TOWN OF WOODSIDE
TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Independence Hall, 2955 Woodside Road, Woodside
September 26, 2023
7:00 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Shaw called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Wall, and Mayor Shaw Staff Present:
Kevin Bryant, Town Manager
Jean Savaree, Town Attorney
Sage Schaan, Planning Director
Sindhi MekaLa, Deputy Town Engineer
Jennifer Li, Town Clerk
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Four third graders from the Woodside Elementary School led the Pledge of Allegiance.
COMMUNICATIONS
Don Pugh, Glenwood Avenue, spoke of: his opposition to the proposed seven-foot asphalt sidewalk in front of his house; filing a formal complaint that the Town is not complying with regulations to preserve significant trees; requesting Council support to save three trees.
Mr. Bryant explained: the Glens Pathway Project is responding to a real safety issue invoLving pedestrians in the roadway; the design of the path was approved by the Council, and safety has always been the priority if any changes arose; when the path is along a fence/wall, the path is designed to be five feet wide; in front of Mr. Pugh's house, there was not enough space available to maintain the approved current and objective level of safety; staff has a tentative plan to try to preserve two trees near the proposed retaining wall; the third tree has a lower chance of survival, and is something that will be assessed in real time as the contractor begins work there; PG&E is planning to start their work on the gas main relocation along Glenwood Avenue on Monday, October 2, 2023; it is anticipated to be a two-week project with mid-day closures occurring for three days; for any project in Town, if a plan has tree removal, it is approved as part of that package.
Mayor Shaw requested that all neighbors be notified of the closures.
Mr. Pugh requested revisiting the details of the design in front of his house to find a better solution.
Terry Warford, Glenwood Ave, requested that Council place a Glens neighborhood parking assessment on an upcoming agenda to address the elimination of the five parking spots on Glenwood Avenue.
Mayor Shaw spoke of: conversations that have begun to resoLve that issue; his appreciation for Mr.
Warford's easement granted two weeks ago.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. Approval of Waiver of Full Reading of Ordinance, per Government Code Section 36934
2. Register of Demands Against the Town of Woodside from September 1 through 15, 2023.
Town Council Meeting Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 1
3. 2023-24 August Monthly Investment Activity Report.
4. Review and Approve the Town's Response to the San Mateo County Grand Jury Report: "Bike Safety in San Mateo County: Making Bicycling Safer in the County."
5. Resolution Relocating Public Utility Easement
Easement and Summary Vacation of Prior Public
Mayor Shaw pulled Item 4 for discussion.
by Acceptance of Grant of New Public Utility
Utility Easement (APN 069-150-700).
Resolution No. 2023 - 7632
Councilmember FLuet moved approval of the Consent Calendar Items 1-3, and 5.
Motion seconded by CounciLmember Brown and approved by roll call vote:
AYES:
NOES:
Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, FLuet, Goeld, Wall, and Mayor Shaw None
Regarding Item 4, Mr. Bryant presented the staff report. Captain Fox is available to answer any questions.
Council questions included: are any of the anecdotal statements in the comments regarding the Circulation Committee or anywhere else relevant enough to amend the Grand Jury response; the binding effect of the response regarding structure and procedure; whether the Circulation Committee was involved in preparing the response.
In response to the Council's questions, Mr. Bryant stated: Mr. Lubin's comments are additional information; the Council may amend the finding responses; there is no binding effect of the response; the Circulation Committee was not involved; Captain Fox has spoken with Mr. Lubin, and Captain Fox has committed to an ongoing dialogue as well.
The Public Comment Period opened at 7:24 p.m.
Steve Lubin, Palm Circle Road, stated: the Town has been a hinderance in solving issues rather than help; he was pleased talking with Sheriff Corpus and Captain Fox, who were very cooperative; his comments outline his expectations, which he does not think will take much to follow through.
The Public Comment Period closed at 7:26 p.m.
Council comments and questions included: a suggestion to include Mr. Lubin's Letter with the Council response to the Grand Jury; an invitation for Captain Fox to respond to Mr. Lubin's recommendation of making enforceabLe items from Sheriff's Department; whether more could be done to increase safety for bicyclists on narrow roads without shoulders.
In response to the Council's questions, Captain Fox stated: there is Legislation to enforce laws, and there is enforcement; Mr. Lubin is seeking to bridge the gap between unreported incidents and reported accidents; the Sheriff's Department relies on education, enforcement, and engineering; there are processes to track complaints that come in; notices are sent to registered owners if there is video surveillance; there is only so much a Sheriff's Department can do under California Laws; bicycle safety is an ongoing challenge in every city; the Sheriff's Department is willing to collaborate and do the best job with what is available.
Councilmember Dombkowski moved approval of Consent Calendar Item 4 with the additions of Mr. Lubin's letter and the following statement, 4'The Town Council had a full discussion, and a Town resident provided a memorandum with advocacy recommendations, anecdotaL statements, and description of experiences that helped to illuminate the issue, and which differ from the Town's findings. The Council voted to include this memorandum as an enclosure with this letter." Town Council Meeting Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 2
Motion seconded by Councilmember Fluet and approved by roll call vote:
AYES:
NOES:
Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Wall, and Mayor Shaw None
PUBLIC HEARING
A. Introduction of an Ordinance Amending Section 32.01 of the Woodside Municipal Code to Reduce the Size of the Planning Commission to Five Members.
Ordinance No. 2023 - 630
Mr. Bryant presented the staff report.
Council questions included: Commissioner Voelke's intentions in serving her out-of-district term; whether the alternative approach for appointment would allow anyone from the district to apply; whether any feedback to this report was received.
In response to the Council's questions, Mr. Bryant stated: there have not been any discussions with Commissioner Voelke regarding her intentions; yes, the alternative approach would allow anybody within the district to apply; this report was sent to the Planning Commission, and he did not receive anything back.
The Public Comment Period opened at 7:42 p.m.
Maggie Mah, Jefferson Avenue, expressed concern that five districts would not adequately represent the unique areas of Woodside.
The Public Comment Period closed at 7:45 p.m.
Council comments and questions included: surprise to receive such little feedback on this topic; Commissioner Kutay, District 4, strongly supports five districts plus two at-large representatives; even in small areas of Town, there are tremendous distinctions in geography (slopes, creeks, bridges, and traffic flows); the district lines are appropriate; compared to other municipalities, the Town currently has very high representation; the emailed comments over the years were included in the packet at the last meeting; support for the Ordinance as written; five Commissioners would be easier to recruit; having all Commissioners reapply would be chaotic and unnecessary, therefore, the preference is for letting Commissioners complete their terms; Commissioners have shown that they look out for the interests of all of Woodside; moving to five districts makes the most sense; a Commissioner from District 1 supports the alternative approach to implementation and moving to five Commissioners; it makes sense for the Planning Commission districts to coincide with the Council districts; perhaps Council can focus on where there is no in-district representation (i.e., District 3), and let the other terms complete; whether there is flexibility for existing Commissioners when reapplying; support for the alternative approach to implementation; wanting to avoid preferential treatment.
In response to the Council's questions, Ms. Savaree stated: there is a removal process if Council is displeased with a Commissioner; that is not the situation here; Council has the option to end all terms; regarding flexibility, during the interview process, Council is looking for expertise and experience CounciLmember Dombkowski moved to introduce the ordinance, and to do the alternative reappointment process.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Brown and approved by roll call vote:
AYES:
NOES:
Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Wall, and Mayor Shaw None
Town Council Meeting Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 3
NEW BUSINESS
B. Resolution Ratifying Ordinance No. 13-2023 of the Woodside Fire Protection District, Adopting by Reference the 2021 International Fire Code with the 2022 California Amendments and Woodside Fire Protection District Board Determined Amendments and Additions.
Resolution No. 2023 - 7633
Mr. Bryant presented the staff report. Kim Guiliacci, future Fire Marshal, is present tonight.
Council questions included: whether any mandatory changes affect existing homes/Facilities; which item will require additional costs; what the trade-offs would be for residents to balance fire protection and construction constraints (i.e., costs and bureaucratic wrangling); how this conforms with the State housing mandates, which will put more pressure on the District's ability to fight fires (e.g., fire trails, access, and driveways); are the violations in Section 1.12 standard language; how the District handles various entities adopting different sections of the Code.
In response to the Council's questions, Ms. Guiliacci stated: the new codes pertain to new construction; there is nothing more stringent that has been applied in the Fire Code; the sprinkler system has a marginal increase in cost that is comparable to typical construction costs; most contractors and developers are well-aware as it is not new in the County, and it only applies to multi-family units, not single-family residential; Fire Marshals are seeking a sense of consistency throughout the County for builders and residents; the Ordinance is bringing the District up to a higher standard of safety regarding how systems are installed and maintained; other jurisdictions have adopted it over the last two cycles at least, and it has not decreased construction activity; Chief Bullard wanted to add language addressing structure separation in response to the State housing mandates, however, that determination is not up to the Fire District; the topic of fuel breaks has been tabled for now; a vegetation ordinance addressing defensible space will be available for public review in the next couple of months; regarding violations, yes, that is standard language with the dollar amount blank; the District has not needed to exercise that right and has been able to work with people directly to fix violations; it's not challenging enforcing the Fire Code from one jurisdiction to the next as they are all similar in the wildland urban interface.
In response to the Council's questions, Mr. Bryant stated: there is not anything that would be a substantial increase in cost, certainly not relative to the additional fire prevention benefits; this is difficult to quantify, however, there is a sense that this ordinance helps with the insurance environment for being in the wildLand urban interface.
The Public Comment Period opened at 8:29 p.m.
Jonathan Mittelman asked when the vegetation ordinance will be available.
In response to Mr. Mittelman, Ms. GuiLiacci stated: sometime next month is their goal; there will be a 60- day public comment period.
The Public Comment Period closed at 8:30 p.m.
Council comments included: this is wonderful, impressive, and addressing an important issue; appreciation for not overburdening residents, and not applying new regulations to existing residences; appreciation for all the work Town staff and the Woodside Fire Protection District put into evaLuating it while baLancing costs and staying within reason.
Councilmember Fluet moved to approve the Resolution.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Wall and approved by roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, GoeLd, Wall, and Mayor Shaw Town Council Meeting Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 4
NOES: None
REPORTS
C. Mayor and Councilmember Communications.
Mayor Shaw reported that there is nothing to report out of the closed session earlier this evening.
Councilmember Brown spoke of a recent Circulation Committee and Library JPA meeting.
Councilmember Goeld commended the work put into the Glens Pathway Project.
Councilmember FLuet spoke of Captain Fox addressing graffiti at PortoLa Valley schools.
CounciLmember Wall looks forward to continued discussion at the Circulation Committee regarding handling increasing pedestrian traffic.
Mayor Shaw commended staff for the work in the Glens, and announced that this Saturday is Firearm Safety Day from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
COMMUNICATIONS
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Shaw adjourned the meeting at 8:43 p.m.
CIG""4i
APPROVED:
Mayor of the Town of Woodside
Town Council Meeting Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 5