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SCTF 06-26-01 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Approved Minutes of Meeting Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Study Area D - Trail Alignment Meeting Tuesday, June 26, 2001 ATTENDANCE: Task Force Members Present Jeanne Bradford, Cupertino Parks and Recreation Commission Susie Brain, Friends of Stevens Creek Trail Craig Breon, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society John Buenz, Meadows Home Owners Association John Giovanola, Hanson Permanente Cement David Greenstein, Cupertino Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Mary Jo Gunderson, Linda Vista Neighborhood Scott Hathaway, Deep Cliff Golf Course (late arrival) John Kolski, Stevens Creek Quarry Chuck Noble, Scenic Circle Neighborhood Task Force Members Absent Ann Cleaver, Meadows Home Owners Association Dave Constant,~Cupertino Swim & Racquet Club Steve Haze, Cupertino Historical Society Beez Jones, Stevens Creek Canyon Homeowners Richard Lowenthal, Cupertino City Council Staff Members Therese Ambrosi Smith, Director, Parks and Recreation Mike O'Dowd, Recreation Supervisor, Blackberry Farm Marie Preston, Parks and Recreation Admin. Secretary Consultant Jana Sokale, Environmental Planner II. Call to Order David Greenstein, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. May 22 Meeting Minutes Page I Stevens City of Cupertino Creek Trail Feasibility Study III. Oral Communications (items not on the agenda) - None IV. Old Business Study Area C - Community Input and Follow-up Jana Sokale reviewed the June 20th Linda Vista Neighborhood outreach meeting and distributed a summary of the concerns, questions, and ideas raised at that meeting. The main areas of concern are alignment, security, trail use, habitat, housing values, and Linda Vista Park. Jana will develop responses to these concerns. Mary Jo Gunderson will forward feedback from the neighborhood to keep the list of concerns current. Mary Jo will work with the neighborhood in putting together a list of other trail alignment suggestions. Craig Breon presented the comments from the June 21st meeting of the McClellan Ranch Task Force that met on June 21. The McClellan Ranch Task Force was generally supportive of the trail alignment through McClellan Ranch. Comments included: · The Task Force wanted the nature trail and the riparian area to stay relatively Iow-key. · There was universal agreement that the trail would come into McClellan Ranch through Blackberry Farm and then into the orchard area (using an eastern alignment). · The Task Force wanted the trail to stay as far away from the creek as possible. · The Task Force preferred the trail alignment behind the community gardens and 4-H area. There are some minor concerns if the trail passes by the 4-H Center. Upgrades to the 4-H facility in terms of fencing pen location and signage may need to be done. · There was no opinion as to whether the trail should go under McClellan Road or cross the street west of the creek. · There was some support for a signalized crossing at Linda Vista Drive and McClellan Road. There would be adequate views of the Ranch from this point. · The Task Force believed that a low-intensity walking path (dirt) from Scenic Blvd. through the Simms property to McClellan Ranch might provide a spur trail that allows people from the Scenic Blvd. neighborhood to get to the trail. Page 2 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Surfacing and width of the trail drew many opinions. All agreed, though, that the trail should be handicapped accessible. · Parking during the week would not be a problem because McClellan Ranch is generally a low-usage park and would make a good staging area. If additional parking were needed, the Task Force wanted the city to look at the frontage of the Simms property. The Task Force believes that the current use of the Simms property (residential) does not fit with either the city ordinance of the site as a nature and rural preserve or the long-term vision of McClellan Ranch that all uses would serve either nature or agricultural purposes. · The Task Force did note that there is a drainage problem in the goat pen area. This would need to be addressed with the trail. The audience raised concern about opening any gate on Scenic Boulevard. Currently, the street gets a great deal of traffic because the gate to Blackberry Farm is well known among local teens. Public Comment Steve Patt asked Craig Breon if the McClellan Ranch Task Force discussed whether the existing nature trail would intersect with the proposal new trail, so that people coming would then take a tour of the actual nature trail, and whether the trail would cause any trees to be cut down? He commented that Linda Vista Park is noted as a "neighborhood park" in the summary of the Linda Vista Neighborhood meeting. What does this mean? Although he doesn't live near the park, he is a Cupertino resident and considers the park his as well. He doesn't believe that the adjacent neighbors have special decision-making rights to the park. Craig Breon answered that the McClellan Ranch Task Force did not discuss the intersection of the proposed new trail with the existing nature path, but he would be a proponent of such a connection. There are trees that may be impacted by the trail especially with the proposed McClellan Road underpass. Removal of trees would be controversial and avoided if possible. Melissa Drysdale stated that a September meeting to continue discussions about Area C would be useful. Lyman Black, 10338 Scenic Blvd., believes that the trail concept is wonderful because he enjoys running and biking at other local trails. He questioned the number of potential users (20-100/hr) and the impact to neighborhoods. He offered the idea of using Byrne Avenue instead of going through to Page 3 Action: City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Blackberry Farm. A larger perspective may be to use Stevens Canyon Road. He believes that proponents of the trail tend to dismiss the homeowners as "not in my backyard folks." He believes that the trail is directly in their backyards. He feels the Task Force and staff are insensitive to homeowners. He proposed that the trail is not feasible, is unworkable, and 30 years too late. Jana Sokale responded that the usage patterns,for this trail cannot be answered at this time and the character of this trail is much different than trails in other areas. She does not believe that the trail will be as heavily used as some of the trail systems discussed at the May Meeting. The Stevens Creek Trail in Cupertino does not provide access to large business park end-destinations nor does it offer loop trails that are often sought by destination recreators. Steve Moody, Scenic Circle is pleased that the trail alignment was taken out of Scenic Circle and put in the Blackberry Farm area. He would be opposed to the trail being put back into the Scenic Circle area. There is already a gate from Scenic Circle to Blackberry Farm. He believes that this is sufficient to get access to the trail. He questioned the assumption that there should be a trail that connects the bay to the sea, and does not necessarily believe that this is a good assumption and it should be challenged. Rod Brown, La Paloma Drive believes putting a staging area at Linda Vista Park would increase the number of cars parking on the street. However, he sees the trail as an asset to the neighborhood and is encouraged that the Task Force has taken extra efforts to take into account the concerns of the neighborhood. A question from the audience challenged the need for the trail. Dave Greenstein stated that it was not the charge of the Task Force to question the General Plan, but to look at all the issues/feasibility of putting in a trail and report back to the City Council. Dave stated that the public has the right to get involved in the General Plan process and to ask for items to be pulled for reconsideration. There is a General Plan kick-off meeting scheduled for July 17, 7 p.m., at the Senior Center. Revised Study Area C Schedule - After review and discussion of the Community Meeting Schedule, it was unanimously agreed to schedule the additional Linda Vista Neighborhood meeting on September 19. The Task Force will make recommendations regarding Area C at the first meeting in the fall. The first fall meeting was rescheduled from September 25 to October 2 to allow for sufficient time to respond to the Linda Vista Neighborhood. This revised schedule and the Study Area Page 4 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study C - Linda Vista Neighborhood Meeting Summary will be posted on the web site. Jana will prepare responses to the Linda Vista Neighborhood questions to address the concerns raised at the June 20 meeting. This handout will be mailed to all residents on the meeting roster within 4 to 6 weeks. New Business Study Area D - Trail Alignment Review Jana Sokale gave a slide presentation on Study Area D - McClellan Ranch through Blackberry Farm to Stevens Creek Boulevard with possible spur trail to Varian Park. She distributed and reviewed the draft Study Area D Trail Alignment Summary and Map. Jana explained that the trail alignments were technically feasible and identified on the map to inspire comment and discussion. She encouraged ideas from the Task Force and the public. Public Comment Laura Zimmerman, 10472 Scenic Circle, feels strongly that there be green space and if installing the trail involves restoring green space, she supports the Stevens Creek Trail. She stated there is community concern about additional traffic and parking on Scenic Circle. Currently, many cars break the posted speed limit, If traffic increases, it may create an even more dangerous situation for the many pedestrians and playing children in the area. She also believes that weeds should not be cleared away because these are green plants, weeds or not, and plain brown dirt looks more unsightly and is contrary to the idea of trails. Kaye Walster, representing the Meadows of Cupertino Homeowners' Association - an association 28 planned homes clustered on small lots along a strip of land that sits immediately between the western boundary of the former Stocklmeir property and Scenic Blvd. She stated that several of their homes are sited less than 10 feet from the former Stocklmeir property through which the trail is expected to be aligned. The Homeowners' Association requested that the Trail Task Force consider some requests that come directly from the specific interests of their membership. The requests included that: · The trail alignment for the Stocklmeir property is drawn so as to minimize the degree of potential intrusion into the privacy currently enjoyed by the residents whose homes back onto the city's property. · An optimal alignment would stay near to the creek and does not wander close to the boundary they share. They have two specific areas of concern: Page 5 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study 1. Near where the trail would intersect or cross Stevens Creek Blvd., there is a cluster of several homes tight up against the property line. If the trail is routed behind the old Stocklmeir house, on the side of the house away from the creek, this would run only a few feet away from the back doors of at least three homes. In particular, they are worried about the potential aesthetics and acoustics of a below-grade trail crossing at this location. 2. Near where the trail to is to bridge the creek in the southern end of the current orchard, such a bridge should be located some 100 feet or more from the shared property line, since again there are homes that are sited quite close to the creek at that end of the property. · Strong consideration should be given to selecting a single-track, soft- surface trail so as to minimize high impact use, as well as to retain as much of the natural beauty on this area of the creek. · While they recognize that the Task Force may not have final jurisdiction over the city's choices regarding plans for the orchard located on the Stocklmeir property, they wished to express their hope that whatever plans are considered for this trail, and any other improvements in this area, will continue to appreciate the beauty and the history embodied in one of the area's very few remaining orchards. Chester Gabriel, 10334 Scenic Blvd., requested that answers to the Linda Vista neighborhood meeting summary be posted on the Task Force's web site. He asked how the public can comment on the General Plan. He doesn't believe people should be forced to make the whole trail completely contiguous. He strongly urged that there be fencing between the trail and private properties. He lives next to Blackberry Farm, and at one time, despite a steep grade, poison oak and a fence, people went right through a small break in the fence and wandered onto his property from Blackberry Farm. From his experience, it is too much to expect people to stay on the trail. In response, it was noted that the General Plan update schedule should be on the city's web site at www.cupertino.org. It was explained that Cupertino has a vision of a non-motorized transportation network within Cupertino that includes this trail, the UP Trail, the Regnart Creek Trail and the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail. Ultimately, these trails will provide a way for residents to move about their community without getting in their cars. Trails are funded by grants. There are many different avenues for obtaining funding. Bill Hawkes, has lived 23 years on Scenic Court. At the time he purchased his home, he was assured by the developer and the city that the park would Page 6 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study remain in its natural state. He believes that adding a bridge to the trail from Scenic Circle is not a good idea. He recommends: 1. The Task Force end itself. 2. The Task Force turn its attention to preservation of certain areas, which would be more beneficial. 3. This may have been a good idea, but believes it's about 30-50 years too late. Max Bokelman, has lived for 15 years at the north side of Scenic Circle across the creek from Blackberry Farm. He relayed many instances he has witnessed over the years: all-night parties involving alcohol and/or drugs, people sneaking into the park at all hours of the night when there was a hole in the fence, public drunkenness, loud noises all hours of the night, disgusting behaviors such as urinating in front of their house and in yards, fires, vandalism, thefts and dumping of trash in his yard. The majority of the neighbors rallied and sent their support for closing the hole in the fence. In January, the city completed fixing the fence and installing in a gate to allow some access to Blackberry Farm. At that time, Mr. Bokelman agreed to close the gate at night. Mr. Bokelman reported that he has not had to call the police since and he has not had to pick up trash left by others - it's been a really quiet, peaceful place to live and he wants to keep it that way. He does not support the opening of this gate for access to the Stevens Creek Trail. He also believes that opening this access would make Scenic Circle a trailhead parking lot. Don Bautista, 23 years at 10434 Scenic Court, is totally opposed to the route that is being taken. He believes there must be another way to connect San Antonio Park to the Stevens Creek County Park. He asked that in September, there be a presentation of another alternative. He suggested the Task Force contact the Sheriff's Department for historical data on incidents in this area. He feels the addition of the trail would only increase the current problems they have been experiencing. Gillian Rutter, 10280 Phar Lap Drive is adamantly opposed to the Varian Park spur because of the close proximity to the elementary school. She believes that a trail going by private property, past schools and through little parks with children's play equipment is in conflict with the idea of experiencing the natural beauty of the environment. She proposed throwing the proposal and feasibility study away; it is costing taxpayers a lot of money and wasting her time to take this spur trail out of her neighborhood. She believes she could get a fair amount of support from the neighborhood to support her opinions. She is opposed to combining bike and pedestrian trails; doesn't believe the two Page 7 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study mix well. She also suggested that land for sale on Stevens Canyon Road be purchased for park trail use. Mark Law, homeowner off Phar Lap Drive, stated that he is against the proposed Varian Park spur. He believes the geology of the high ridge on the west side of the creek, where there are homes up against the creek, appears to be fragile. There has been a considerable amount of erosion in what are already small back yards, and a trail through this space would encroach on the privacy of those homeowners; this could effect property values in a negative way. One of the reasons he bought his home was the creek in the backyard and the privacy of it. If that went away, it would be detrimental. He does not agree with the comments that alluded to a transportation aspect of the trail would actually increase property values. The city should be concerned with homeowners' property values, ergo the city's revenue stream. He also believes the trail alignment going behind Scenic Circle (the western side alignment) and the spur trail do go through a riparian habitat that would be significantly impacted by the trail. He does not see the need for the trail, but does support a trail going on Stevens Creek and Foothill Boulevards, though not a pretty as some small trails - there are large, well built roads, bike lanes on both sides, and good sidewalks on both sides. He does not see the need of putting the trail through the Varian Park neighborhood. Alex Carlton read an excerpt of a letter by Skip Shephard who lives at the end of the Meadows of Cupertino, nearest to Stevens Creek Boulevard. "As a homeowner whose home is located less than 20 feet from the west boundary of the Stocklmeir property, my hope is that the Task Force will give full consideration to the existing privacy of all the homeowners whose homes border the orchard. I am in favor of the Stevens Creek Trail and look forward to hiking the trail with my wife and two children. How and where the trail will enter and exit the orchard property is of great concern to all of us. Ideally, the plan is, I assume, to align the trail directly adjacent to the creek itself." Mr. Carlton said he believes it would be a mistake to assume that the traffic would not be very high. He believes that if the trail is worth doing, it's worth doing well and worth having a lot of people using it. He believes the proposed 500 feet of tunnel could become an attractive nuisance to young people. The daytime use fits beautifully, but there are serious nighttime concerns. Other issues are security, access, parking and privacy. Past behaviors surrounding public areas have not always been encouraging residents to take a leap of faith that things will be different in this case and that the trail will raise property values. He advised that to squeeze in this last Page 8 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study stretch, residents need to work to minimize the contact with existing private property and to maximize the use of the current publicly available land. He also recommended more of the small-scale meetings. He suggested greater use of the land in the existing fee-use facilities and rebalancing the revenue from this fee-use area against the city's greater plan for having a non- motorized transportation system. Lyman Black, 10338 Scenic Blvd., believes that the western alignment is not ecologically sound. He stated that he hears over and over "incompatible usage" referenced in every step of the way. He also believes that squeezing in a trail into a built-out area is an incompatible use, and there is no need for it. He pointed out that there are ways already in place to allow us to see the vision of non-motorized transportation - they are called roads and sidewalks - we have them, we can improve them, we can use them. He suggested to bypass the alignment on Scenic Circle and Blackberry Farm by using Byrne Avenue. A person can cut across McClellan to Stevens Creek on Byrne Avenue. A connector would have to be negotiated at Stevens Creek Boulevard. He also suggested bypassing the entire area by using Foothill Boulevard and Stevens Canyon Road, but he has not seen too much development of this option. In conclusion, he stated the city should not squeeze in one last use of the land because it is incompatible with the homeowners. If it were such a great idea and a benefit to property values, the property owners in Los Altos and Sunnyvale, whose properties go to the center of the stream channel rather than to the bank, would have embraced the idea of the trail. Through common decency, Cupertino should do exactly the same thing. He also believes the Task Force should recommend that it is not feasible to squeeze in the Varian Park link, but instead to use the existing conduits of Stevens Canyon Road, Foothill Boulevard and Stevens Creek Boulevard. If the city wants to rehabilitate the creek channel, he believes that is a separate issue. Nancy Noto, 22093 Stocklmeir, home is up against the Stocklmeir orchard. She envisions the trail being trashed by hikers and is also concerned about strangers invading her privacy. Her wish is that the orchard be restored and preserved. Dick Thompson, Dean Court says he is concerned with the number of bridges and the western alignment. He is concerned that there will be an increase in traffic, which would increase noise levels and create security problems. The trail should be relocated at Stevens Creek and Foothill Boulevards. Page 9 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Joyce Sallan, 24 years at 22116 Clear Creek Court noted that the proposed trail is in an area where deer live and birth their young and the trail will destroy this pristine area. She also believes privacy and safety will be compromised. The area has already experienced kids setting fires, drugs and other unlawful behavior by people, and to have more people come through the area would have a tremendous negative impact on the environment and residents. She pleaded that the trail be relocated. Steven Patt, Cupertino resident, stated that he supports the general concept of the trail and does not support any particular alignment. He also stated that the Task Force is doing a fine job of sorting out the details. He believes that the point of the trail is recreation for families, hikers, etc., not just a way to get somewhere. He also stated that there is no need for the trail, but people want trails because there are amenities, they keep people in the community, and they raise the property values of all homes. Many of the problems that people say they have experienced do not come from the trail. He also believes that the number of people that will be added from the trail is small compared to the number of people currently using Blackberry Farm. The trail is not the cause of the problems. Michael Ludwig, 10472 Scenic Circle, stated that it is the job of the Task Force to put forward recommendations; it is not their job to say not to do the trail, which is the job of the City Council. He believes that the Task Force should be communicating how the minimize problem areas. He fully supports the idea of developing non-motorized forms of transportation. He stated that he strongly supports the trail. Task Force Comments Chuck Noble commented that the bridge going across the creek on Scenic Circle lands on the bank directly opposite his driveway. He does not want this bridge. He also pointed out that another suggested bridge is at the end of the street - two bridges within a couple hundred feet of his home. Therese Ambrosi Smith stated that money has been funded to do a Blackberry Farm master plan. It is hoped that the Stevens Creek Trail issue can be resolved so it can be incorporated into this master plan. There will be separation between trail users from the people who are paying to use Blackberry Farm. It was decided to wait for the trail alignment to be decided before the master plan is started. A letter will be going out to consultants requesting qualifications for doing a master plan. The public input will be conducted by the Parks and Recreation Commission. The master plan could Page 10 Action: City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study impact Blackberry Farm Golf Course. She stated that the city does not hold a position on a preferred trail alignment. Jeanne Bradford suggested that perhaps the trail could be routed along the eastside of the golf course and possibly go to the other side of the golf course. This would put someone at a safer place on Stevens Creek Boulevard. She supports including an alignment through Blackberry Farm in conjunction with the development of the new master plan. She supports using as much public property as possible for the trail. Craig Breon suggested an investigation of a trail alignment from Rancho San Antonio Park to Stevens Creek Park that avoids the quarries. He suggested that there be an elimination of the western bank of the alignment in Study Area D. It was unanimously agreed to eliminate the west bank alignment from further study as the main trail corridor in Study Area D. Next Steps Jana Sokale was directed to: · Investigate putting in another alignment (east side) in the Blackberry Farm/Golf Course area if the golf course is to be reconfigured. · Investigate the possibility of putting the Stocklmeir property through the environmental review now, or both (Blackberry Farm/Golf Course and Stocklmeir) go through environmental review now. · Investigate using part of the Blue Pheasant Restaurant/Golf Course non- fee parking lot as a staging area. · Investigate how to keep fee/non-fee parking patrons separate at Blackberry Farm. · Investigate the east bank alignment and its entrance. · Investigate the Simms spur trail. · Keep both ways of crossing Stevens Creek Boulevard (tunnel and signal light) on the table. · Get answers out regarding Area C to the Linda Vista Park neighborhood and on the web site. Dave Greenstein requested a way to discover if the Varian Park neighbors were interested in the Varian Park spur trail. Therese Ambrosi Smith answered that the spur will come into play when it connects up to something bigger and people in the neighborhood really want it. If presently the Page 11 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study neighborhood does not want it, then the study would still reflect that it was investigated. It was noted that this is an expensive access. Dave Greenstein reported that the spur was added because there had been a request to provide walking access to the school, instead of parents having to drive their children to school. Action: It was unanimously agreed to further study only the SCVWD maintenance road with access stairs as a spur trail to Varian Park. Following a question of an audience member, Jana Sokale stated that the trail is only intended to be open during the day. She also stated that they have heard from many residents living in the Stevens Creek corridor that there is nighttime activity. She will bring this issue to the attention of staff. VI. Announcements The Mountain View City Council is scheduled to take action on the final reach of the Stevens Creek Trail on Wednesday, June 27. · A portion of the Stevens Creek Trail will be renamed the "Tony Look Stevens Creek Trail" in a Dedication Ceremony to be held at Stevens Creek County Park on Saturday, June 30. Claude "Tony" Look provided the original inspiration for the Stevens Creek Trail more than 30 years ago. · The Cupertino Parks and Recreation Commission will receive an update on the Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study at their July 12 Meeting. · Next Task Force Meeting is scheduled for July 24 at 7:00 PM at the Cupertino Senior Center. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. _ _~.ectfully subrn~itted, Marie Preston, Recording Secretary Page 12