Zoning Ordinance Proposals: Next Steps

This summer the San Mateo County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors will hear the proposals for zoning changes that were voted on in August 2005.

 

Those proposals will be reviewed at a community meeting on May 31 at 7 p.m. at the Clifford School multi purpose room, Clifford and Scenic. Please come and show the County Planners that we are ready for change! Planners are supportive but question involvement of DRC in creation of subdivisions. Informal feedback from the community over the years has shown a need for changes in the zoning regulations and standards and updated tree protection policies and rules that were put into effect 16 years ago.

 

Six Community Meetings were held in summer 2004 to get feedback from residents. From these meetings the EHHA Board members developed proposals for changes. These proposals addressed house size, mass and bulk; house size on sloping lots; use of daylight planes; height limits on crawl spaces; calculating FAR for tall interior spaces; subdivision overview when 3 or more lots are created and addresses flag lots. Additional points were protecting waterways, tree protection, permits and fines, and limits on retaining walls. These proposals were presented again at an All Community Meeting and then the proposals and ballots were sent to all homeowners in Emerald Hills. Voting took place in August 2005 and the results were given to San Mateo County Planning department to prepare for presentation to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.

 

Voting results showed strong support for the proposed changes, with most proposals approved by 66-75%.

 

Summary of Proposals:

(Documents online at http://www.emeraldhills.org)

 

69% YES: Controlling house size, mass and bulk: for lots greater than 12,000 sq. ft, a sliding scale for FAR (floor area ratio) from 30% to 25% at 22,000 sq ft.

66% YES: Maximum house size of 5500 square feet.

68% YES: FAR is further limited by slope. FAR reduced by 1% for each degree greater than 20%.

68% YES: Adopt Daylight planes. To decrease the mass of homes and maintain daylight access to neighbors.

55% YES: Limit crawl space height to average of 5 feet and may not be more than 50% of the first floor area.

57% YES: Tall interior spaces greater than 16" would be counted as double FAR.

75% YES: Include the Design Review Committee in review of Subdivisions that create 3 or more lots.

70% YES: Subdivisions would have regularly shaped lots and flag lots would be prohibited.

78% YES: Protect waterways. Prohibit building within 15 feet of stream banks, with bridges excepted.

76% YES: Significant Trees. Defined as native trees of 6"diameter or greater and other species of 12" diameter. Heritage trees defined as redwood of 36" diameter and other native trees that are 24" diameter.

73% YES: Tree Permits and Fees: No Permit fee for nuisance trees or dead trees (with arborist report).

74% YES: Flexible tree replacement ratio. 2:1 for smaller trees (15 gal), and 1:1 for larger size (24" box).

66% YES: Stronger penalties for Illegal tree cutting. 67% YES: Protect trees during construction

61% YES: Tree protection Plan to be a part of Design Review requirements. All trees shown on plan and marked for protection; Arborist may be required.

64% YES: Penalties for trees lost during construction. 68% YES: Retaining walls. Avoid long running walls. Limit height to 5 feet with planting spaces between terraces. Review by DRC if visible from the street.

 

 

Preserving Trees and Views

We love Emerald Hills both for its beautiful trees and wonderful vistas. The contribution of trees and views add to the character and beauty of the area and both need to be protected. Homeowners sometimes find that trees and views, and the benefits derived from each, may come into conflict. The removal of trees may destroy natural beauty, contribute to erosion, increase the cost of drainage systems, reduce protection against wind, and impair residential privacy and quiet. On the other hand, when neighbors plant trees, they need to be aware of how the fully grown trees will impact the views of their neighbors. A reasonable balanced set of protective guidelines to resolve such conflicts has been developed by the Cities of Sausalito, El Cerrito, and others. Here are a few of the key points from these guidelines for us to consider as we work cooperatively with our neighbors to preserve both trees and views:

á       Vegetation should not unreasonably obstruct the view from or the sunlight reaching other property.

á       If a homeowner finds vegetation obstructs a view they should get a professional opinion for a feasible solution.

á       They should give the tree owner the report and have personal discussions to reach a mutually agreeable solution, both long term and short term.

á       Mediation is recommended if an agreement isn't reached. In our county we have the services of the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, phone 650-513-0330, http://www.pcrcweb.org/.

 

Watch out for Burglars

We've had some recent reports of burglaries from unlocked automobiles parked along our roadways, and a bike was stolen from a yard on California Way. Much as we'd like to think of our community as a sleepy small town where everyone is known and trusted, it just ain't true. So take your valuables out of your cars, lock your cars, sheds and garages, and keep an eye out in the neighborhood for any-thing that looks suspicious. Our contact at the Sheriff's Office is Ken Jones, phone 363-1990, or email kjones@co.sanmateo.ca.us.

 

 

GOT RATS?

Emerald Hills is home to abundant wildlifeÉincluding the notorious Roof Rat (Rattus Rattus). RR loves to invade our garages, sheds, basements, and even our walls, searching for delicious morsels. Furthermore, RR carries mites, which bite and cause a nasty rash (although are not known to vector diseases).

What to do about the pesky RR? Most baits (including gopher baits) are extremely poisonous and will kill a pet or childÉeven the poisoned dead carcass of the RR can kill the barn owl or hawk or pet that feeds on it. If you need to

poison RR, use Rode-Trol, a natural product made from corn that is totally safe around kids, pets, and wildlife, and readily available, for example at OSH.

Or even better, consider a cat. HUMANIMAL is a local Emerald Hills cat rescue organization that can match you with a hard-working cat or a kitten. Contact Susan Brown at 369-7001 or (cell) 867-3418.

 

Presenting our New Board Members

 

Cheryl McGovern (on left) is a long-time Emerald Hills resident who works for the US Environmental Protection Agency. She is interested in issues of traffic safety, our Emerald Hills environment (of course!), and improving public transportation in Emerald Hills. Cheryl was elected EHHA secretary at her first board meeting.

 

Steve Hill (center) has lived in Emerald Hills only about a year, but he loves the area and wants to be of service. Steve is an engineer with Can Trans and is a life-long lover of trains. He will serve on the EH Public Works Committee and hopes to help with issues affecting our quality of life.

 

Amy French (on right) lives in the area of Emerald Hills near the Brewster Reservoir site, and the efforts to preserve the site was the issue that got Amy involved in the EHHA. Amy is a planner for the city of Palo Alto, so she brings great expertise on issues related to planning, zoning design and design review. Amy is also a dancer.

 

Also re-elected to the board at the annual meeting were: Carolyn Chaney, Steve Harper, Lee Lukehart, and Milo Medin. We are sad to lose Vicky Tuite and Greg Aikey, but they will continue to work for the community, Vicky on CERT, and Greg on trees.

 

 

Is our neighborhood prepared for a disaster?

Do you want to be part of the solution?

Fourteen Emerald Hills residents have completed the 16 hour Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). CERTs are formed by members of a neighborhood (or workplace) who want to be better prepared for the hazards that threaten their communities. Initially, CERT programs were developed to assist communities in taking care of themselves in the aftermath of a major disaster when first responders are overwhelmed or unable to respond because of communication or transportation difficulties. As the CERT concept has taken hold across the country, however, CERTs have proven themselves to be an active and vital part of their communities' preparedness and response capability in many situations. The CERT training consists of 16-18 hours, covering topics as: preparedness, hazardous materials safety, first aid, fire suppression, gas shutoff, and search and rescue. We are fortunate to have a beginning cadre of trained people in our community, but we can use more!

 

Vicky Tuite is planning to set up an additional class. The training for Emerald Hills residents will be provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office of Emergency service. The training is free and is available to adults and young adults (high school juniors and seniors). This training will begin soon and will go for 4 weeks. There will be also some time required on a weekend day. Please email vtuite@yahoo.com or call Vicky at 365-5656 to sign up or get more information.

 

In addition, the Woodside Fire Protection District, of which we are a part, offers a monthly training session of either First Aid or CPR. You do not have to be a CERT member to take this training. Go to http://www.cerpp.org/ and click on "Training, Program, Events" or call Gaylynne Mann at 650 851-1594. The next class is First Aid on June 10. This is free but you must pre-register.

 

 

Woodside Fire Protection District
Chipper Program

 

 

 

Time to Trim our Bushes

This is the time of year when bushes and shrubs seem to leap out from the roadside to scratch passing cars and to force pedestrians into the traveled portion of the roadway. Those small oleanders and privets that we plant as privacy screens just seem to grow and grow, and often they end up obstructing the view of drivers on our curvy roads. So, please go out and look at your shrubs and hedges from a pedestrian's and a driver's point of view. Do they need a little trimming? See the article on the chipper program if you aren't sure what to do with all those clippings.

 

And speaking of hedges...

Emerald Hills is home to Broom, a weed, that is quite lovely when in bloom, but is really quite invasive. We see it along the roadways, even used as a hedge, and in our yards. It is even sold in plant nurseries, in spite of the fact that French Broom, Scotch Broom and Spanish Broom are three of the most invasive plants listed by the California Invasive Plant Council (http://www.cal-ipc.org). Today there is a great struggle to stop the steady advance of broom. Broom can disfigure surrounding wild lands, resulting in a monoculture. Wild plants distributing seed into the cultivated landscapes make it a pernicious weed. Volunteers spend hours in Edgewood Park and in Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve pulling up Broom seedlings. Fortunately young seedlings are easy to remove.

 

Broom has yellow flowers that resemble pea flowers, and the French broom is scented beautifully. When young, the branches are smooth and nearly leafless, looking like, well, a broom! The plant was once used by bakers as hand-held whisk broom known as a "bisom." The plant produces brownish seed pods.

 

 

Scotch broom is a true "planta non grata" in the West. If it encroaches onto your property, make eradication a priority. Let's remember the motto of the California Invasive Plant Council: Don't plant a pest: Give it an inch and it'll take up an acre!

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)emeraldhills.org.