TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
Special Meeting of the Town Council
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
5:30 PM
MAYOR: Craig Taylor
VICE MAYOR: Mary Hufty
COUNCILMEMBERS: Rebecca Flynn, Judith Hasko, Helen Wolter
A G E N D A
HISTORIC SCHOOLHOUSE - 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028 Remote Public Comments: Meeting participants are encouraged to submit public comments in writing in advance of the meeting. Please submit your public comments by using the online form, by 1:00 PM on the day of the meeting. Time permitting, your correspondence will be uploaded to the website. All received questions will be forwarded to the Portola Valley Town Council for consideration during the meeting and included in the public record. Members of the public may also provide comments in person at the meeting. The agenda and staff report will be posted on the Town’s website by approximately 5:00 PM the Friday prior to the meeting. Additionally, technology permitting, the public body will take questions using the Raise Hand button for those who attend the meeting online or by phone. The Mayor will call on people to speak by the phone number calling in. Remote participation is provided as a supplemental way to provide public comment, but this method does not always work. The public is encouraged to attend in person to ensure full participation.
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1 1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ANNOUNCEMENT OF REMOTE ATTENDANCE / ROLL CALL
3. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Public comment will only be taken on agenda items. The Mayor will also open up for public comment as the Council moves through each agenda item. Please submit a speaker's slip located at the front of the room to the Town Clerk of Mayor, prior to speaking. Each speaker's time is limited to three (3) minutes.
4. CLOSED SESSION
a. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – LITIGATION (Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1)) County of San Mateo, et al. v. State of California, et al., San Francisco Superior Court Case No. CPF-25-519270
5. REGULAR AGENDA - Items from the May 27, 2026 Regular Meeting a. Receive Update from the Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee to Identify Alternative Legal Counsel to Advise the Town regarding MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District’s Proposed Lower Barn Project and Hawthorns Historic Complex Property b. Consider Appointment of a Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee to Research Options to Work Directly with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Regarding the Hawthorns Property
6. ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Town Council meeting will be held on June 24, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Land Acknowledgement:
The Town of Portola Valley acknowledges the colonial history of this land we dwell upon the unceded territory of the Ramaytush (rah-my-toosh) Ohlone, Tamien Nation, and Muwekma (mah-WEK- mah) Ohlone, who endured a human and cultural genocide that included removal from their lands and their sacred relationship to the land. Portola Valley recognizes that we profit from the commodification of land seized from indigenous peoples and now bear the ecological consequences. We seek to understand the impact of these legacies on all beings and to find ways to make repair. 2 _________________________________________________________________________________ TO: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Mary Hufty, Vice Mayor
Judith Hasko, Councilmember
DATE: June 24, 2026
RE: Receive Update from the Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee to Identify Alternative Legal Counsel to Advise the Town regarding MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District’s Proposed Lower Barn Project and Hawthorns Historic Complex Property
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Town Council receive an update from the Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee to Identify Alternative Legal Counsel to advise the Town regarding MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District’s Proposed Lower Barn Project and Hawthorns Historic Complex Property.
BACKGROUND
A Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee (“Subcommittee”) was created at the Town Council meeting on June 25, 2025 to Identify Alternative Legal Counsel to advise the Town regarding MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District’s (Midpen) Proposed Lower Barn Project and Hawthorns Historic Complex Property.
Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger (SMW) has provided Town Attorney services to the Town of Portola Valley since May 2023. As disclosed in its engagement letter with the Town, SMW has in the past and is currently representing both Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) on a variety of land use, conservation easement, land acquisition and disposition, and other matters throughout San Mateo County. In particular, POST holds a conservation easement located on the Hawthorns Historic Complex property, which could create conflicts of interest for SMW.
The 79-acre Hawthorns area of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve was gifted to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) in 2011. Since then, Midpen’s staff have been working to restore native grasslands, improve community wildland fire safety and protect historic features on the property. A multiyear public process began in 2021 to explore the feasibility of introducing ecologically sensitive public access to the undeveloped portion of the property.
TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
TOWN COUNCIL AD HOC
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
3 Midpen plans to protect and manage natural, scenic, cultural, and open space resources at the Hawthorns Area and provide ecologically sensitive public access consistent with Midpen’s mission and the allowable uses outlined in the property’s conservation easement.
Hawthorns Area Public Access Working Group
On June 28th 2023, Hawthorns Area Public Access Working Group (PAWG) was officially formed. The Midpen Board of Directors appointed members to serve on the PAWG. Working group members collaborated at meetings in 2023 and 2024 with Midpen staff, District Ward Stakeholders, and elected official liaisons on a plan to introduce ecologically sensitive public access to the site in a manner consistent with Midpen vision and goals. The PAWG meeting agendas, agenda packets, and documents are available online.
The Working Group evaluated the following public access components:
• Parking area and driveway location(s)
• Trailhead location(s) and internal trail system
• Trail connections with surrounding Town trails and pathways • Opportunities for regional trail connections
• Proposed trail uses within the Hawthorns Area
Key Public Meeting Timeline
Date Event / Description
May 6, 2026
Midpen Board of Directors to consider and accept the
Action Table and Schematic Parking Designs as the basis for the project description to conduct environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. (agenda and agenda packet)
December 3,
2025
Midpen Board of Directors to consider and defer the Hawthorns Historic Complex Project until after the Hawthorns Area Plan is
adopted and implementation of Area Plan projects is underway March 12,
2025
Midpen Board of Directors to consider and determine which options to incorporate into the preparation of the Hawthorns Area Plan.
February 26,
2025
Midpen Board of Directors to review and consider the PAWG recommendations and public feedback at this Board Study Session.
October 30,
2024 Feedback Session with Portola Valley Town Council.
October 21,
2024 Feedback Session with Portola Valley Ad Hoc Hawthorns Committee.
September
17, 2024
Forward the Public Access Working Group’s recommendations to Midpen’s Planning and Natural Resources Committee for their consideration. (Staff report, presentation)
4 Date Event / Description
June 2023 –
July 2024
7 Hawthorns Area Plan Public Access Working Group (PAWG) meetings. View the Hawthorns PAWG page for detailed information including meeting summaries.
April 26, 2023
Midpen Board of Directors approved deliverables for Existing Conditions phase and Public Access Working Group composition and formation process. (Staff report, presentation)
March 21,
2023
Deliverables from Existing Conditions phase and proposed Public Access Working Group composition and formation process presented to Planning & Natural Resources Committee. (Staff report, meeting minutes)
March 23,
2022
Midpen Board of Directors reviewed and approved the vision and goals. (Staff report, meeting minutes)
On December 3, 2025, the Midpen Board of Directors approved the deferment of the Hawthorns Historic Complex Project until after the Hawthorns Area Plan is adopted and implementation of Area Plan projects is underway. At the May 6, 2026, the Midpen Board of Directors accepted the Hawthorns Area Plan Action Table and Schematic Parking Designs as the basis for the project description to conduct environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). With this approval, Midpen will initiate environmental review. Midpen's role as the lead agency in the CEQA analysis of this project includes engaging with responsible agencies (CEQA Guidelines section 15096), including the Town of Portola Valley.
Midpen has not submitted any permit applications or formal requests for Town review and feedback on their preliminary plans.
The Subcommittee was scheduled to provide an update at the May 27, 2026 Town Council meeting, but the item was not heard.
DISCUSSION
The Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee interviewed after outreach to four firms and interview of four candidates for legal counsel to advise the Town on Hawthorns property-related matters. Bill Seligman was selected by the Committee. The Town Manager entered into an engagement letter on May 6, 2026 with Mr. Seligman with a not to exceed amount of $10,000, to enable him to get up to speed on the project in the near term.
The Subcommittee will provide a verbal update at the June 24, 2026 meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost of legal services to be provided by Mr. Seligman is currently authorized not to exceed $10,000 funded by existing appropriated fund balance in the General Fund. Additional budget appropriation will be needed to continue work on this project in Fiscal Year 2026-27.
SMW did not bill the Town for any time associated with preparation of this report. 5 _________________________________________________________________________________ TO: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Darcy Smith, Town Manager
DATE: June 24, 2026
RE: Consider Appointment of a Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee to Research Options to Work Directly with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Regarding the Hawthorns Property
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The Town Council may consider the appointment of a Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee to research options to work directly with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District regarding the Hawthorns Property.
BACKGROUND:
The 79-acre Hawthorns area of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve was gifted to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) in 2011. Since then, Midpen’s staff have been working to restore native grasslands, improve community wildland fire safety and protect historic features on the property. A multiyear public process began in 2021 to explore the feasibility of introducing ecologically sensitive public access to the undeveloped portion of the property.
Midpen plans to protect and manage natural, scenic, cultural, and open space resources at the Hawthorns Area and provide ecologically sensitive public access consistent with Midpen’s mission and the allowable uses outlined in the property’s conservation easement.
Hawthorns Area Public Access Working Group
On June 28th 2023, Hawthorns Area Public Access Working Group (PAWG) was officially formed. The Midpen Board of Directors appointed members to serve on the PAWG. Working group members collaborated at meetings in 2023 and 2024 with Midpen staff, District Ward Stakeholders, and elected official liaisons on a plan to introduce ecologically sensitive public access to the site in a manner consistent with Midpen vision and goals. The PAWG meeting agendas, agenda packets, and documents are available online.
The Working Group evaluated the following public access components:
• Parking area and driveway location(s)
TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
STAFF REPORT
6 • Trailhead location(s) and internal trail system
• Trail connections with surrounding Town trails and pathways • Opportunities for regional trail connections
• Proposed trail uses within the Hawthorns Area
Key Public Meeting Timeline
Date Event / Description
May 6, 2026
Midpen Board of Directors to consider and accept the
Action Table and Schematic Parking Designs as the basis for the project description to conduct environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. (agenda and agenda packet).
December 3,
2025
Midpen Board of Directors to consider and defer the Hawthorns Historic Complex Project until after the Hawthorns Area Plan is
adopted and implementation of Area Plan projects is underway March 12,
2025
Midpen Board of Directors to consider and determine which options to incorporate into the preparation of the Hawthorns Area Plan.
February 26,
2025
Midpen Board of Directors to review and consider the PAWG recommendations and public feedback at this Board Study Session.
October 30,
2024 Feedback Session with Portola Valley Town Council.
October 21,
2024 Feedback Session with Portola Valley Ad Hoc Hawthorns Committee.
September
17, 2024
Forward the Public Access Working Group’s recommendations to Midpen’s Planning and Natural Resources Committee for their consideration. (Staff report, presentation)
June 2023 –
July 2024
7 Hawthorns Area Plan Public Access Working Group (PAWG) meetings. View the Hawthorns PAWG page for detailed information including meeting summaries.
April 26, 2023
Midpen Board of Directors approved deliverables for Existing Conditions phase and Public Access Working Group composition and formation process. (Staff report, presentation)
March 21,
2023
Deliverables from Existing Conditions phase and proposed Public Access Working Group composition and formation process presented to Planning & Natural Resources Committee. (Staff report, meeting minutes)
7 Date Event / Description
March 23,
2022
Midpen Board of Directors reviewed and approved the vision and goals. (Staff report, meeting minutes)
On December 3, 2025, the Midpen Board of Directors approved the deferment of the Hawthorns Historic Complex Project until after the Hawthorns Area Plan is adopted and implementation of Area Plan projects is underway. On May 6, 2026, the Midpen Board of Directors accepted the Hawthorns Area Plan Action Table and Schematic Parking Designs as the basis for the project description to conduct environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). With this approval, Midpen will initiate environmental review. Midpen's role as the lead agency in the CEQA analysis of this project includes engaging with responsible agencies (CEQA Guidelines section 15096), including the Town of Portola Valley.
Midpen has not submitted any permit applications or formal requests for Town review and feedback on their preliminary plans. There is no timing for this submittal and MidPen has stated that any required permit applications would be submitted after the Project environmental document is approved. Basic information about the current Town General Plan land use classification and Zoning District is provided as Attachment 1.
This item is being presented pursuant to Resolution No. 2948-2024 which allows for a Councilmember to submit a request to the Town Manager that an item be agendized for action by the Town Council. Additionally, a letter was submitted to the Town Council from the Town Open Space Committee Attachment 2). It was scheduled for the May 27, 2026 Town Council meeting, but the item was not heard.
DISCUSSION:
The Town Council may consider the appointment of a Town Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee to research options to work with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District regarding the Hawthorns Property. Consistent with the California Brown Act (Government Code Section 54952(b)), an advisory Council subcommittee is exempt from the Act’s open-meeting requirements provided it strictly operates within defined structural limits.
To maintain this exemption, the proposed Subcommittee will be subject to the following strict parameters:
• Composition: The Subcommittee shall be composed solely of members of the Town Council and must constitute less than a quorum of the full body (e.g., no more than two members of the five-member council). No staff, stakeholders, or members of the public may be appointed to the body.
• Scope of Authority: The Subcommittee is purely advisory and possesses no delegated, independent decision-making authority. It cannot bind the Town to any action or agreement.
• Finite Mandate and Timeline: The Subcommittee is temporary and tasked exclusively with a specific, finite assignment which will be defined by the Town Council when creating the Subcommittee. These may include community communication items, preparation of a formal comment letter to be sent to MROSD from the Council (after approval by the full Council), requesting and planning joint Council and MROSD Board meetings, and creation of a Joint Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) 8 Board and Portola Valley Town Council Brown Act Subcommittee, or work with the Town Open Space Committee on communications.
• Preparing a future Town Council staff report and oral presentation regarding coordination with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District on the Hawthorns Property. It is anticipated that the Subcommittee would deliver its final presentation in the next two to three months.
The Subcommittee will automatically dissolve upon the delivery of its final presentation to the full Town Council, at which point its work will be completed. Because it meets all criteria for an exempt ad hoc body, its temporary working sessions will not be subject to the notice and public participation mandates of the Brown Act.
FISCAL IMPACT
Currently, the Town FY2627 Operating Budget does not include any allocations of funding for staff or supplemental consultant work on the Hawthorns property. The cost of legal services to be provided by attorney Bill Seligmann to work on the project and provide legal advice to the Town is currently authorized not to exceed $10,000 funded by existing appropriated fund balance in the General Fund. Additional budget appropriation will be needed to continue work on this project in Fiscal Year 2026-27.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Hawthorns Property General Plan and Zoning Information
2. Town Open Space Committee Letter
9 General Plan and Zoning Information
General Plan Land Use Designation for Hawthorns Property:
Conservation Plan Diagram
Designation: Residential (Conservation)
General Plan Land Use text:
Conservation-Residential—Includes:
a. Existing developed areas where net residential land area per housing unit averages from 2 to 4 acres.
b. Relatively accessible undeveloped lands with few to considerable potential geologic instabilities. To be developed with a slope-intensity standard whereby the net residential land area per housing unit increases from 2 acres on level to 9 acres on slopes of 50 percent or greater.
Residential Area No. 9.
2122 The development pattern for a large portion of this area has been set by the Portola Valley Ranch subdivision where there are slightly in excess of two acres per housing unit. Most of the balance of the area is in large ownerships. The area is shown in the conservation residential intensity category.
2123 Most of the area has good access to local town roads, most utilities, schools, and shopping. Parts of the area are quite stable geologically, while other parts are highly unstable, and slopes range from moderate to steep. The plan diagram indicates large areas in the residential open space preserve category.
2123a In the area along Alpine Road, any development should be kept well back from the road so as not to encroach on the Alpine Road Corridor, Portola Road Corridor, and Nathhorst Triangle Area.
Zoning Classification:
Residential Estate
R-E/3.5A/ SD-2/D-R
Portola Valley Municipal Code Section 18.12.030 - Conditional use permitted.
The following uses shall be permitted only when a conditional use permit is granted therefor as provided in Chapter 18.72:
…..
K. Publicly-owned park, recreation or open space areas when located in conformance with the general plan;
10 OSC letter to Council 1
20 April 2026
To: Mayor Craig Taylor
Vice Mayor Mary Hufty
Council Members Rebecca Flynn, Judith Hasko, and Helen Wolter Town Manager Darcy Smith
From: The Portola Valley Open Space Committee (OSC)
Subject: Recommended actions on the Hawthorns
We are writing to alert you to significant environmental impacts associated with the Hawthorns Area Plan (Plan), which is now one Board decision away from starting the CEQA process (Figure 1).1
We consider elements of the Plan unacceptable and in violation of the Hawthorns Conservation Easement. We recommend the following actions:
1. Town Manager: a) formally convey the Town’s concerns to Midpen, and b) advise Midpen to submit a preliminary application to the Town for a conditional use permit.
2. Town Council: a) quickly secure legal representation for engagement with Midpen, including the possibility of Town acquisition of Hawthorns, and b) facilitate this by increasing the cap on the Town Manager’s discretionary use of the Open Space Fund.
A lot is at stake for Portola Valley. A major concern is that the Plan’s two parking lot options are in the scenic hillside southeast of Alpine Road and Alpine Trail, adjacent to the Town’s busiest crosswalks and intersection—Alpine Road and Portola Road (Figures 2 and 3). The hillside is a mix of meadow and oak woodland. It is a prominent feature of the Alpine Road Scenic Corridor, which is now recognized in regional planning as a Priority Conservation Area. Both of the Plan’s parking options are scaled for 50 cars and would entail: removal of significant trees; substantial cut and fill; and construction of a roadway, a permeable concrete surface, retaining walls, and a screening berm upslope from Alpine Trail. These impacts would violate the Conservation Easement2 and would dramatically degrade the Town’s safe and scenic buffer along a heavily used trail and major road. One OSC member said it would be a travesty. The grantee of the Conservation Easement, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST),3 has not enforced the Conservation Easement’s restrictions. 1 At the March 17, 2026 meeting of the Midpen Planning and Natural Resources (PNR) Committee, the Plan was advanced to the Midpen Board for their meeting on May 13, 2026. Figure 1 provides a timeline. See also the videorecording of the meeting, especially timestamp 1:30:34−1:32:15. 2 Highlighted text of Appendix A to this letter (the Conservation Easement) includes restrictions on tree removal (p. 5), prohibits grading and other actions that would “clearly degrade the scenic and natural character of the Real Property” (p. 6), and specifies that a parking lot for public access should be in the Improved Portion of the property (p. 8, and Recital B, p.1). 3 The Conservation Easement for the Hawthorns (Appendix A of this letter) was granted to the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) in 2005 by Frederick Woods, III. It states his intent to preserve the natural, scenic, historical, and open-space values of the Hawthorns in perpetuity. Midpen accepted the property in 2006 and officially finalized the transfer in 2011. At the time, this was Midpen’s largest-ever private land gift. See 11 OSC letter to Council 2
The bigger picture is that the entire Hawthorns property is a unique asset for Portola Valley.
In addition to its diversity of natural habitats, there are visible legacies of the region’s agricultural past, and structures that likely merit state and national recognition for their historic quality.4 Appendix B of this letter describes how all these elements are woven together in a manner consistent with the conservation values of Portola Valley and the Historic Element of the General Plan. The Open Space Committee considers the Hawthorns so significant and “right-sized” as Town Open Space that acquisition should be considered.
Right-sizing should apply to every aspect of the Hawthorns. Providing sufficient parking for public access to Hawthorns is as much a goal for the Town as it is for Midpen. Residents are all too familiar with the consequences of inadequate parking at Midpen’s Windy Hill Open Space. The question is how much parking is needed for a 79-acre parcel with a 1.5- mile loop trail, and how those needs will change with greater use of e-bikes, ride services, and future modes of travel. Residents and committees have suggested parking arrangements—either inside the Hawthorns property or outside it—that would meet the needs for parking while protecting open space.
Action is needed now by the Town of Portola Valley. If the Midpen Board approves the draft Hawthorns Area Plan as a project description for CEQA at its meeting on May 13, the Town should engage with Midpen before the CEQA process begins, saving time and taxpayer dollars relative to waiting until a CEQA document is completed. This requires immediate Town action to obtain legal representation, focused equally on both Midpen’s Hawthorns Area Plan and the potential acquisition of Hawthorns by the Town. To facilitate this, we recommend increasing the cap on the Town Manager’s discretionary use of the Open Space Fund.
Respectfully,
The Portola Valley Open Space Committee:
Carter Warr, Chair
Jackie Magno, Vice Chair
Nona Chiariello
Terry Lee
Delle Maxwell
Betsy Morgenthaler
Gary Nielsen
“Property Acquisition” on p. 2 of:
https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/20210518_HawthornsPublicAccessPlan_R-21-65.pdf.
The gift was supported by a $2 million endowment for ongoing stewardship. See “Budget” on p. 3. of https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/20180627_FYI_HawthornsHistoricComplexReuseUpda te.pdf. 4 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf 12 OSC letter to Council 3
Figure 1
Figure 1. Screenshot from the videorecording of the March 17, 2026 meeting of the Midpen Planning and Natural Resources (PNR) Committee. The timeline from March 2026 until Implementation is discussed beginning at timestamp 1:30:34 of the videorecording. 13 OSC letter to Council 4
Figure 2
Figure 2. Schematic Parking Design Options 9 and 10 from Midpen’s Hawthorns Area Plan, pp. 36-37 in the Agenda Packet for the March 17, 2026 meeting of the Planning and Natural Resources Committee. The Committee approved advancing Options 9 and 10 to the full Midpen Board. Contour lines indicate 1ft intervals: faint contours are the existing topography; dark contours show topography post-construction. Parking would have two phases, but the grading would happen in phase 1. A dashed red line is added and shows the approximate boundary between the “Unimproved Portion” left of the line, and the “Improved Portion” on the right (see Conservation Easement, Appendix A, p. 1 and p. 8). 14 OSC letter to Council 5
Figure 3. Schematic section diagrams for parking Option 9 and Option 10. These section diagrams illustrate the approximate cut-and-fill necessary to create the proposed parking lanes, drive aisles, and visual screening for parking Options 9 and 10. Green text and arrows have been added to draw attention to the existing grade, for comparison with the proposed final topography after cut-and-fill. The “approximate 60'” width of the parking lot and drive aisle was used to scale the two panels for direct comparison.
After these section diagrams were created, Midpen modified the parking schematics to substitute hammerhead turnarounds (shown in Figure 2) for circular turnarounds. The hammerheads would extend farther upslope on the hillside than is represented in these two panels.
Source: pages 18 and 19 of
https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=26420&repo=r-5197d798 Figure 3
15 See
Part
6 i.
Note: Yellow highlighting and comments and underlines in red have been added.
Source: https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/
files/20180627_FYI_HawthornsHistoricComplexReuseUpdate.pdf Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 1
16 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 2
17 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 3
18 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 4
19 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 5
20 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 6
21 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 7
22 See
Recital B
Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 8
23 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 9
24 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 10
25 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 11
26 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 12
27 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 13
28 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 14
29 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 15
30 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 16
31 Appendix A, Cons. Easement, p. 17
32 Appendix B, p. 1
Appendix B. Hawthorns—an integration of open space, agricultural, and settled areas In 2005 Frederick Woods III granted a Conservation Easement to the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) for the Hawthorns, a property he grew up on and inherited from his parents, Frederick N. Woods, Jr and Frances Newhall Woods. Midpen accepted the property in 2006 and officially finalized the transfer in 2011. At the time, this was Midpen’s largest-ever private land gift,1 and it was supported by a $2 million endowment for ongoing stewardship.2
Frederick Woods III’s intent was to preserve the natural, scenic, historical, and open-space values of the Hawthorns in perpetuity.3 His intent would be honored by recognizing how those four values are interwoven in the landscape, together with identifying an historic structure that is a potential candidate for preservation.
Interwoven Landscape: Open Space and Agriculture
The open space and historic agricultural areas of the Hawthorns are woven together in conformance with natural landforms and water resources, typical of Portola Valley’s past.
For example, without modifying the natural topography, extensive orchards were possible when cultivation began at the Hawthorns. A 1930 aerial photograph shows orchards stretching to much of the property’s perimeter (Figure 1).4 A hillshade image derived from 2020 LIDAR reveals ground surface patterns suggesting that, prior to 1930, orchards and olive groves covered more than one-third of the property (Figure 2). These records align with the HRA’s findings that the property transitioned from horticulture to livestock after the Woods family purchased it in 1916.5 Today, ecological succession from orchards to oak woodland is occurring (Figure 3). The pastoral landscape is becoming ever more a conservation gem.
While the landscape is ecologically interwoven, it is legally divided by three assessor’s parcels and two Conservation Easement parcels (Figure 3). The two Conservation Easement parcels are significant because they have somewhat different restrictions.
Alignment with the Historic Element of the Town’s General Plan Based on the Historic Resources Assessment of the Hawthorns (HRA)6 and other documents, the Hawthorns is singularly aligned with the objectives of Portola Valley’s Historic Element to preserve, protect and enhance historic resources and to promote 1 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/20210518_HawthornsPublicAccessPlan_R-21-65.pdf , p. 2 2 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/20180627_FYI_HawthornsHistoricComplexReuseUpdate.pdf p.3. 3 Hawthorns Conservation Easement, Recital C.
4 This photo precedes the earliest photos reviewed for the HRA. https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf, Endnote 49, p. 121. 5 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf. p. 74 6 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf 33 Appendix B, p. 2
public appreciation of them.7 The HRA concluded that “the property is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district because it retains landscape features and structures that reflect the social, agricultural, and architectural history of San Francisco Peninsula estate property in the late 19th century.”8 In the Town’s Historic Resources Inventory, the Hawthorns is the only entry listed for both historic structures and natural features.9 The Hawthorn house is “the first architecturally designed house within the present town boundary.”10 The olive trees may be the only remaining examples of olive groves in Portola Valley.11 These unique features argue for preservation of both landscape and structures.
Yet, the future of the historic complex is uncertain. Midpen recognizes the property’s historic values but “has neither the public directive, internal capacity, nor available funding to manage, restore or rehabilitate historic structures and therefore has typically relied on partners to undertake preservation of historic resources on their lands.”12 In 2025, after several potential partnerships failed to materialize, Midpen decided to move ahead on the open space portion of the property and defer the historic area.
A priority for preservation: the Garage
Of the four historically significant buildings—the Lower Barn, the Cottage, the Main House, and the Garage13—we identify the Garage as the best candidate for preservation. The Garage is a 2,200 sf structure with a 1,100 sf attic apartment.14 The HRA raised the possibility that the Garage was designed by renowned California architect Julia Morgan but lacked supporting documentation.15
Evidence supporting a Julia Morgan connection for the Garage has increased. Julia Morgan expert Dr. Karen Ann McNeill identified a newspaper report which is, thus far, the only published evidence linking Morgan to the design (Figure 4); it dates the Garage to 1918. In addition, Town Historian Nancy Lund has viewed Garage drawings owned by Fred Woods IV that substantiate Morgan’s role. Both Nancy Lund and Karen McNeill have indicated they believe the Garage is indeed a Julia Morgan structure. With its modest size and design by Julia Morgan, the Garage may be a viable candidate for obtaining enough philanthropic support to preserve the structure.
7 https://www.portolavalley.net/home/showpublisheddocument/1986/635393271701670000, Section 2508. 8 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/20210518_HawthornsPublicAccessPlan_R-21-65.pdf , p. 3 9 https://www.portolavalley.net/home/showpublisheddocument/1986/635393271701670000, Sections 2517 and 2521; Hawthorns entries are listed for further consideration. 10 https://www.portolavalley.net/home/showpublisheddocument/1986/635393271701670000, p. 22 11 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf, p. 15 12 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf p.2 of Introduction. 13 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/20210518_HawthornsPublicAccessPlan_R-21-65.pdf, p. 3 14 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf, p. 95 15 https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/2013.10.31.Hawthorns_HistoricResourceStudy.pdf, p. 47- 48 34
Appendix B, p. 3
Figure 1. 1930 aerial photograph of Hawthorns. Dashed yellow lines outline areas where cultivation is visible in this image; dashed red lines show where the 2020 hillshade image (Figure 2) suggests a surface-terrain legacy of pre-1930 cultivation that is not apparent in this image. Figures 1 and 2 are scaled and aligned for direct comparison.
Comparing Figures 1 and 3 indicates that woody cultivation (perhaps olives, stone fruits, apples or grapes) was more extensive in 1930 than is visible today. Comparing Figures 1 and 2 suggests woody cultivation was yet more extensive at some time prior to 1930.
Image source: https://mil.library.ucsb.edu/apcatalog/report/report.php?filed_by=C-1025 35 Appendix B, p. 4
Figure 2. 2020 Hillshade (terrain) image. Dashed yellow lines roughly outline areas where cultivation is visible in the 1930 photo (Figure 1) as well as in this image; dashed red lines indicate where the ground surface in this image suggests a fingerprint of cultivation not apparent in the 1930 photo (i.e., cultivation preceded that photo). If cultivation also occurred outside the dashed yellow and red lines, it may have been erased from the surface terrain by plowing, grazing, etc. Figures 1 and 2 are scaled and aligned for direct comparison. LiDAR source: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/64806 36 Appendix B, p. 5
Figure 3. Schematic of internal boundaries of Hawthorns. The Conservation Easement lists three assessor’s parcels that constitute the Hawthorns. It also divides the Hawthorns into two Parcels (1 and 2, also known as “improved” and “unimproved”), which only partially align with the assessor’s parcels. (See Exhibit B within the Conservation Easement.) An Historic district outlined by Midpen is included here (see https://www.openspace.org/what-we-do/projects/hawthorns-historic-complex) but some Midpen documents outline the historic area in other ways, e.g. with a circle.
Note, where boundaries coincide, they are offset to make all of them visible, so these lines are not precise.
37 Appendix B, p. 6
Figure 4. Page from Building and Engineering News
in 1918 referencing a contract for a “One and onehalf-story concrete and frame private garage with living rooms” designed by architect Julia Morgan for
Mrs. E. W. Newhall to be constructed in Menlo Park.
Mrs. Edwin White Newhall was the mother of Frances
Newhall Woods.
The year of the contract was 2 years after Frances
Newhall married Frederick Nickerson Woods, Jr. and
purchased the Hawthorns. According to the HRA (p.
47), “the Newhall family (particularly the parents of
Frances Newhall Woods) had a history of working
with famed early California woman architect, Julia
Morgan.”
One of the connections to Julia Morgan is that the
architect designed a brick garage-plus-apartment
adjacent to the Newhall home on Pacific Avenue in
San Francisco. The structure apparently was built for
E. W. Newhall, Jr. and his wife (brother and sister-inlaw of Frances Newhall Woods), but Frances and Frederick Woods, Jr. lived there for a period.
Frederick N. Woods, III, who granted the
Conservation Easement, was the son of Frances
Newhall Woods and Frederick N. Woods, Jr.
38