Open Space Committee reviews multiple properties, flags illegal front‑yard turf and a nonconforming fence; asks staff for boilerplate recommendations

At its meeting the Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee reviewed a string of planning referrals and agreed to standard language for many items while flagging two enforcement issues for staff: artificial turf apparently installed within a front setback and a tall opaque fence near 7 Acres Lane/Edgerton that members said may not meet setback or permit rules.

Committee members reviewed several parcels (Ravensbury/Loyola West, a small triangle near the Packard Orchard, Hilltop Drive, Barley Hill Road and Atherton Court). For many of the smaller or low‑impact items the committee agreed to supply boilerplate recommendations — emphasizing native landscaping, landscape screening, and preservation of any pedestrian/pathway easements — or to file a short, staff‑signed comment of "no comment" where no open‑space recommendation was warranted.

On compliance, a committee participant cited the town ordinance prohibiting artificial turf in front setbacks. "The ordinance says that, no artificial turf in the front of the house," the participant said. Members agreed staff should flag the turf installation for code review and, if necessary, coordinate with code compliance rather than escalate it in the open‑space recommendation.

Separately, several members described a new opaque fence visible from the road and asked staff to check whether the fence location and height comply with setback rules. Staff noted applicants sometimes claim ownership to the centerline of a street to argue a larger setback applies; the committee asked staff to verify the applicable centerline/setback calculation and to recommend that existing pathway easements remain open and clear of fencing.

For several properties the committee moved and seconded acceptance of Richard's recommended comments and boilerplate language. Members also instructed staff to edit narratives (correcting typos and referencing the Packard Foundation where needed) and to circulate the revised memos to committee members before submitting to planning.