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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTC Digest 2015-03-13TOWN COUNCIL WEEKLY DIGEST Week of March 9 - 13, 2015 Tiburon 1. Letter - Patrick Barnes - Comments Regarding Proposal from CalTrans for Improvements to Hwy. 131 Tiburon Blvd and North Knoll Rd in Tiburon 2. Memo - Sanitary District 5 - Updated Sewer Use Ordinance No. 2014-02 3. Email - Robin Moore -120 Solano Avenue 4. Letter - Scott Anderson - Parking Along Ned's Way Adjacent to Dairy Knoll Recreation Facility 5. Draft Resolution - Opposing United Nations Agenda 21 Agendas & Minutes 6. Agenda - Design Review Board - March 19, 2015 Regional a) Newsletter - Marin Conservation League - March/April 2015 * b) Invitation - Marin Conservation League - A Walk into Conservation History - March 28, 2015 * Agendas & Minutes c) None * Council Only Town ofTiburon • 1505 Tiburon Boulevard • Tiburon, CA 94920 • P 415435.7373 F. 415.435.2438 • nww.ci.tihuron.at.us March 2, 2015 Department of Public Works County of Marin PO Box 4186 San Rafael, CA 94913-4186 Attn: Raul M. Rojas, Director of Public Works RE: Comments regarding proposal from the California Department of Transportation for improvements to Hwy. 131 (Tiburon Blvd.) and North Knoll Rd. in Tiburon Dear Mr. Rojas, On December 10, 2014 the Town of Tiburon received a copy of a letter dated December 5, 2014 sent to the County regarding a proposed signal at North Knoll Road and Route 131. The letter asked for comments from the County. As this signal will affect the Town of Tiburon, we are providing comments to the letter. We had hoped to meet with Caltrans representatives to discuss this project prior to providing comments. In this way we would better understand the design and need. We believe the County endeavored to have this discussed at a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting for pedestrian and bicycle improvements on February 25, 2015. Unfortunately the project manager was not able to attend. We note the County and the municipalities of Mill Valley and Tiburon first heard about this project in the first pedestrian and bicycle TAC meeting on December 8, 2014. At that time, the letter informing the County of the project had already been sent but had not yet arrived in Tiburon. Our first comment, therefore relates to process. We understand that the request for this signal did not come from the County, Mill Valley or Tiburon. We believe a little prior discussion would have been helpful for all involved. Further, lacking this prior discussion, allowing the project manager to attend a meeting to discuss this as requested by the County, would have been helpful. Lacking a request for this signal by any of the local governmental agencies, we are not certain of all the considerations that the signal is trying to address, but guess there might be three: 1. Pedestrian safety. 2. Vehicular safety. 3. Vehicular access. Frank X. Doyle Mayor Erin Tollini Vice Mayor Jim Fraser Councilmcmber Alice Fredericks Councilmember Emmett O'Donnell Councilmcmber Margaret A. Curran Town. Manager �r Tii Hz :.:,;t• ti; ; • r 0.4t Y` hk We believe there may be alternatives for solving these issues in other ways. We will discuss each issue in turn. Pedestrian Safety We note that the crosswalk is long, about 104 feet and uncontrolled. We too are concerned about pedestrian safety. We note there have been two accidents involving pedestrians in this location in the past 10 years. We understand pedestrian safety is a serious concern, and want to be clear we join with Caltrans in supporting pedestrian safety. However, we believe that there are alternative approaches to pedestrian safety at this location: 1. Approach 1: Reduce Conflicts and enhance the crossing a. Eliminate all U-turns at this intersection and the Redwood Highway Frontage Road intersection. This should be done regardless of the solution selected. The U-turn patterns at these intersections seem potentially unsafe; block clear zones, and slow traffic moving through the overpass corridor. This change could be implemented immediately at a nominal cost. b. Move the crosswalk from the west side of the intersection to the east side of the intersection. This removes all left hand and U-turn conflicts. Further, the travel distance for the crossing is shorter, 89 feet. While we acknowledge that there is a vertical curve to the east of this crosswalk, we believe that the current signs at the end of the median on the east side are visible at a distance of 750 feet. This would reduce the stopping length in the westbound direction by about 10% but leave a stopping distance of 750 feet. Conversely, in the eastbound direction (whether in the overcrossing or coming off the weep at Redwood Highway Frontage Road) it seems sight distances may be more constrained and stopping distance would be improved by a greater percentage. c. Place a pedestrian refugia in the median at the relocated crossing. This further shortens crossing distance and improves safety. d. Install double rapid flashing beacons at the road edge and medians. This will increase the visibility of the crosswalk and alert drivers to pedestrians. We note that in our recent TAC meeting CHP officers stated that use of the crossing is rare and therefore motorists may need to be alerted when there is a pedestrian n the crosswalk. Splitting the crossing at the pedestrian refugia will enhance the function of the RFB as they will not flash when someone is not in the crosswalk. e. Control foliage near the crossing and refugia to increase visibility for motorists and pedestrians. f. With these improvements the crossing would become two enhanced crossings of 39 feet with no left turn or U-turn conflicts. 2. Approach 2: a. Eliminate the crosswalk altogether b. Place a sidewalk on the north side or Rout 131 from North Knoll to the controlled crossing at Redwood Highway Frontage Road. c. We note that the two crossings are only 345 feet apart. As a comparison, other pedestrian crossings of Route 131 between US 101 and the downtown area of Tiburon are separated by 900 to 2,300 feet. Even in the area of downtown Tiburon, with the addition of the new crosswalk recently approved by Caltrans, crossings are spaced at about a 400 foot interval. Further, we believe that given the destinations on either side, it is likely that a high percentage of persons crossing are walking the distance between the two crosswalks before or after the crossing. Vehicular Safety We do not know the vehicular accident rate for this intersection. We suggest that perhaps conflicts can be reduced by doing two things: a. Eliminate all U-turns at this intersection and the Redwood Highway Frontage Road intersection. This should be done regardless of the solution selected. The U-turn patterns at these intersections seem potentially unsafe; block clear zones, and slow traffic moving through the overpass corridor. b. Increase markings for Northbound 101 and through traffic. Traffic substantially backs up along Route 131 in the right hand lane. Drivers see that there is available storage in the left hand lane and use it. Later they realize they need to weave right to access the freeway. It is common to think of these drivers as "cheaters", but it is possible that many are just trying to solve the apparent back-up problem by using available storage. The backup can reach beyond the relatively small "101 North Eureka Right Lane" sign located less than 200 feet before the North Knoll intersection. Vehicular Access The Route 131 corridor in this area is highly congested. Working with Mill Valley, Caltrans has studied about 35 different signal synchronization patterns in the area of the US 101 overpass. None have proven satisfactory. It seems to us that adding another signal will only exacerbate this problem. We believe that traffic an the Route 131 corridor should take a clear precedence over access to and from North Knoll Road. We note that currently there is only right turn access from North Knoll Road onto Route 131. In addition we note that there is a keep clear box at the intersection. Therefore, only two conditions should exist for a driver turning onto Route 131. The first condition is when traffic is Tight. Under this condition access to and from North Knoll Road should not be a problem. The second condition is when traffic is heavy. This usually results in backups in this area. Under that condition cars should not be in the "KEEP CLEAR" area. There seem to be two problems that might affect access: 1. Cars making U-turns block the box. This problem can be solved by eliminating U- turns at this location. 2. Conflicts with pedestrians. These can be eliminated by relocating the crossing to the east side of the intersection or by eliminating the pedestrian crossing and installing a sidewalk on the north side of Route 131 between North Knoll Road and Redwood Highway Frontage Road. We truly appreciate the opportunity to comment on these plans and look forward to working with the County as plans for this intersection move forward. Sincerely, Frank Doyle, Mayor Town of Tiburon Cc: Peggy Curran, Town Manager, Town of Tiburon Mary Neilan, City Manager, City of Belvedere Bijan Sartupi, Director, Caltrans District 4 DIGEST 02. Sanitary District No.5 of Marin County PO Box 227 Tiburon CA 94920 Date: March 4, 2015 To: Peggy Curran, Town Manager and Mary Neilan, City Manager From: Tony Rubio, District Manager Subject: Updated Sewer Use Ordinance No.2014-02 Dear Managers, Attached you will find District Ordinance 2014-02 which goes into effect on March 4, 2015. This updated Sewer Use ordinance includes some triggers regarding private sewer laterals and the inspection and correction of those laterals to ensure the District tackle it's I&I (inflow and infiltration) problems in both Tiburon and Belvedere. The additional triggers are all related to private sewer laterals and the mandatory inspection and corrections of those laterals upon triggered events. Some of these triggered events the District will have no knowledge of and I am hoping that we can work together and receive some assistance from your building officials in terms of communication and directing would be applicants to the Sanitary District for compliance. For example one of our triggers states that if you are doing a remodel that is greater than $50k it will automatically trigger a sewer lateral inspection be conducted and turned into the Sanitary District for review. Also upon a transfer of property title a sewer lateral inspection must be performed. Section 611 of the Ordinance has all the language as it pertains to sewer later inspections, triggers and exemptions for your review. I am hoping we can work together in getting something worked out between our agencies so we can address the Districts I&I problems. These updates to the Ordinance I believe was a step in the right direction for our agency and the community in our continued efforts to protect public health and the receiving waters of the State of California, now the tough part comes in trying to enforce these items and we can only achieve that with good communication and collaboration with both the Town and City. Please let me know if you have any questions comments or concerns. Peggy Curran DIGEST 3, From: Robin Moore <rmoore2360@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2015 12:08 PM To: Peggy Curran Subject: 120 Solano Avenue Hi, I read the article in The Ark about 120 Solano. I wish I had been there. A few months ago I went to 120 Solano to check out the BOTTOM unit that was up for rent. I was doing this as a favor to some friends who used to live in Tiburon, but had to return for three months and wanted a VRBO. They had spoken to the couple several times and informed them I would be over to check it out. I went over there and personally spoke to the woman who owns the property. She told me the bottom unit was available now but I could not go into see it as a tenant was renting it. She was aggressively pushing the bottom unit. I didn't think it would work for my friends as it was too dark and not up to their standards. My friends decided not to rent it and informed her. After that, the husband called or emailed them asking them to reconsider - actively promoting that bottom unit once again. I looked on the VRBO site and sure enough, it had pictures of both units up for rent. It was obvious two units were available, a top and bottom one. There was yet another VRBO listing for the same unit, but this one did not show pictures of the bottom unit, but it was advertising it for rent. These people are misrepresenting themselves. It is unfair to the neighborhood. Mrs. Anderson did warn me that there was this awful person who was always threatening her about the illegal units. I gather that is Cathy Haraburda. I suggest you reconsider your decision. I can give you a signed declaration regarding the in person conversation I had with Mrs. Anderson if you want. I can also give you the date and time I met her. You may also want to interview the couple who was considering renting it. Thank you. Robin Lee Moore 2360 Vista del Mar Lane Tiburon, CA 94920 rmoore2360@gmai1.com 1 Town of Tiburon • 1505 Tiburon Boulevard • Tiburon, CA 94920 • P. 415.435.7373 F. 415.435.2438 • wwwci.tiburon.ca.us Community Development Department March 10, 2015 Noelle Simmons, Manager The Hilarita Apartments 100 Ned's Way Tiburon, CA 94920 RE: PARKING ALONG NED'S WAY ADJACENT TO DAIRY KNOLL RECREATION FACILITY Dear Ms. Simmons: I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you of pending changes to parking regulations for the Ned's Way street frontage along Dairy Knoll. As you may know, Emmett O'Donnell there are currently sixteen (16) public parking spaces on the east side of Ned's Way Councilmember along the Diary Knoll frontage at 600 Ned's Way. Currently six (6) of these spaces are restricted to 2 -hour parking (unless one holds a parking permit) for the benefit of Chandlers Gate guests through a preferential parking program enacted by the Tiburon Town Council in 2003. Margaret A. Curran Town Manager Frank X. Doyle Mayor Erin Tollini Vice Mayor Jim Fraser Councilmember Alice Fredericks Councilmember The Town is proposing to amend the preferential parking program to restrict the use of eight (8) additional spaces along this section of Ned's Way during limited hours and days to provide parking for staff members working at Dairy Knoll to allow greater use of the parking lot for those attending programs at the building. The proposed restrictions would apply only to the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays; they would not apply during other hours of the day and would not apply at night or on weekends. In other words, any Hilarita vehicles used to commute during traditional work hours would be unaffected by the new restrictions. Two spaces would remain with no restrictions other than the 72 -hour limit imposed by state law. The Town intends to move forward with the modifications to the parking regulations for these spaces within the next month, and wanted to provide the Hilarita with appropriate prior notice. Please do not hesitate to call me at 435-7392 should you have questions. Very truly yours, Ci 1/4" i�h Y LJ Scott Anderson Director of Community Development Cc: Town Manager, Police Chief, Digest V D:GSAMai 1,4-10 . 5` RESOLUTION OPPOSING United Nations Agenda 21 Whereas, the Town of Tiburon was founded on the basic American principle of private property ownership and the right of local governments to develop communities in ways that are beneficial for its citizens, and Whereas, the Town of Tiburon recognizes that natural resources are limited in nature and their con- sumption should be well planned in order to minimize the negative impact on future generations, and Whereas, these uniquely American principles may be threatened by Agenda 21 initiated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, which represents a comprehensive plan of environmentalism, social engineering, population control, international redistribution of wealth, and global political control, and Whereas, Agenda 21 is being implemented into local communities throughout the United States by the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in the form of"sustainable development" policies such as Smart Growth, Wildlands Project, Resilient Cities, Regional Visioning Projects, and other "Green" and "Alternative" projects, and these projects are often promoted by offering incentives of financial aid, and Whereas, the literature of the United Nations Agenda 21 presents a national way of life of private property ownership, single family homes, private car ownership, individual travel choices, and privately owned farms, all as harmful to the environment, and Whereas, this literature of the United Nations Agenda 21 redefines social justice as socialistic redistri- bution of wealth, and Whereas, this United Nations Agenda 21 Plan is being promoted by an international group, unelected and unaccountable to the American citizens, and Whereas, neither the United States government, nor any state or local government, is legally bound by United Nations Agenda 21 since it has never been ratified by the United States' Senate, now therefore; BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF TIBURON, CALIFORNIA, that: Section I. The Town Of Tiburon recognizes that land use planning and regulations are best determined by local elected officials and citizens of the Town of Tiburon, California. Furthermore, the Town of Tiburon will monitor closely its participation in practices that adopt or contain policies in line with Agenda 21. Approved by on March, 2015. TOWN OF TIBURON Tiburon Town Hall 1505 Tiburon Boulevard Tiburon, CA 94920 AGENDA TIBURON DESIGN REVIEW BOARD ilL J Regular Meeting Design Review Board March 19, 2015 7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Cousins, Vice Chair Tollini, Boardmembers Chong, Emberson and Kricensky ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Persons wishing to address the Design Review Board on any subject not on the agenda may do so under this portion of the agenda. Please note that the Design Review Board is not able to undertake extended discussion, or take action on, items that do not appear on this agenda. Matters requiring action will be referred to Town Staff for consideration and/or placed on a future Design Review Board agenda. Please limit your comments to no more than three (3) minutes. Any communications regarding an item not on the agenda will not be considered part of the administrative record for that item. STAFF BRIEFING (if any) CONSENT CALENDAR 1. 65 REED RANCH ROAD; File No. DR2015001; Andrea Wong and Janes Parsons, Owners; Daniel Mihalovich and Judy Stern, Appellants; Adoption of resolution partially granting appeal of approved Site Plan and Architectural Review for construction of modifications to an existing single-family dwelling. Assessor's Parcel No. 038-301-35. [KO] PUBLIC HEARINGS AND NEW BUSINESS 2. 1895 CENTRO WEST STREET: File No. VAR2015005; Gerald Heinze and John Paletta, Owners; Site Plan and Architectural Review for construction of additions to an existing two-family dwelling, with a Variance for excess building height. The project would allow the construction of an elevator addition to connect the carport on the site to both dwelling units above. The elevator would have a height of 42 feet, which is greater than the 30 foot maximum building height allowed in the R-2 zone. Assessor's Parcel No. 059-071-13. [DW] MINUTES 3. Regular Meeting of March 5, 2015 ADJOURNMENT Design Review Board March 19, 2015 Page 1