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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/08/1976VARIANCE AND PERMIT COMMISSION fir' Town of Los Altos Hills 26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills, California MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, September 8, 1976 Reel 53, Side II, Tr. II, 154 to 572 Commissioner Stewart called the Variance and Permit Commission Meeting to order in the Council Chambers of Town Hall at 6:35 P.M.. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Stewart, Rydell and Carico. Also Present: Town Engineer Alexander Russell, Secretary Ethel Hopkins ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN: MOTION: It was moved by Commissioner Carico and seconded by Commissioner Rydell that Commissioner Stewart be elected as Chairman of the Variance and Permit Commission. t Motion passed with aye votes from Commissioners Carico and Rydell. 6+ Commissioner Stewart abstained. MOTION: It was moved by Commissioner Carico and seconded by Commissioner Stewart that Commissioner Rydell be elected as Vice4hairman of the Variance and Permit Commission. Motion passed with aye votes from all present. PUBLIC HEARING: 1. LANDS OF CESANO, Central Drive at Page Mill Road, Paul Nowack, Engineer, TTTe-#6SA-6076-76, Request for recommendation of Building Site Approval. Town Engineer Russell reviewed the pertinent facts on the Lands of Cesano, most of which are included in the Staff report which the Commission had at hand. He noted that Central Drive where the property was located was a private road off Page Mill Road. The upper portion of the lot was relatively flat with a 13% slope, but the back portion was steep with an overall slope of 29.2%. Mr. Russell called attention to the fact that the lot is substandard under present slope density requirements, but stated that since it was created before these requirements went into effect, and since the owner owns no adjacent land to increase the size of his lot, the lot must be considered as it is. Mr. Russell noted that the property will be of considerable concern when it comes before the Site Development Committee for several of the following reasons: 1) The driveway off Central Drive needs to have fill added to it for a total base of #4r 66 feet; 2) the house must be located in a certain area because of the lot's shape; and 3) because of the lack of sewers and Health Department requirements for septic tank location 100 feet away from wells on adjoining properties, a drain- CJ VARIANCE AND PERMIT COMMISSION MINUTES - SEPTEMBER R, 1976 Page Two PUBLIC HEARING ON LANDS OF CESANO, File#BSA 6076-76: (Continued) field must be accommodated within the driveway curve along the property. Mr. Russell questioned and received assurance from Mr. Nowack, applicant's engineer, that the leach field sketched in on the map does indeed have the Health Department's approval. Mr. Russell stated that he saw no use for the Pathway Committee request, since Central Drive is a private road outside the public right-of-way, and there is no way to really get to the easement requested. In discussion that followed, Commissioner Carico asked about Condition 6, the Fire Department's request that the road grade be not more than 20%. Mr. Nowack, applicant's engineer, said this was a standard problem in Santa Clara County, and Mr. Russell noted that the possibility is that the driveway will have to be of crushed concrete to get needed traction for trucks coming in on the roadway. Commissioner Stewart stated, as he has in the past, the problem of obtaininq easements before they have links to connect them up with tangible paths in the present. Commissioner Stewart at this point opened the public hearing: Mr. Robert E. Stutz Pathw Committee, spoke in favor of the pathway request on it on , nbting t at is request was an attempt to obtain rights for public use for pathway purposes since CentralDrive is a main road leading into Byrne Preserve. There was further discussion on the matter of whether this property needed to have a variance because it was not standard size, but it was reiterated that the lot was created before the present standards for slope density were in effect, . There was discussion also on the drive- way buildup, and the fact that it must not encroach on the septic tank drainfield. Discussion continued with a review of each of the Conditions on the BSA. Commissioner Carico,in questioning the requirements in Conditions 3,4,5, and 6, moved that Condition 6 be deleted. In discussion that followed, it was decided that the Fire Department's requirement was in order to get equipment up hills of more than 15% grade. Engineer Russell stated that Condition 6 could be reworded. Commissioner Carico withdrew her motion, but requested that the followinq statement should be placed under "Comments from the Commission" on the report going to the City Council: "Commissioner Carico recommends that the first sentence of Condition 6 be deleted. Condition 6 should read: The driveway surface should be rough concrete." "In order to have the driveway conform to the 15% grade as required by the Fire Department request, staff stated they would have to move the location of the house. Staff also explained that the location of the house would be difficult, almost impossible, to move because there would not be"blace to locate leach lines for the septic tank. These leach lines were required to be placed one hundred feet from existing wells on surrounding properties." VARIANCE AND PERMIT COMMISSION MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 8, 1976 v Page Three PUBLIC HEARING ON LANDS OF CESANO, File #BSA 6076-76: (Continued) Lee Patmore 27650 Central Drive addressed the Commissioners with her concern for e amount of ra is a ng generated on Central Drive. She asked if any provisions were being made for the maintenance of Central Drive, and requested that the tape be replayed for the part of the hearing she had missed. She also objected to the pathway request on a property on a private road. Basically, Lee Patmore spoke against approval of this BSA request. There was further discussion among Staff and Commission members on the problems of road maintenance (Mr. Russell stated the Town had no jurisdiction on road maintenance for private roads.) and the problem of granting a pathway request that did not connect with other path easements to form a path. There were suggestions from Mrs. Carico in response to Mrs. Patmore's complaint on the trouble of noise generated with the use of trail and motorcycles. She suggested mitigating measures such as posts could be installed. The problem of the path request was further clarified by Mr. Russell's statement that the path request would stop 1400 feet before getting into Byrne Preserve. Commissioner Carico asked Mr. Russell to check if easements on Taylor and Steers properties were ever dedicated. Joan Moeller, 11990 Pa a Mill Road addressed the Commission with her complaint t at a ear ng a gone on before she had gotten there, and further, that she was opposed to the pathway request for this Central Drive property. Several motions by Commissioner Stewart on holding Lands of Cesano over to the next Variance and Permit Commission meeting, and taking the matter up with the City Manager died for lack of seconds to them. Discussion was concluded, and the public hearing was closed. MOTION: It was moved by Commissioner Carico and seconded by Commissioner P.ydell that Lands of Cesano, File #BSA 6076-76, and Conditions be recommended to the City Council for approval. Motion passed with aye votes from all Commissioners present. MOTION: It was moved by Commissioner Stewart and seconded by Commissioner Rydell that a categorical exemption be filed for the Lands of Cesano, File #BSA 6076-76. All present voted aye. ADJOURNMENT: There being no new business or old business, Chairman Stewart adjourned the meeting at 7:45 P.M.. Respectfully submitted, V Ethel Hopkins Secretary