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SCTF 10-30-01 Approved Minutes of Meeting Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Study Areas C &D - Trail Alignment Recommendations Tuesday, October 30, 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 (arrived late) John Buenz, Meadows Homeowners Association Ann Cleaver, Meadows Homeowners Association Dave Constant, Linda Vista Park Neighborhood 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 Beez Jones, Stevens Creek Canyon Homeowners John Kolski, Stevens Creek Quarry Richard Lowenthal, Cupertino City Council Chuck Noble, Scenic Circle Neighborhood Task Force Members Absent Steve Haze, Cupertino Historical Society Staff Members Therese Ambrosi Smith, Director, Parks and Recreation Mike O'Dowd, Recreation Supervisor, Blackberry Farm Marie Preston, Parks and Recreation Admin. Secretary Consultants Bruce Hill, Landscape Architect Glenn Lyles, Trail Maintenance and Operations Consultant Jana Sokale, Environmental Planner II. Call to Order David Greenstein, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Meeting Minutes The minutes of October 2, 2001 were unanimously approved. City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 2 III. Oral Communications (items not on the agenda) Steven Patt distributed a photo survey he took showing Iow usage of Linda Vista Park and comparing its use to other city parks. He showed two areas that could be used to increase parking at Linda Vista Park. He does not believe that parking is an issue at Linda Vista Park. Robert Levy, 10802 Wilkinson Ave., supporter of volunteer trails, stated that earlier in the year he proposed an access road from Stevens Creek Blvd. to Blackberry Farm, rather than on Byrne Ave. He does not support the idea of a 20' path from Stevens Creek Blvd. to Blackberry Farm. Old Business - 1. Study Area D - Blackberry Farm Update Jana Sokale briefly summarized the Blackberry Farm neighborhood meeting of October 2, which was outlined in a handout. Ms. Sokale also reported on a meeting with a neighbor who lives in Blackberry Farm that addressed privacy and security concerns - issues are still being discussed. Technical information is being gathered to respond to the concerns about the proposed trestle over- crossing. 2. Report on Blackberry Farm Petitioners Meeting Therese Smith reported that her interpretation of the October 2 meeting was that the question of the alternative alignments was not going to be addressed to the satisfaction of the petitioners under the current process. Ms. Smith asked the Task Force if they wanted to: · Recommend to the city council that the process be expanded to include the other alignments, which would mean: · Adding several months on to the current process · Keeping the Task Force together in 2002 · Doing additional work on those alignments as part of the feasibility study · If agree to expand study, return to city council to request additional money for the consultant team and also request additional time be added to the process. 3. Petitioners' Request to Expand the Scope of the Study Area The Summary of Alternative Alignments handout that described the options indicated in the Petition received on October 2, 2001 was reviewed. City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 3 Public Comment: Ron Fairchild, 22047 Clearcreek Court encouraged the Task Force to expand the scope of the study. He is against adding a stoplight at Stevens Creek Boulevard and Phar Lap Drive. He believes it would be a disaster to traffic and homeowners living nearby. He would like a way to decrease the number of cars at the Blue Pheasant - not increase the number of cars. Tom MaieIlo, President of Oakdell Ranch Homeowners Association, believes that some comments given at the October 23 meeting were not included in the meeting summary: · As street light at Phar Lap and Stevens Creek can do nothing but have a negative impact on the Oakdell Ranch homeowners. It would increase their commute time when waiting for green light to make a left-hand turn and vice-versa. · Currently, overflow parking on weekends from Blue Pheasant is a big problem that has been brought to the attention of the mayor and city staff. The city has not addressed their problems with this issue. As a result, they are currently working with the Sheriff's Office to enforce permit parking. Trail parking would only increase this current problem. Bill Hawkes, stated that the October 23 meeting summary missed some coininents: · Consensus of the group was that the trail is being pushed onto the community · That the Task Force has not been listening to their concerns · Safety hazard at Phar Lap Drive and Stevens Creek Boulevard was not noted - believes common sense is missing regarding this idea Bill Walster, 22116 Dean Court, stated that the board of the Meadows has adopted a position and wanted to state that he supports the position of the board and the two representatives on the Task Force. He suggested that the east side of the golf course be included in the list of alternative alignments to be considered. He is concerned about parking, which he believes will be an issue in his neighborhood. Cornelia Woodworth, lives near Linda Vista Park, supports the trail on public land and supports expanding the study area. She believes the trail needs to happen. She does not want street alignments and believes parking issues are overblown. City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 4 Lyman Black believes progress is being made. He believes that the minutes from the October 23 meeting misrepresented what was said, i.e., concerns over hours of operation and concerns about the migration of the type of users were left out. He stated that the meeting opened up some exciting possibilities if the Task Force is willing to expand the study areas. One recommendation was to look at the trail in a staged approach -- perhaps looking at the pedestrian usage first, and then looking at bicycle usage later on. He stated there was more interest from the group when this type of resolution was put forward. He believes that there are spur trail opportunities off of Foothill Blvd. and Stevens Canyon to the creek. He supports expanding study. Steven Pat stated that he does not support Alternate Alignments 1 and 3 because they do not have anything to do with trails, as they are bike lanes on existing roads. He stated that they are also quite dangerous. These alternatives would not be safe for adults, as well as children. Alternate Alignment 2 is on private land and very hilly, which would exclude children and inexperienced hikers and bikers. The proposed trail along the creek is very mild and conducive to family expeditions. Alex Carlton, board member of the Meadows of Cupertino Housing Association, has found that in general there is a great deal of support for trail access through the open space that would be along the creek. However, there is great concern about maintaining that access in a minimal-impact manner - a walking trail, etc. He believes there will be strong opposition from the neighborhood on the issues of a bicycle thoroughfare through that area. He stated that the design of his neighborhood (cul-de-sacs) was purposely designed to not be a thoroughfare, not to have an attraction in its midst. The people chose that neighborhood for that quality. A proposed thoroughfare through and along the creek area would radically change the neighborhood. He would recommend a separation of the bike alignment from the foot alignment. Robert Levy, voiced objections to the Phar Lap traffic light due to increase traffic noise from cars stopping and taking off, and the fact that the light would be at the bottom of two slopes. Anne Ng supports the trail along the creek because it is land that is owned by the city. She believes the Task Force has been accommodating to City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 5 neighborhood concerns about privacy. She does not believe parking will be the problem. Rod Brown, Linda Vista Park neighbor, stated his support for the trail alignment along the creek. He urged the Task Force to consider the proposed alignments, and believes the alignments are the best use of public dollars. He believes that the comparisons with Rancho San Antonio County Park are not valid because Stevens Creek would be a single trail vs. a very large trail system at Rancho. The County Park also has other amenities including a petting farm. Saying that the traffic that the Stevens Creek Trail would generate would be similar to Rancho is not a real comparison. He also believes that this trail should be kept open to bicyclists and pedestrians. He envisions this trail as a means of transportation for kids to the Blackberry Farm. Eliminating bicyclists may put constraints on the funding possibilities and should be considered when deciding on trail usage. There are plenty of examples of how a multi-use trail can work. Alex Tsai, San Fernando Ave., stated that he has met with Jana Sokale regarding the trail and trestle going close to his home; discussions are still underway. He still has concerns of privacy and security. San Fernando neighbors have not been kept informed of the meetings. He would like to see a neighborhood outreach meeting for San Fernando neighbors. Dick Thompson stated that last Tuesday's meeting was aggressive. He believes that the alternate alignments need to be addressed. He supports the Meadows' position in separating the bike trail from the walking trail. Barry Feeley, 22043 Baxley Court keeps hearing that the haul road is owned by the city and then also hears that the haul road is privately owned. Who owns this road? Are we thinking about acquiring it? He stated that he has a number of questions regarding the haul road and believes the community would be interested too. He said he has gotten 80 signatures from mainly elderly neighbors who are concerned and fearful about privacy and safety along the haul road. He believes this issue has not been adequately addressed. He also asked if another entry to the haul road is being considered and would it be on private land? He wants to have only locals (taxpayers) use the trail. Footpath is supported, but not a path including bicyclists. Bernie Nashen, lives on Linda Vista Drive, pointed out that between McClellan and Hyannisport, the neighborhood handles a lot of traffic, primarily from the schools. He would like the Task Force to take this situation City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 6 under advisement when planning the trail. The trail could make the situation worse. Tony Vandersteen, 10401 Phar Lap Drive, believes there is a lot of value in separating the trail into two parts. He also supports phasing the trail, doing the walking portion first, and adding the bicycle portion last. He noted that the idea of putting a trail along the railroad did not get in the October 23 meeting summary. He supports putting a trail along the railroad. He would like this idea put into the feasibility report - that is to find out exactly what the situation is with regard to an existing plan for a railroad trail. Following public comment, the Task Force asked clarifying questions. Jana Sokale answered: · There has been a fair amount of discussion about the placement of the Stevens Creek Blvd. light. After taking a further look, the underpass at this junction has been eliminated, and she would like to come back in November and give more feedback about a traffic light. · Parking at Blue Pheasant has been reconfigured to add more parking. She acknowledged that the community does not believe that the additional spaces are satisfactory. This will be further reviewed during the environmental review process, which may be addressed with this document in February/March 2002. · Regarding usage and surface, there has been good progress on trying to determine where an alignment might be in Areas C and D. It is recommended that a consistent surface and usage be designed throughout that area. The Study Area C use and surfacing decision has been postponed until Study Area D issues are resolved. · She is prepared to come back in November to address the questions that were raised at the October 23 meeting, as well as the Stevens Creek crossing, etc. · She stated that even if she was given the green light to expand the scope of the study, the Task Force could continue to finish up on the current piece, and then compare that piece against other alternates. Regarding the usage of the railroad land for trails, David Greenstein reported that a feasibility report had been done and it was shown to be feasible, but the cost was too high for the railroad to give up that property or to allow trail usage on it. He also reported that anyone using the property for walking etc. is technically trespassing. City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 7 · Regarding a light on Stevens Creek Blvd. at Phar Lap, it was asked if the trail were single-use, would a traffic light be needed. Would another alignment be used for bikes? In response, Jana stated that there is a current bike system that has been indicated on all of the maps. If decided to separate the routes, the Task Force would not need to study anything further as the city has made those accommodations. If the trail were designated pedestrian only, a light would probably not be needed at Stevens Creek Blvd. and Phar Lap. Perhaps a traffic study would still need to be done to determine if foot traffic would create some type of need for a crossing. She stated that currently, the location is not a safe place to cross the road. · Regarding taking a phased approach and a natural surface, single-use vs. multi-use, the Task Force should tackle this recommendation at this point. · She also confirmed that a Union Pacific Railroad Feasibility Study was adopted by the City Council on October 15, 2001, and the Courier did write up this story. She noted that the section of proposed rail-with- trail between Stevens Creek Boulevard and Hanson Permanente Cement was deemed infeasible at this time because it did not meet the railroad's criteria of a 25-foot setback from the centerline of the tracks to the nearest edge of the trail. This option may be feasible in 20-25 years when the rail line no longer is needed. The Task Force reviewed the Summary of Alternate Alignments indicated in petition received on October 2, 2001. Therese Smith stated that the Task Force needs to consider whether to recommend the expansion of the study area to the city council. This work is currently outside the project scope. What city council will be asking is, "Does the Task Force want to take on the alternative alignments?" Therese Smith recommended an additional meeting in the form of a work session and to tackle this and other unresolved issues. Councilmember and Task Force Member Richard Lowenthal stated that he is abstaining from both the conversation and the vote, as it will be something he will be voting on in council. Scot Hathaway requested that Jana Sokale give her opinion/insight on the three alternate alignments: · Alternate Alignment #2 - These areas are in the jurisdiction of Santa Clara County. The proposed alignment is in the 1995 Santa Clara Countywide Trails Master Plan. It is the purview of the county to City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page continue to study this alignment and potentially make it happen in Cupertino when and if an opportunity presents itself, which she determined to be a long way off. She does not recommend that the city spend any more money on Alternative Alignment #2. · Alternative Alignment #3 - This route has been extensively studied by Cupertino. The route is included in the 1998 Cupertino Bicycle Transportation Plan. This long-range plan called for the improvement of this corridor at great expense to minimally accommodate bicyclists only. That plan has been initiated in phases and bike lanes have been added up to San Juan Road. Construction documents have been developed by the city to widen the road all the way to the county park entrance. The widening of the road provided only a minimum shoulder width as a result of the steep topography and right-of-way constraints. It provided no provisions for pedestrians. She stated that unless the city was to buy substantial right-of-way along Stevens Canyon Road and to blast the hillside, this alternative should not be further studied and no more money spent on this idea. She does support widening of the road in the construction project to make it safer for bicyclists, which the city is pursuing. · Alternative Alignment #1 - This route has the greatest merit. It is an existing bicycle route and is included in the 1998 Cupertino Bicycle Transportation Plan. The route exists and is used today. If the Task Force recommended not putting the trail along the creek corridor, cyclists and pedestrians could use this existing street alignment as it is today. It would not provide an additional amenity to the community. It would not provide access to the more than 60 acres of public open space adjacent to the creek. · She suggested that if the Task Force wanted to study any of the alternatives, it should be Alternative #1. She suggested the Task Force recommend to city council to continuing pursuing jointly with the county Alternative #2 when and if it becomes available. · She stated that the issues of usage, trail surfacing, parking and safety lie with the Task Force. The work is not done until those issues are resolved for whatever preferred alignment is put forward. · She believes that no more money is needed to develop the recommendations for the feasibility study. In response to the Blackberry Farm Master Plan and how it ties into the Stevens Creek Trail, Therese Smith stated that the project would involve City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 9 McClellan Ranch, Blackberry Farm and Golf Course, and the Simms and Stocklmeir properties. There are approximately 60 acres of city-owned open space that was acquired about 10 years ago. The current business at Blackberry Farm serves mainly nonresidents. As the city looks at upgrading the infrastructure of Blackberry Farm and as they look at upgrading the golf course, the question that will be looked at is, "What is the long term use of this corridor?" She stated that it is going to be a fairly long process because it is going to raise issues of what is missing in our community recreation offerings, and which offerings are appropriate. As part of the plan, parking would be looked at, what uses are going in it, how is the site accessed, how the various parcels tie together, what happens to the residential uses that are currently there, and etc. ACTION: A motion was made, seconded and approved 12-0-1 (Lowenthal abstaining) to schedule a work-study session to discuss the three alternative alignments and other unresolved issues (These issues include trail use and surfacing, parking, crossing at Stevens Creek Boulevard and the refinements to the Blackberry Farm entrance.) Trail Operations and Maintenance Program Glenn Lyles, trail consultant who has been in parks and recreation for 40+ years, outlined his report on the potential operations and maintenance of the Stevens Creek Trail. ACTION: A motion was made, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the Operations and Maintenance Report by Glenn Lyles and include it as part of the feasibility report. Trail Funding Report Jana Sokale detailed the Trail Funding Report, presented a Trail Funding Case Study and answered questions. ACTION: A motion was made, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the Trail Funding Report by Jana Sokale and include it as part of the feasibility report. Next Steps · Items for discussion at the next meeting will include the Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Report and perhaps the Sheriff's report about crime on trails as based on other studies City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Minutes of October 30, 2001 Page 10 · Put information on website as soon as possible · Hold study session on Tuesday, December 4 · Study Area D will be discussed at the January Task Force meeting · Feasibility report and subsequent environmental documents will be pushed into the spring · Notice Byrne Avenue and San Fernando Avenues and perhaps develop a neighborhood meeting for this neighborhood Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. to Tuesday, November 27, 7:00 p.m. at the Cupertino Senior Center. Respectfully submitted, Marie Preston, Recording Secretary Approved at the November 27, 2001 meeting.