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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes - 06-12-1974CITY 01 CUPERTINO, STATE OF CALL ORi'IIA 10300 Torre Avenue. Cupertino, California 95014 Telephone: 252-•4505 MINUTES Or THE ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSI HELD ON JUNE 12, 19740 IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM CITY HALL, CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chairman O'Keefe called the meeting to order at 7:40 P.M. with the Salute to the Flag. ROLL CALL Comm. present: Adams, Cooper, Gatto, Woodward, Chairman O'Keefe Comm. absent: None Staff present; Director of Planning and Development Sisk Associate Planner Coaan PUBLIC HEARING 1. City of Cupertino: Public Hearing to consider 1913 Comprehensive General Plan. a. Hillsides (1) Presentation by various property owners of future use of hillside areas. PC -156 Page 1 Mr. William Headley, 346 East Campbell Avenue, stated he was representing the parcel of land at the existing terminus of Voss Avenue, starting at the base of the foothills. These 13 acres have grass and the remains of an old prune orchard, with a heavily wooded area to the rear. Eureka Federal Savings, the present owners, have asked a. firm to study the area for development, with a cluster of homes in the foreground, parking above, and leaving the large knoll vacant, open space. The plan is devised to minimiz. the automobile. The units terrace down the hillside, with the roof of the lower, adjacent unit containing the patio/deck of the unit immediately above. There will be heavy planting, predominently trees. They are proposing 184 condominium units on 13.4 acres. �,C-156 Page 2 IINUTES OF THE &DJOURNED PLANNING COISSION MEETING 01: JUNE 12, 1974 'oumi. Gatto commented that this approach to hillside development has a ,ot of merit. kWe have_, to establish an overall density and overall :r_eatment of the hillsides. He added that the density proposed for this )roperty is a little heavy. worm. Cooper a�ied what the angles of the slope are here. M. -r. Headley Said the natural slope is somewhere in the magnitude of 20%. �omm. Cooper said she preferred not to make statements at this time, )ther than that she, too, believed the density proposed is much too great. 1r. Headley pointed out that from both an aesthetic and an engineering standpoint, the less grading the better. He said they establish the average slope and then grade the property to meet it. Comm. Adams asked how close this is to the existing single family homes in that area. Mr. Headley said it is more than 50 feet away, plus a change in elevation. The recreation area is in the center, above the units. Chairman O`Keefe believes the imaginative approach used here :is good. The density will have to have further study, however. Initially, he felt that one obstacle here was the 14.2 acres, in the density suggested. Mr. Tony Guzzardo, San Francisco landscape architect, commented that hillside developments are not a new concept. In Europe they have placed the residential on the hills and left the fLot lands for. f _ rr ing. In Santa Clara County we have done just the opposite. '&-- air this proposal is one way to demonstrate possibilities for hillside development. It is more desirable, but it is also more expensive. The density will support the four tennis courts, swimming pool, jaccusi, etc. pie noted that the Glenbrook complex, at 16 units per acre, was frightening at first but it is known all over the world. Mr. Headley stated that, on a condominium basis, we are probably looking at $75,000 per unit here. Comm. Adams was answered by the Planning D:Lreci_ot that we had 2 water run-off problem at De Anza Oaks this past winter because it was not completed. These problems have been alleviated. Mrs. Ann . Anger, Monta Vista, said she _copes we never see another project. like De Anza Oaks. She stated that the size of California is comparable to about ten countries in Europe. She noted that in South America, the hillsides are for the poor people. She is afraid of condumini.ums. She lis against the clustered approach which leave vacant: hillsides. MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JUNE 12,'74 Mr. Edward Poza.s, San Carlos Homes, wanted to discuss the 20 acres south of Voss Avenue. The topography is relatively flat here, and they are proposing 74 units of PD single family, detached home The homeowners would own their lot and home and all of the 74 unit would be responsible for maintenance of the common area. They are proposing a 30' road. The $55,000 to $65,000 homes (based on today's market) would have 1600 to 2420 square feet of living spac They are thinking in terms.of 3.5 units per acre. This property is presently zoned agricultural and is master planned 0 to 4 units per acre. The property has 8 relatively flat acres and 12 acres of approximately 20% grade.. Lots will vary in size from 5000 to 5500 sq. ft. They are also considering putting the lot lines alon the frontage lines and having all the property around the homes held in common. There will be a minimum of grading. Most of th roads will be on the natural grade. Comn. Gatto said one thing this scheme demonstrates is a very nice, green park -like quality. If these units become fenced in the area will have a completely different character. If too much individual ity is allowed in close proximity, however, the effect can become disappointing. The Kester Ranch, Stevens Canyon Road and Riverside Drive, was .discussed next. Mr. Allen Williams, Trojan Properties, said they . were considering 64 units on these 18 acres - individually owned duplexes with PD zoning. The single -story units will have from 1.800 to 2100 square feet of living space, and may tie in with the trail easement along the creek. There is a beautiful barn on the property that could be used for a community building. They prefer to have patio easements and all grounds as common area. There will he tennis courts on the flood plain. There will be very little grading. Each unit will have a glassed -in atrium. Comm. Gatto said one of the goals of the City is to have a variety of housing. All three proposals made at this meeting have demon- strated similar units within their projects. Mr. Williams said th find uniformity is one of the strong feedbacks they have received. Single story units do not block the view. He said their 2500 to 3000 sq. ft., single story units on 400 acres in Palm Springs were very well received. Mrs. Lucien Hertert, San Juan Road, said she understood the golf course goes the total length of this property. She hopes that the City of Cupertino lists preservation of the view as one of its goals. As to the history of this area, there was once a lovely home up there. There is still the machinery there that supplied water around the turn of the century to the entire area. Mrs. Ste Kester said that equipment is on the golf course, at the rear of the 9th hole. PC -1.56 Page 3 _a PC -156 INUTES OF THE ADJOURNED PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JUNE 12, 1974 Page 4 4r. Harold Ashton, Kaiser Pacific, Oakland, stated that he was repre- senting the 131 acres of the McDonald-Dorcich Quarry. He presented slides of the area. Erosion is happening here, and any development would require revcgetation. There is a nice lake on the property. There could be an equestrian trail. This area, where the Buck Norred stables presently are, is self-con- tained. The plan is for all private roads. There would be 115 acres of common area; about 11 or 12 acres are developable. Five acres would be absorbed by tennis courts, swimming pool, etc., and horse stables would account for .about 4 acres. This development could draw from the Hillsborough and Atherton areas. There will be security at the entrance. The units would have up to 2400 sq. ft. There would be three units per gross acre. There is the possibility of dedication of some of the open space to Linda. Vista Park. There has been some talk about a trail system going through here, to which the development could contribute. Parking would all be underground. They envision this as a semi -retirement community. The price range here is $65,000 to $75,000. The rent could run $500 to $600 per month. Mr. Hans Korve, Traffic Engineer with DeLeuw Cather Company, said they primarily looked at the traffic impact here.. The 375 units would have a mix of 30 adult -working and 70% retirement, and would generate 1800 trips per'.day,.147 of which are during peak hour.. This is a relatively low trip generation. For comparison, a working population of this size would generate 2500 trips per day for the same number of units, or 1500 trips per day for an entirely retired population, of which 110 are peak hour, Mr. Korve stated -that Stevens Canyon Road traffic will be increased. A left turn lane into this development would be required. Otherwise, the present streets can handle the traffic.. This development will be within Dial -A --Bus District 13, available by the end of this year. This bus service will answer your call within a half-hour. The 2800 existing traffic will be increased to 4300 per day. The present capacity of Stevens Canyon Road is 10,000 at Ricardo, and 6000 near Voss Avenue. This development represents a 15' increase in traffic. The exist._ing horse stables yield 300 cars per day, so this would be subtracted from the figures above. Ann Anger, Monta Vista, asked what guarantee we would have that this would stay as an adult-on]y area. Mr. Korve said the C C & R's should cover this. Chairman O'Keefe said this plan has a great deal of merit, but density lis a factor, MINUTES OF ADJOURNED PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JUNE 12, 1974 PC -156 Page 5 Comm. Woodward said this property is isolated on the east side of the creek. He asked if there is provision for another access to this property. And :chat happens when "the big one" comes? Mr. Guzzardo said there will be a bridge across the creek. There is going to be some problem with only one means of access to the development; this has not been resolved. However, this development is not any more vulnerable than many others. There is the possi- bility of coming in off Linda Vista Drive. Comm. Woodward asked if developers are considering the possibility of a seismic emergency. Mr. Guzzardo said there are several possibilities for pedestrian bridges. Comm. Cooper wondered if, since this property is below the dam, if the water would back up in this area. She was told the flood control people are looking into this matter. Chairman O`Keefe stated there will be an environmental impact report on this, and all these questions will be addressed at that time. Mr. Murl Fritschle, of Radin=McDonald, wanted to discuss the 450± acres behind the 7 Springs Ranch. They are aware the Park District is looking at this area. They are also aware there has been some precise planning of the lower portion of 7 Springs Ranch. They are thinking in terms of a planned development and transferring density, thereby retaining open areas. They are considering 0 -- 4 units per acre. He answered Comm. Gatto that they are thinking about Stelling Road as the access. to the property. The Planning Director noted this is within. the Urban Service Area. The property owner is thinking in terms of a mix of above --average residential homes here, with 5-, 10- and 20 -acre estates. Ann Anger noted that some former Cupertino residents have been criticized for moving to Saratoga, Los Altos Hills, etc. She contends there is a need in Cupertino for $100,000 homes. Comm. Gatto said the higher priced homes may be one way to pay for •the lower density. Mr. Lawrence Kill, representing the Church property across from Mary Knoll, said their previous proposal of 2500 units.has, after further study, been reduced to 1500 units. Although there will be a high density in the cemetery,, no traffic or noise problems will be generated. Mr. Hill noted the major portion of this property will be retained in open space. It i.s.adjacent .to Mid Peninsula Park district property. They are now thinking of a cluster -type development in the fairly flat area. PC -156 IINUTES OF ADJOURNED PLANING CO41ISSIOH METING OF JUNE 12_, :1974 ?age, 6 omm. Gatto suggested integrating the golf -course with the residential. :r. Hill said this could cre=ate problems because the developable land s too expensive for golf courses. They will have a minimum of 200 cres in go:Lf course. r. Hill said the P.G, & E. has approached the Archbishop in regard to nlarging their substation by some 30 acres. ornm. Woodward asked about the possibility of putting- $100,000 homes n a heavily wooded area. Hr. Hill stated that when you put that home n 10 to 20 acres the road costs are prohibitive. •loved by Corr! Gatte, seconded by Comm. Adams to adjourn this neeting at 10:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. on June 20, 1974. Motion carried, 5.0 APPROVED: Is!__Daniel P. O'Keefe Chairman ATTEST: T'm.F. viler._._.._ City Clerk