Open Space Committee approves site-review recommendations, flags creek damage and wildfire risks

The Open Space Committee of Los Altos Hills voted Jan. 14 to approve a set of site-review recommendations for several properties, while calling for additional technical checks and attachments before the packages are forwarded to the town’s planning department.

Committee members approved recommendations for 27235 Burn Park Lane and a historic lot on Raleigh Road and accepted a set of suggested conditions for a Maria Lane parcel. The chair (speaker 1) said the Maria Lane report shows disturbance to Hale Creek’s banks and instructed staff to embed photographs and to request a geologic-hazard review before the file is sent to planning. “Major riparian restoration [is] needed,” the chair said, urging that replanting of native riparian vegetation be included where plants were removed.

Why it matters: the committee’s review highlights two overlapping local concerns — slope stability and riparian protection — that affect whether an accessory structure can be built near a creek, and how the town’s open-space easements are applied. Members also pressed for attention to wildfire risk on steep, vegetated lots and discussed coordination with emergency-preparedness efforts.

What the committee did and asked staff to do

- Burn Park Lane (27235): Members queried slope calculations (disagreement noted between 30% and 35%) and asked planning staff to verify contours or provide a topo report. After clarifying language and formatting problems in the draft report, the committee moved and approved the recommendations for transmittal to planning; Richard and Kit were assigned to format the final document.

- Raleigh Road (historic adobe property): The committee noted the site’s graded terraces and a proposal to preserve part of a 1937 adobe within a setback. Members flagged an existing garage/pergola in the setback and recommended that planning be made aware of any apparent violation; the committee ultimately approved its recommendations by motion.

- Maria Lane (accessory structure near Hale Creek): Members reviewed photos and a plan for a large accessory structure (roughly 1,000+ square feet) placed near the conservation/pathway easement along Hale Creek. The chair said photos in the packet showed bank disturbance and chips on the creek bank; the owner told staff he was away when the damage occurred, the chair said. The committee agreed to ask planning to: (a) consult the county geologic-hazard map for potential landslide or slope restrictions; (b) consider extending an open-space easement over steep western slopes (slopes greater than 30%); and (c) require riparian restoration or replanting in areas where vegetation was removed. Members also added recommended language noting that riparian banks and vegetation may be subject to federal, state and local jurisdiction and oversight (for example, watershed agencies).

Policy and safety context

An agency official (speaker 3) told the committee that, at present, the town enforces a 30-foot defensible-space standard through county fire and that the state is still considering a new 0–5-foot ember-control standard for very-high fire-severity zones; that 0–5-foot standard is not yet adopted statewide. Committee members discussed the HIZ program and suggested the emergency-preparedness committee be asked to coordinate resources and guidance for homeowners facing wildfire risk.

Votes at a glance

- Approved: December minutes (motion by Chair/speaker 1; second by Committee member/speaker 2; outcome: approved by voice vote). - Approved: Recommendations for 27235 Burn Park Lane (motion/second recorded in meeting; outcome: approved; staff to format and send to planning). - Approved: Recommendations for Raleigh Road property (motion/second; outcome: approved). - Approved: Recommendations for Maria Lane with requested attachments and geologic-hazard review (motion/second; outcome: approved; staff to add photos and forward package to planning).

What’s next

Staff were asked to attach the missing photographs, correct formatting issues, reference the geologic-hazard map where appropriate, and forward the revised packages to planning (to Jonathan and Richard). Committee members discussed holding a brief special meeting to finish outstanding reviews if necessary; the group lost quorum as members began to leave and agreed to finalize scheduling offline.

Reporting notes

Quotes in this article come from the committee’s recorded discussion. Where the committee lacked precise data (for example, measured slope calculations or the presence/extent of an easement), the article notes that staff will confirm those details before the package is transmitted to planning.