for City Council members of VTA committees like the PAC and BPAC to continue to ask about this project at their VTA meetings. Mayor Emily Lo conducted a ribbon cutting of the new up -lit crosswalk of Saratoga Los Gatos Rd at Mendelsohn Lane and adjacent landscape path connecting Three Oaks Way and Farwell Avenue. The pathway was surrounded by an explosion of color from wildflowers set off by the only rain we saw in this very dry year. The path has solar lamps overhead at each end where street crossings exist. • The Quito Bridge Replacement Project was reviewed. Los Gatos has agreed to give Saratoga the pedestrian arch side bridge which will be used behind City Offices to connect to the Orchard Trail. Quito will have a continuous pedestrian path in the project area extending out to Sobey and Pollard on the creek side. The roadway will have shoulders for use by bicycle traffic. • Committee members participated in the Quarry Park Master Plan process. The Park will have a multi -use trail system and future connectivity to Hakone and Saratoga to the Sea Trail at Sanborn County Park. • County Roads made a presentation on their 2040 Expressway Plan and the committee provided comments regarding the intersections at Prospect Rd. and Saratoga Avenue. • Members continued to report on trail connectivity opportunities where easements have been granted in the Mt. Eden equestrian area. Jan Garrod is building a new trail in this area as part of the annexation conditions. Additionally, trail easements in other areas are acquired when opportunities arise. Three trail easements were acquired in the past year — two behind developments on Big Basin Way across from 6th Street and one on St Marcos Road. • Input was provided to VTA for their proposed SR85 HOT Project to include provisions for the Congress Spring Northside Access Pathway which is in the city's unfunded Capital Projects Roster. This would comply with Routine Accommodation directives by MTC and Caltrans. • Jim Stallman was appointed by the Council to serve as the city's rep on the VTA Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. • Future Business will include matters as may be brought to the committee by the City Council and routine Trail Reports by staff and committee members along with West Valley College communications on their forthcoming Creek Trail and its connections to the City Trail System. • The trail maintenance crew is doing good job with improving and upkeep of existing City trails. Villa Oaks trail repair. New stairs at Orchard trail. PRC Work Plan 2014 -2015 PROPOSED ONGOING ACTIVITIES Project Name Objective Tasks Movie Night To gather Saratoga residents - Continue outdoor movie night series in the together at a family - friendly summer of 2014 until a community champion event to build stronger volunteers to take over the effort. community relations. - Consider developing a sponsorship program for the movies to help guide future requests for sponsorships. Let's Walk To encourage a healthy - Coordinate guided walks at the Quarry Park Saratoga lifestyle and quality of life by and other trails in Saratoga to support the introducing trails in Saratoga City's Let's Move! initiative and continue to through guided walks. build participation rate. Nesting boxes To enhance biodiversity and - Consider working with West Valley College greater understanding of Parks Management Department to monitor urban wildlife. the nesting boxes beginning in November to prepare for the 2015 calendar. 4 kJ Blue Hills RailRoad Safety Crossing aka Reconnect Saratoga! Goal: Restore Saratoga's community connections and promote non - emissions transportation options by providing a Safe Crossing between Fredericksburg Drive and Guava Court — a location of long -time and desired use by pedestrians and bicyclists — thus enabling individuals, families, school children to once again enjoy full access to community features. Reconnect Saratoga. 'Jd 1 C%w- N Blue Hills �Z 0 Elementary School �m Dr a BLUE HILLS GOLDEN TRIANGL C' :,Sea G�� Way Site of former crossing to reopen cc N 'der Scully Ave 0 Fre vd�a C1 Karn G Section of Joe's Trail, Saratoga cU)o oer_ck 2 o �bVrg UPRR tracks ca r ca U) Yuba �' CoxAvt? Pre -2007 Closure, access between Fredericksburg Drive and Guava Court provided an ideal means of going to school, accessing parks and city facilities, connecting with neighbors and community. Left: shows thru- pathway from Fredericksburg Dr. (1998) Right, shows thru- athwa from / g P Y Guava Ct. (c. 1998) 2013 brought the celebrated upgrade and re- opening of the Fredericksburg Drive access to the new (2011) Joe's Trail in Saratoga. Still remaining, with strong community support, is to upgrade and re -open the Guava Court access. ® The City of Semtoga and the Neighborhood nviM you to the grand reopening of redericksburg Drive Access to Joe's Trail r Blue Hills RailRoad Safety Crossing aka Reconnect Saratoga! What is Joe's Trail and how is it related to the crossine between Fredericksbur;; Dr. and Guava Ct.? Saratoga Outdoors On November 17, 2011, the City of Saratoga celebrated the completion of Joe's Trail at Saratoga de Anza. This new pedestrian and bicycle trail stretches from Saratoga - Sunnyvale Road to Saratoga Avenue on a Pacific Gas Er Electric (PG &E) right -of -way located adjacent to the Union Pacific railroad line that travels through the City. Though the City just held a grand opening for the trail in November 2011, the trail has a very long history. Joe's Trail is part of the Juan Bautista de Anza Historical Trail, which is a historical 1,210 mile route from Nogales, Arizona to San Francisco. In the mid 1770s, Spanish Lieutenant Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza led a small expedition that forged the route from Arizona to California to make it easier .� to safety supply California missions and presidios, as well as " a strengthen the Spanish colonization effort in California. More recently, residents have enjoyed walking their ? dogs, bicycling, and running along Joe's Trail, which began as an informal trail next to the Union Pacific railway in Saratoga. Since 2000, the City and Saratoga residents have been working together to formalize the trail. The City was able to construct the trail thanks to a grant from the Valley Transit Authority (VTA), PG &E easements, and a generous donation from Saratoga resident Dee Sanfilippo who provided a portion of the funding for the trail on behalf of her late husband, Joe. The new trail will add to the City's extensive trail network, providing the Saratoga community th another recreational opportunity in Saratoga's great outdoors. Read more about Saratoga Outdoors in his issue of The Saratogan. —• Cl TY OFSARA "TOGA Joe's Trail at Saratoga �• % -,, de Anza ant{ry�nTran Speaking at the 2013 i •- - .•` �u -•'� ♦�-�. M•, -•� �.~. t7 °`'n° celebration of \ ' reopening the 1I - -- P.S. � To W f' Fredericksburg access j Add, - nmSratopaTredMare to Joe's Trail, • a A tk," """"`OO" supporting a through ■ passage, and acknowl- edging community support. n Saratoga Mayor Jill Hunter jilt. Los Gatos Councilmember and VTA Boardmember Joe Pirzynski The WN e a potion of Jwn BauOSh Oa Anti NW —W Kasom TraW Fa obmr0on sbW ff" Wail pft a mA — NatortW Pak Sarw "boot tips ,�c,$" Guar ❑ c 1. i' Blue Hills RailRoad Safety Crossing aka Reconnect Saratoga! Has Pedestrian Access already been looked at for crossing between Fredericksburg Dr. and Guava Ct. ? FREDRICKSBURG DRIVE /GUAVA COURT PEDESTRIAN ACCESS Issues: • Pedestrian access to trail may encourage non - resident user parking in neighborhoods • Pedestrian crossing railroad tracks creates potential cross - railroad treks safety hazard • Pedestrian crossing provides inter - neighborhood elementary school linkage Potential Solutions: • Close access points • Leave access points open, add non - resident parking restrictions, provide abundant trailhead parking ► • Formalize (pave) cross trail connection between neighborhoods to make crossing more visible Note that long -time neighborhood residents have 35+ year personal histories of using this passageway between neighborhoods. The paved Fredericksburg Drive access "sidewalk" uses specifically planned space between the adja- cent homes which were built in 1968 •y' �i * View from Guava Court to crossing prior to closure r it View from crossing to Fredericksburg Drive prior to closure and re- opening 2005 Archive document can be found at: http: // saratoga. ca. us /civicax /filebank/blobdload.aspx ?blobid =3089 City of Saratoga Joe's Trail page: http: // saratoga. ca. us /cityhall /pw /projects/joe /default.asp * Denotes content added to archived document Blue Hills RailRoad Safety Crossing aka Reconnect Saratoga! What info is available on RR Safety Crossinms for Pedestrians and Bicyclists? CPUC Pedestrian Crossing Guidance Document Available for download at the CPUC website www.cpuc.ca.gov /crossings http:// www .techtransfer.berkeley.edu/rai lroadO8downloads /gil bert.pdf One potential solution would use pull gates, tactile strips, refuge area, and channelized access; with clear and distinct signage. • Photos /text this page are from the 2008 CPUC document referenced above. • Other local examples of pedestrian rail crossings can be found at Mountain View Caltrain station, and at the Palo Alto High School crossing of the Caltrain tracks at Churchill Avenue and Alma Street. • Note that the Blue Hills Rail Road Safety Crossing addresses a safety crossing of tracks having in a uent and low -speed rail use. Channelization (p. 21) • Gated & Channelized design used at Figueroa Ave. in City of Los Angeles on LACMTA Pasadena Gold Line. At this crossing the pedestrian gate arm was not used, in favor of a pedestrian entrance swing gate. • Fencing and Bollards prevent circumventing designated pathway • Red curbing which helps provide appropriate sight distance. Clearing Sight Distance & Sight Triangle (p. 16) — 0 (Note the visibility at the Fredericksburg/Guava crossing site is greater than the visibility at many of the other nearby street/sidewalk at -grade crossing opportunities) Signage (p. 37-42) RAILROAD R R CROSSING PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLES ONLY dl MAU -. TRACY. ; r► i � 1 1 , 1 ' t f� ' 1 PFOFSTRIAN SIGHT TRIANGLF FIGURE 2