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“Emerald Hills, 94062” Revisited Call for Nominations to the Board Announcing Online Forums Historical Retrospective on “Emerald Hills, 94062”
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Update on Name Change
The March annual meeting saw one of the biggest turn outs yet, with about fifty people in attendance. We covered a number of topics and had many questions regarding roads and the name change. In this issue we will provide some follow-up to those questions. Who will be effected? The only addresses to be effected by the Emerald Hills name change are those in the unincorporated area of Emerald Hills. Basically, that is the area South of Edgewood Road and East of Edgewood park. The Western and Southern boundaries are very complex, so a map has been provided on the next page. [Please go to our website to view the current zoning map of EH. -Editor] I'm on the boundary line, How can I find out if I'm included in the name change? The boundary is fairly complex, but the ELHA can help. If your home is on a boundary and your not sure if you're in the unincorporated area or in Redwood City, just give either Chris B. or Clay B. a call. [Call me instead. -Editor] We can check to see which side of the line you fall on. Why didn't we select Emerald Lake or Emerald Lake Hills instead of Emerald Hills? There was some conflict with the use of Emerald Lake with regards to another community, and Emerald Lake Hills was deemed to be too long by the Post Office. So we chose to go with Emerald Hills, which is a name that has been in use in our community for a long time. What if I just don't want to change the name, I refuse? Will my mail still get delivered? Emerald Hills is an amazing and unique place to live. And a great part of what makes our community so special is the diversity and uniqueness people who live here. Not everyone is happy about the name change, but we hope that in time everyone will come to see that the name change is a positive event that helps identify our community as the special place we know it is. So, here's the long and the short of it. The official word from the post office is that after the grace period had expired, all mail to and from our area must use the Emerald Hills name. But if you want to test that just try mailing yourself a letter addressed like this: Your Name, Your Address, Timbuktu, CA 94062. Chances are pretty good that the letter will get delivered to you without any difficulty. The point is, the post office relies on the combination of street address and zip code to get the mail to your home. The city just helps them a little, but isn't required to find you. So while the ELHA is not going to advocate that you violate the post offices' rules, the fact is the post office will most likely get your mail to you regardless of what city name you put on the envelope. What stage is the name change at now? The request for name change was approved by the Board of Supervisors and will be delivered to the Post Office. We can expect the application to be completed sometime in early 1999. When can we start using the new name? The ELHA will notify you when you can officially start using Emerald Hills on your mail. We will do so through a future issue of this newsletter. Results of the voting tally:
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From the September 1998 newsletter:
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Name Change Official! Welcome to Emerald Hills.
After a lengthy community voting process, appeals to the County Board of Supervisors and application to the U.S Postal Service, it's official, our community is now officially recognized by the United States Postal Service as Emerald Hills. You may begin using Emerald Hills, 94062 on your mail. But wait, there's more! While over 80% of those voting voted in favor of the name change, there were obviously those who wanted to just leave the name alone. And their comments and concerns did not go unheard by the ELHA. In an effort to accommodate everyone, the ELHA has received the approval from the post office to allow the use of the name Redwood City for an indefinite period of time. Initially we were told that the name Redwood City would be phased out over a grace period of 1-2 years. But with the cooperation of the Postal Service we now have the right to use either Redwood City or Emerald Hills on our mail. So even though we will be officially recognized as Emerald Hills, those residents who do not wish to change their stationary can continue to use the name Redwood City for as long as they like, and the post office will guarantee delivery. A big thanks is due to our Postal Service for making this special arrangement. A special thank you goes out to Ms. Copper Dewland of the Name Change Division in San Francisco. Not only did she help process our application, but she diligently took many calls from residents in Emerald Hills and got their feedback returned to the board so that we could make these changes which we hope will now accommodate everyone. |
Tree Protection in Emerald Hills
So often, residents mention that one of the features that they love so much about the community is the abundance of native trees. The beautiful oaks, bay, redwood, buckeye, native willows, madrone, box elder, etc make this truly a special place. Because the community felt so strongly, in May 1990 San Mateo County enacted an ordinance, 
"The Significant Tree Ordinance #3229" to improve the protection of trees. This was also in response to complaints that trees were being "cleared" from properties prior to development. This ordinance protects trees that are 6" or greater in diameter at four feet above the ground ("chest height")..
Permits are required before cutting trees or trimming branches that are greater that 6" in diameter. The permit can be obtained at the San Mateo County Building and Planning dept, 2nd floor, County Center in Redwood City. The application will be reviewed, and the fee is $50. The permit requires that a "Notice of Intent" be posted on each tree and at street clearly visible to the public. Within that time, anyone with questions regarding the cutting can contact the Building and Planning department. If at the end of that 10-day period, there are no objections, the permit is granted. This permit must be at the site.
How is this enforced? The permit process is to protect the trees and not to impinge upon a property owners rights. Any resident can call the San Mateo County code enforcement officer (363-4825) to file a complaint if a tree is cut without a permit. On weekends and holiday when the County offices are closed, you may call the Sheriff. Refer to the County Tree Protection Ordinance, #3229. This is available on our Emerald Hills homeowners association web site.
What are the Penalties? The penalties apply to anyone cutting the tree without a permit. This means the property owner or anyone the owner may hire. The permit must be on site. If a tree cutter cannot produce the permit, he must stop immediately. It is not good enough to say "the owner has it." Penalties range from "cease and desist," with fines ranging from $100-$500 dollars per tree, to a "Stop Work Notice" on construction that would be in effect as determined by the Planning Director. In addition, replacement for trees removed are of a size determined by the Planning Director.
Is the Emerald Market Really Opening?!
Many residents have inquired whether anything would be done with the old Community Market, at the intersection of Oak Knoll Dr and Canyon Rd. You may recall receiving an invitation to the developer open house that was held Nov. 8.
The team behind opening the market said that everything is moving along, slow but sure. They had hoped to be further along in the process by now, but have had some permit delays for the parking lot. The market is anticipated to open early summer. The center will most likely get a quick coat of paint in the short-term, and then have additional work done shortly thereafter.
In addition to the market, discussions are happening with other new businesses to open in the center. Potentials include a hair salon, pizza, ice cream, and a mailbox & secretarial services shop. Depending on when the leases are signed, these could open before the market.
Best of Emerald Hills
Over the past several years, many homeowners have either improved their homes, updated landscape, or completely built a new home. We would like to honor those that have done an attractive job of fitting well into the Emerald Hills community and in harmony with their surroundings. In the next newsletter will be a regular column highlighting the "BEST OF..." 1) remodels 2) landscape or 3) new home. If you have a neighbor that you would like to see recognized for any of the above categories, please e-mail Sallie, or send a letter to:
ELHA
Attn: Sallie Martin
P.O.Box 620449
Woodside, CA 94062
Love Your Emerald Hills Environment?
We are fortunate to have a terrific free program in our county, RecycleWorks. Their web site provides info on everything from "Where to Recycle Almost Anything," to local solar providers, to Kids Connect-a section for children to connect with the environment. RecycleWorks is sponsoring an Earth Day poster contest for students, with entries due Feb. 25.
RecycleWorks also offers a great free lecture series on sustainable gardening. All are held at College of San Mateo, Building 20, Room #101 from 7 - 9pm. The next few sessions are: March 7: Organic & Biological Management of Common Garden Pests; April 4: Wild Stream Health and the Suburban Garden Interface; May 2: Urban Permaculture and Garden Resource Management.
For more information, visit http://www.recycleworks.org/.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. Who is responsible for picking up the litter on our streets?
A. We spoke with the Roads Maintenance Manager in the San Mateo County Department of Public Works to clarify the extent of their responsibilities. The answer is that the county will pick up litter for any travelway or drainage gutter in unincorporated areas (such as Emerald Hills). However, there may be other land that is a county easement, but if it's not a travelway or gutter, then it doesn't benefit from litter service. So the shoulder of the road that runs by your land-even if it is a county easement-may not be considered part of the gutter, and thus responsibility falls to the homeowner to have the litter removed. On the other hand, if there is litter in the roadway or gutter you want to report, you may do so by calling the Road Maintenance Manager at 650-363-4149.
Updating Your Information
To revise or update your member information (how your name appears on the newsletter mailing label, for example) please contact the editor of this newsletter
Lee Lukehart, at news(at)emeraldhill.org.
The best way to stay informed: get on our e-mail list!
If you aren’t already one of the 352 homeowners "in-the-know," please send us your e-mail address. Just drop a message to our editor, at news(at)emeraldhills.org. Unless you request to not receive notices, you’ll be alerted to late-breaking community news and issues. You’ll also save the association money, since we’ll send you e-mail instead of a printed newsletter. (If you want to receive both the print newsletter and the e-mail–just ask!)
Please Donate... Now Online!
We ask for your voluntary donation to help continue paying for the tree repopulation, beautification, political action, newsletters, community alerts, and other expenses of your homeowners association. We are now able to accept credit cards, securely online! Just go to http://www.emeraldhills.org/pages/donate.html. Thanks!! The charge will appear on your credit card statement as "fund(at)emeraldhills.org".
ELHA Directors
| Carolyn Chaney Steve Harper Carole Henley Lee Lukehart Sallie Martin Phillip Quan Debby Wallach |
364-5547 President 368-4254 365-8559 366-5335 Vice President 369-7494 Secretary 365-2499 Treasurer 369-4430 |
View a timeline of past directors here.
Yes! I will help preserve Emerald Hills.
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___ I can spare a bit more to help. Here is my donation for $40.
___ I’m a resident of one of the most desirable neighborhoods on the Peninsula, and I want to keep it that way. Here is my contribution of $_______ to help fight the good fight.
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Woodside, CA 94062
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