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Published on 05/12/1999 All articles from this issue

Los Altos Hills council OKs review of town color board

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By Carol Tiegs

Special to the Town Crier

Questions prompt formation of subcommittee

Responding to questions that have arisen over the past year, the Los Altos Hills City Council, at its meeting last Thursday, appointed a subcommittee to research changes to the town's color board.

The color board suggests exterior paint colors recommended for new or remodeled homes to help integrate them into the surrounding landscape. It also specifies light "reflectivity" values for paint and roofing materials.

In the past year the council has faced complaints from neighbors who found combinations of colors inappropriate, even though the colors were on the color board. In one case, a home was immediately repainted after final inspection, raising the question of how long a paint color from the color board must remain on a house.

"Additionally, metal roofs and highly reflective roofs have sometimes been an issue at planning commission meetings," said Curtis Williams, planning director, in his staff report.

The council subcommittee, comprising Mayor Bob Johnson and Councilwoman Toni Casey, plans to meet with Williams and develop recommendations. The process will include opportunity for resident input.

The council also clarified its priorities for use of planning department staff time, focusing on revision to the Matadero Creek subdivision conditions, the review process for considering off-road pathways locations and revisions to the ordinance on the developable area on constrained lots. In an effort to expedite implementation of the land use, housing and circulation elements of the town's general plan, Williams was authorized to hire consultants as necessary and set aside time weekly for these projects.

In other action, the council accepted a staff recommendation that will allow the Purissima Hills Water District to install a water well on property behind the town hall.

City Manager Jeff Peterson said the water district had been working for a long time on a way to reduce its dependence on Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water in case of an emergency. The district has determined that a well on the town hall property "may have the potential for delivering 300 gallons per minute of water," he said. The well would also be close to an existing water main and to the district's water tanks on Ascension Drive.

The council agreed to table a discussion of town recreational facilities because residents who had petitioned for the discussion failed to attend the May 6 meeting, despite written notice.

A half-dozen residents had written the council regarding the fact that Los Altos Hills residents are considered non-residents by the Los Altos Recreation Department for department classes and programs. They argued that Los Altos Hills residents contribute to sales tax revenues that fund the Los Altos Recreation Department.

"For popular programs, such as Redwood Grove Summer Day Camp and youth tennis programs, the reality is that Los Altos Hills residents will never be able to participate, and are essentially without a local recreation department," the petition said.