HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-12-01 City Council (14)City of Palo Alto
City Manager’s Repor
TO:
FROM:
AGENDA DATE:
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL 6
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
DECEMBER 1, 1997 CMR: 481:97
SUBJECT:ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THREE
APPEALS OF ZONING ADMINISTRATORAPPROVAL OF A
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT 96-UP-1 AT 3009 MIDDLEFIELD
ROAD, PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, FOR AN OUTDOOR
RECREATIONAL SERVICE (TENNIS FACILITY) ON THE
FORMER CHUCK THOMPSON TENNIS AND SWIM CENTER
SITE
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council direct staff to revise the Mitigated Negative
Declaration to reflect the noise mitigation recommendations presented in the October 30,
1997 letter from Richard Rodkin, Acoustical Consultant, to Council Member Ron Andersen,
including ten-foot-high sound walls around the edges of all five tennis courts. Staff further
recommends that, after completion of the public hearing, the City Council directs staff to
notice the revised Mitigated Negative Declaration and that action on the appeals of this
conditional use permit not be taken by the City Council until January 1998, after the revised
Mitigated Negative Declaration has been legally noticed for the required 20-day public
review period.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Community Skating, Inc. (CSI) applied for a conditional use permit (CUP) to redevelop the
site, including refurbishing the four existing tennis courts and reorienting two of them,
adding a fifth tennis court, and adding a passive park area and restrooms on the east side of
the site. Spectator seating is proposed to be located in the area between courts 3 and 5. There
would also be related landscaping and site improvements.
CMR: 481:97 Page 1 of 4
A project history and chronology of major events is presented in the attached City Council
and Planning Commission staff reports.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
On September 15, 1997, the City Council directed the three appellants and the applicant to
meet outside the public hearing process to discuss the issues with the project and to attempt
to develop acceptable solutions to the identifiedproblems. The appellants and applicant met
with Council Member Andersen, a mediator, three acoustical consultants and other interested
parties in two mediation sessions, one on October 16, 1997, and another on October 30,
1997. As directed by the Council, City staff was not present at these sessions. The details
of the discussion are confidential and cannot be discussed publically, however it appears that
the results of the mediation sessions were inconclusive. However, as part of this process the
City’s noise consultant developed a proposal for ten-foot-highwalls around the edges of the
courts that would satisfactorilymitigate the noise from the facility. The acoustical consultant
has prepared two letters and a map outlining his position (see Attachment A, letters from
Richard Rodkin to Council Member Andersen, dated October 29, 1997, and October 30,
1997, respectively).
City staff has received a response from one of the appellants in apparent opposition to the
position outlined by the City’s consultant (see Attachment B, letter from John Abrahams,
received November 14, 1997). It is his contention that sound levels need to be mitigated for
the entire height of the property plane, and that would not be possible with a ten-foot-high
wall. He maintains that no wall could be built that would mitigate the sound levels for the
entire property plane. He states, however, that if the use permit is approved, that a masonry,
not wood, sound wall should be constructed and that it should be along the edges of the
courts, not along property lines. He also readdresses issues such as the intensity of use and
the similarities between the YMCA project and this project. Staffhas responded to those
issues previously in the attached City Council and Planning Commission staff reports (see
Attachment D). He also suggests further modifications to the potential conditions of
approval. Staff has also received suggested conditions of approval from another appellant
(see Attachment C, conditions suggested by Natalie Fisher, dated November 6, 1997).
The issue of the type and costs of material the sound wall could be constructed of has been
discussed by staffand the City’s acoustical consultant. A masonry sound wall costs between
$125.00 and $200.00 per linear foot and a wooden sound wall costs between $80.00 and
$150.00 per linear foot. The masonry wall will last indefinitely if maintained properly.
however, wood requires more maintenance and repair than masonry. For these reasons, staff
would prefer a masonry wall. It was generally suggested during the mediation sessions that
a cap be placed on the amount of money the applicant would be required to spend on the
CMR: 481:97 Page 2 of 4
sound wall. The entire length of the wall would be approximately 550 lineal feer. The
approximate cost of a 550-foot long, 10-foot tall, masonry sound wall would be about
$130,000, using cost estimates developed by the Department of Public Works (see
Attachment E). These estimates include design and contingency estimates.
An issue has also been identified regarding a 20-foot-wide strip of land that would run most
of the length of the north side of the site ifa sound wall is placed along the edge of the courts
rather than along the northern edge of the property. City staff recommends that this area be
heavily landscaped and maintained by CSI. Plant material that discourages people from
using the area is recommended.
A final issue that has been raised by one of the appellants is in regard to a ten-foot landscape
buffer between creeks and uses on land zoned public facility (Section 18.32.070 of the Palo
Alto Municipal Code). If this site were being developed for the first time with a new facility,
the ten-foot landscape buffer would be required adjacent to Matadero Creek. However, the
proposedproject is not a new facility. It is a remodel and minimal expansion of an existing
tennis facility. Thecourts along the western boundary, adjacent to Matadero Creek, are in
essentiallythe same location they have been in for 25 years. The City is requiring mitigation
as though the facility were new, however, there is not enough room to keep the courts in their
existing location and provide a ten-foot landscape strip and an acoustical sound wall. It
would be possible to install a newsound wall with vines or other plant materials.
BOARD/COMMISSION ACTION
There has been no further Board or Commission action since the recommendation made by
the Planning Commission on July 30, 1997, to deny the three appeals and uphold the Zoning
Administrator’s approval of the use permit, with conditions.
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
1. Deny the Use Permit
2.Direct that an Environmental Impact Report be completed for the originally proposed
lower wall (6’ in height).
ATTACHMENTS
A.Letters from Richard Rodkin, dated October 29 and 30, 1997
B.Letter from John Abraham, received November 14, 1997
CMR: 481:97 Page 3 of 4
Co
E°
Suggested Conditions on Tennis Project from Natalie Fisher, dated November 6, 1997
September 15, 1997 City Manager’s Report, CMR:385:97, with all attachments
(Council Members only)
Cost Estimates from the Department of Public Works.
CC:Linda Stebbins Jensen, Director, 3009 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306
City of Palo Alto, Attn: Janet Freeland, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Mami Barnes, 846 Boyce Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Natalie Fisher, 736 Ellsworth Place, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Wei Wang, 3054 Price Court, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Shirley Gee, 844 Prospect Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601
G. Dean, 3077 Middlefield Road #203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Stephanie McClymonds, 740 Ellsworth Place, Palo Alto, CA 94306
David Bukhan, 3073 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Wei-Dhein Tung, 3073 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Dianna Wiegner, 3069 Middlefield Road, palo Alto, CA 94306
George Stem, P.O. Box 51590, Palo Alto, CA 94303
John Abraham, 736 Ellsworth Place, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Lynn Chiapella, 631 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Edward L. Pack Associates, 13980 Blossom Hill Road, Ste. 100, Los Gatos, CA
95032
Illingworth and Rodkin, 85 Bolinas Road #11, Fairfax, CA 94930
PREPARED BY: Lisa Grote, Zoning Administrator
DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
KENNETH R. SCHREIBER
Director of Planning and
Community Environment
EMIL2~~SON
Assistant City Manager
CMR: 481:97 Page 4 of 4
Acoustics ¯ Air Quality
Attachment A
October 29, 1997
Ron Anderson
City of Palo Alto
City Council
P.O. Box 10250
Palo Alto, CA 94303
SUBJECT: 3009 1Miiddlefield -- l~ded~tion Efforl
Dear Mr. Anderson:
I am writing this letter to summarize the comments that I made at the last mediation meeting and
to respond to a question from WN Wang regarding the method we used to calculate the
effectiveness of sound barriers.
Before designing mitigation m~ures, one must have a set of assumptions !n place regarding the
allowable noise level the location and !~,1 of the source of the noise, and the possible locations
for the noise barriers,
With respect to the Noise Ordinance, the City detem~ed that the Ordimmce would allow an
instantaneous, rtgetitive noise level (I.,~,~0 of 15 dBA above the ambient. Based on
measurements by .leffPaek, the ambient is assumed to be 41 dBA. The allowable maximum
rel~titive noi~ level would therefore b~ 56 dBA. I recommend that the noise ordinance be
enforced in the center of the rear yards of the adjacent residences or on the balconies of the
adjacent condominiums.
Using data developed by Vincent Salmon and JeffPack, I determined that a sound level of 76
dBA would be appropriate for noise ordinance ~natysis. This level is the tenth percentile below
the top of the statistical distribution ofnois~ levels which were supplied in their reports (2 dBA
below the loudest measured level). This would tm representative of the noise generated by a
serve. The height of the serve is assumed to be 9 feet above the 8round The serves are assumed
to be struck at the service line in Court 3 for the analysis to the west and in Court 5 for the
analyses to the north and
I have enclosed barrier calculations, Calculation Sheets 1 and 2 summ~.rize calculatioos to the
north. The barrier is assumed to be located at the north property line, Calculations show the
barrier must be 9 to 10 feet high in order to reduce noise to 56 dBA L.~..~.,,. We, therefore,
85 Bollnas .Road, #11 ¯Fairfex, CalJfdrnla 94930 ¯(415)459-5507 ¯FAX (415)459-6448
OCT-29-1997 15:24 4154595448 95X p.02
Ron Anderson ....
October 29, 1997
P~ge 2
recommend a 10-foot barrier at the north prop~-y line. Calculations to the west are shown on
page 3. Barrier, were tested on each side of the creek. A 10-fool barrier is necessary along the
Winterl~Ige ~ide of the creek and an 8-foot barri~ is necessary along the neighbors’ side of the
creek.
The problem 1o lhe east with the condominium~ iz som~-vvhat different because it is a multi-story
structure. The unmitigated noise level i~ predic¢~ to be 61 dBA at the balconies of the .
condominiums. A~mming amtherrt noise levds are similar at the condominium., then 5 dBA of
additional noise reduotion is r~uircxl. As~uming a s~cond-~ory receptor 14 f~t above the
ground, a 14-foot bvsrier is nece~y at the property lin~. An altornafive would be to construct a
10-foot hi/~,h barrier ~t the east edge of Court 5.
Barrier heights and locations are shown on the ~clo~--d figure. The an~ysis is based on
information provided on plans and from the respective parties.
To be effective, tl~ barrier must be ~lid, have a minimum surface weight of 3 lbs./fl.~ and be
constructed airtight over the face ofth~ barrier and at the base of the barrier. Suitable materials
would include masonry panel~, concrete par~ls, ma~nry block, or wtr~d, if properly detailed. We
genexally r~omm~nd a post~and-plywood panel constru~-’tion for wood barriers. An alternative
along the edg~ of Court 5 would be to construct a plexigl~ss b,,rrier or a combination of, a solid
wall ~pporting a plexJglass barrier above so that ~etivifies on the courts could be viewed from the
p~rk.
This concludes the summary, of my analy~es. U~ortunately, I am not able io attend the meeting
¯ on October 30fla due to illness but will b¢~ available after that to answer may questions.
Siacerely yours,
Richard B. R~lkd~ PE
Enclo,~ures
(97-025)
18/28/1997 16:85 4154596448 1LLINI~L~Ut-.’|H RODKIN i~AI~-I~
i!
PAGE
0CT-29-1997 15:26 4154596448 96X F’. OE,
DCT-2’_~-1997 :1.5: 2?4154596448
IIIIB Acoustics ¯ Air Ouality lll/
MEMO
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Ron Anderson/City Council/City of Palo Alto
Richard B. Rodkin, PE
October 30, 1997
3009 Middlefield -- Mediation Effor~
I am writing this melno in response to a letter received today from Jeff Pack of Edward L.
Pack Associates, Inc. and a telephone conversation with Mr. Pack. He conducted additional
noise measurements of tennis play of the type that would be representative, in his opinion, of
activities that would occur at Winterlodge. The new data would support assuming a lower
noise level for the noise of tennis play..His analysis confirmed that approximately a 9-foot.
source height would be appropriate.for an adult serving. Using. hi~ data, he proposes a 9-
foot barrier at an alternative location adjacent to the courts along the west property line, a
10-foot barrier adjacent to thecourts along the north property line, and no barrier along the
east side of Court 5.
While his data increases nay comfort level regarding likely conformance with the noise
ordinance, I hesitate to discount the data that Dr. Salmon has gathered. I suggest
constructing a 10-foot barrier around the west, north .and east court boundaries as an
alternative (Figure 1). The 10-foot barrier along the north property boundary, we concur, is
the minimum necessary. The 10-foot barrier along the west property boundary (l.-foot higher
than Mr. Pack recommends) would provide a definite break in the line-of-sight between a
person serving and a person standing in the rear yard. While Mr. Pack’s data indicates that
the ordinance limits would be met at the condominiums with no mitigation along the east side
of the courts, only a slight excursion above his predicted worst case levels would cause an
exceedance. It would, therefore, be prudent to continue the noise mitigation along the east
edge of the proposed Court 5, as we previously recommended,
RBR:gfl
Enclosure
(97-025)
85 Bollnas Road, #11 ¯Feirlax, Ct~llfornla 94930 ¯(415)459.5507 ¯FAX (415)459-6448
2T-30-1997 ~5:29 4154596448 9fix P. ~J~
t
1-1997 15:3{~4154596448 977.
rit~ df F’a!o Alto
253 Ham il ton Avenue
Palo Alto California
I’-io’,,ember 13, 19,_37 Attachment B
Deaf- Ms. Grote:
Reqardin.q the Proposed Tennis Project and the Cit.LI Council Meetin.q
of December-I, 1997 and an~4 upd;~te or r-e’,,’lslo~~ of the staff
recomrner~dations (CMR:385:97, Se.pternber 15, 1997) I ask that you
con~:;ider the follo,,.Yiru3:
The Pr-o~osed Tennis Pro.lec-I: Will Likely Be Illegal
On November 3,-1997 1 asked Lt. Don Hartnett of the Palo Alto Police
Department where on the enclosed tennis site plan police would make
their noise measurements should there be a comE, faint. He replied that
would be at tI~e properbA planes aloru3 tI~e three boundaries I have
labelled A,B andC. In the-case nfE ~-’~’~ ......~- ,~-_ II ....u[ [h Ple~_.~ d~[ ,¢uul,~ ~[,~,~ just
on the east side of Matadero Creek where the outer chain link fence now
surrounds the tennis courts. Further, the code is enforced over the entire
property plane, not just up to the height of a wall. Thus, for example, the
Co[ldomlnlums or enl4 neiqhbor with a two stor~4 residence or skqlight
would be entitled 1o ~rotection for their-residence even ~f
necessit.ated taking noise measurements at the top of an existing sound
wall.
As qou are aware, Mr. Rodkin I~as recommended that the ambient be
41 dBA ~t the site and tl]us the implied noise limit under public facility
zoninq is~"_ ."~-.,L, dBA. Since tennis serves at thenear~st ~,~,~n]position on
CourL-=3 are about 26 feet from the site~,pr°pertN pla~e opposite our
home, the noise measurement will be sorne~,here b~wee,~ about 77 dBA
fDr r..-,- ~..--,,-.,.. o~Imon’s maximum estimate) 76 dBA (Mr. Rud,~]n.:, maximum
estimate) or 70 dBA (I’h-. Pack’s preferred upper limit) or 62 dBA, Mr.
F’ack’s original averaqe tennis hit noise estimate or April 8 1996
adjusted ~or 26 fee[. In all cases where adults are plaNi~ the
measuremen, ts will s~nificantlN exceed 56 dBA and the pt=oi~timmediatelq illeqal..~rnilar pr~;blems I]old for Court #4 next tb Price
Court and C6urt #-5 and the Condominiums.
I believe Mr. Rodkin has made a commendable effort on behalf of the
ci[q [o propose mitigations desiqned to save the proiect and still afford
ne~hbors some de~t~e of protec~ion. It is clear fror~ the waq the policemaI~e their measu(-~ments however, that no practical sound ~arrier will
make the proiec[ leqal at this site. The limits have [o hold at the top of
Lhe wall (despite [’I[:. Rodkin’s obiections) and the relevant distance even
wiLh a ten foot wail, for example is still less than 2Fi fee[ from the
server (for the Ellsworth residents) and hence the expected noise
measurements are still ~ui[e illeqal. While Mr. Rodkin’s proposed metric
at Lhe middle of our back yard i-s reasonable it is clearlu outside the
no~se ordinance, as h~ has alreadq ~ndicaI~d (paq~ ~4-’777 of the City
Council minutes of the c-- ~__~F[-1.5, la~7 Meeting).
EIR Problems
At t.he September 15, 1997 Ci[q Council Meeting, it. was noted that a
rnltlL~at.ed negative declaration wa-:s approve4 for I.he applicant rather
t.han require an EIR. Mr. Calonne. Palo Alto Cit!4 ~[tui~q, noted that
~d~,A guidelines re~:lulre a rnltigated negative de,_::laration tn he c-learly
effective if it is ~-J-:.~ in lieu of an EIR (Cf. pa.qe 8~ .76 CitLI Council
Minutes of 5~.p~er-ni:ier 15, 1997:,. The curren( 6 fOOt no s6 barMermitin~tinn iF: ~dmittm~l~ ~tl~ff~r:ti(,,p in nr~wntit’n illp2~l iRnnig: t-tieR nt
Price Court and needs to be re-examined. Please note on Saturdaq
September 20, 1997 at 10:30 a.m. Dr. Salmon took ambient measurement~
~n our backqround and recorded an ambient level of 37 dBA, and about an
hour earlier, 34 dBA at Ms. Wang’s back yard (both below levels
reco~nized bq the Cit~L, Please note also that even with a ten foot soundbarM-er alon~ the Ell~,orUl side tennis propert~ plane, we would t~ave a
"discount" (t6ch~call~, insert io~ loss) o ~ 8 dBA ~ccordinq to Mr. Rodkin’sfigures. Titus qi.,en 7~ dBA serx, es at court #3, we would-be gettinq back
yard no~se lev61s about 56 dBA, quite a dramatic increase over wight we
nave now. CEOAquidelines consider siqnificant effects in Appendix G of
the CEQA Gui~el’~nes. In ~articular "signf.icant effect (p)"Increase
substantially the ambient noise levels for adioining areas;" would apply
to this propertN even w~th a barMer, t believe~ Thus the project also has
a CEQA ~roblen~.
YMCA versus The Tennis Site
Noise measurements were made at the YMCA site at the perimeter
and oIie can compare the EIR noise report (A complete ,coPLI appears inattacIlment ~=~ of the September 15, 1997 City Council Pack~t,~ Y;,’itli the
l.ennis noise at our projecL
From paqe 74 of the YMCA EIR report: "Tile noise measurement
conducted at" the rear proB~ert.LI line sho,,-,,ed that parking lot noisetNpically_ t,~I~!~u-- -.- ~ from 45-47 dBA. The highest nni:--~._ __ l~,,,=I.=,~."~. ’- at this
location were generated bLI activitLI in the .q.qm. Tile rear door to tile g.LIm
was open and the sound cif the r~feree’s ~,s,,:~llistles, air horns, cheerl{~g,
etc., r~n!:l~d~ from 49-59 dBA. Tupical noise levels for such activities
,;’;,er~ .,0~,.,._~ ~IBA. Durinq t.he ~,~ine, the .sol.,~.nd o~ the qLIm nolse ’,,’,’asclearly audible abo,,e the I:~ackgri~und n:dse lek~el in the
Our noise measurements at the east side of Matadero Creek will
Clulte often exc~.~.d__ 6"2 dBA from ’-P..:,~-"~..-,,~.:,. Thus the criteria used b~ the
Palo Alto Police in code enforcement indicates~a greater noise problem
for I-liddle~ield than for the YMCA.
Both CSi arld PATC ,a, re likel.LI t?, heavi!.LI promote the use of thist.~,~In::;- facilib4 as the!4 ha,,e their a]::ti,,,ities ir~the pant .... If tile prn’~.nl.] .... i.~
to be pusIied throu.qIi-as it is., ille.qalit.LI notwithstanding, the neighbors
should be entitled’to at least tti~ san:~e noise barrier protection that
YMCA neighbors got, namely a high masonry wall.
Masonry Versus Wood Noise Barrier
n all Mr. Pack’s discussions about noise barriers for CSI there has
been an as..-:~urnption that an~4 barrier wnulrl be clliefli~ nf wood. Tile
appellants stron.qlLI obiect to-such a construction on the-b~sis that with
alterna~.e fain ~nl] d~:LIin~ and natural s~,Iittinq of nv~.rlappinq woo,i
surfaces, ~n.q ori_qinall-LI ~irtiqht v,,,’ood structur~ v,,,’ouid-likelLI ~oon be
ineffective. ~As e-~arnpl~s of ,&d~at happens to wood fences at ].he site I
have included t,,,vo snapshol.s of the existinq fence alonq the east or
~pp,nq boards
demonstratinq breaf..::~sqe, splinterinq, kn:~tholes poppinq out plants
growing throL~gh and a ~generatlLI dilapidated appearance, t-have not been
able to l"ind anLlone in Ptar~nin,~ oi--else ,, here ,,ho,can or ,,1!1 saLI thatthis is or is not-a sounrl harrier~ but it certainl.LI doe._--: not qualif.Ll to~l~-~LI as
such. Photo D :::how::’, a ser:tion of what is alrn~bst surely a sound bar~-ier
near the front nf . Winter Lodge entrance and the-.--~-.idominiums with
cl~acklnq inat leas~-two places. It Is,~ifficult to~!:h~c:k how ha41LI the
o,,erlap~in!:l boards ar~leakinq air but o,,er time it ::tretches belief’thatthe ori.qin,~-i standards still ho~Id. "
Co~i-~trast tJ~,is with the durable masonr.LI wall at St. Marks Church at
600 Colorado A’,,enue specifir:ations enc:Ios~d F:~r some reas3n this wall
is quite ivy friendl.q cornpared Y;,’ith the thicker YMCA ,,,’,,,’all. While Lhis
particlular design is’the most attractiv~ nf anq lhave seen, anq masonr.qwall ~:,~’ould be’preferable, in our viev.,,, to ari.~I wood fence. The soun~
barrier in Menlo PaM.-.: opp,_:,slLe SRI alon~ I’lidrIl~field Road is an example
of a recenLILI completed sound wall that avoids the Cal-Trans appearance
we often se~ along local freeways.
Intensl[q of Use. pa~.qe 3 or 7. There is an error of nrnlssion here,
probabIN ba~ed on Lin~Ta Jensen’s letter of June 4, I’397 to ~o~
(Attach~~en~ 2 of tI~e Julq 30, 1997 Packet to t~e Plannihq C~omm~ssi~n).T!~e Palo Alto Tennis Clu6, participatinQ with CSI in the o~eration of tl]e
proposed fac~Iitq, has ccmsistentlq sta~ed that 8 adult tournaments p~ryear will be cor6ucted a~ the site~ (Cf. Remarks by Mr. Bradley pa~es 25
and 26 of U~e rnlnu~es of ~he Planninq Cnmmi:~:~inn M~tinq nf ,h~l~ 30
1997 and the enclosed tentative scl~edu~e pr~i~ed ~ I"I~-. ~r~le-U o~
PATC tothe appellants). In our commumcations withr~-Dresentativ~s of
the P~C there 13as been no cl]anqe since the Julq 30,1997 hearirlq, nolesseninq of the the 8 adult l.ou[-narnents in addition to the proP~3sed
cl]ildren’~; tournaments. The adult tournaments tqpicalIH last all dan
Saturda~ and Sunda~4 and can be expected to lqenera[e ,sorn~ o¢ the worst
noise at the facili’}.q. It is inaccurate to’mention orly two to four
children’s tournarnet~ts at the s~te in arquinq for a low ~ntensity
characterization. Condition number 26 needsto fie modified accordingl~.
Recluested Modifications of the Draft Conditions For Use
Permit 96-UP- i
¯ .. ._,,.al L~/~q ~.~l~::, .’_-41a~I I-ii-:r:Ui-___ riO ~,’~ ~iei- ~,.~,ml ...... q_ 63[1. oR
weekdaHs and 10 a.~@], on weekends. Either Saturdaq or Sundaq shall be
d~siqna~ed as a rest daq for the neiqhbc, r~,~ach week.- Tl~e applicant shalla,.oi~ sd~eduling tenn~’s and skat~n~ e,.~nts simultaneousIN to avoid
q"R’-" - " ",.,. ~t ~,t~d]n~ the parkin~ facilities." No more than 8 tourn6ments per
Near includir~q both adult and cl~ildren’s tournaments. Eiencl]es sisal] be
~;ermitted, bU~ no bleachers. No electronic sound amplification~oh~]l-r be
permitted on the facility. No ball macl~ines or practice walls shall be
permitted.
Add the following sentence: "The applicant shall ask lhe
Paio Alto Police ~o obtain names of keyholder violaters and forward
these names i.o f.he t.he applicant, in order f.o have ]nformat.ion sufficient
to enforce its revocation procedures." Otherwise police would sirnply
warn violators and no ,:,he would ever be punished for a ’,,,’1o!~,~.inn durinq
off ho.]rs Alo~ robe kep[ by[he applicant of complaints and violation~
I ncludJr~g f.ho,.:~e-’t-eported bq pnlice, an,-I how t.hey were resolved. The C I ty
t.o have ~L:~.SS tO t.his log ~t any time and review it periodically.
q There --’._._..’.:;h~d~l be a masolirlj ’,,,’,tf-l]], not WL-IOd alonq E11sworth
Plat:e, on the east slde of applicanl.’s properU~I nearest f"latade~--o Creek. In
addition we ask that any such sound wall b~constructed prior to tennis
court construcl.ion and resurfac~ng so as to prevent no]se and dust
,,,I II_.~.problems, as was done at the -"
9B W~. ~:-~I.-: that nni.~, monitorln~l he c,~rri~.d n~t for tl~e PATC
aduli~urna({1~n~as well as the children’s tournanierit~. Thus tI~e
Y./ordin~.~f the~second sentence of tI~is condition shall be chan~ed to read"This [~tin~ shall be funded b~ the operator 5~f the facilit~ and shall
occur durin~ regular business l~6urs as well a~ ,~u~)nq tourn’~merits foradults arid ~ reqular leaque ~lai4." The l~ea,.ie~t’i~ ~ ~
occur for adult pl~y,"not for c~:~lay."’
Palo Alto California 94306
I)Site rnap of 3009 Middlefielrl from appIicanf.’s handnut af.
the July 30, 1997 Plannin.q Commission Hearin.q.
2)Palo Alto Tennis i~lub proposed sci]edule at 3009
Middlefield as receiverl from Mr. Bradley of PATC, upon
request.~& 4) Specifications of masonrN wall at St. tlark’s Church at""600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alt6. Copied from the computer
archives at the Plannin.q Department, Cit.LI of Palo Alto
4)Snapshol.s taken by ,~]ohn K. Abrahan~-of wood barriers at
3009 Middlefield and masonry barrier at 600 Colorado
Avenue
Palo Alto Tennis Club
Tournaments & USTA Leagues
PATC USTA League USTA League
Tournaments Fall / Winter Season Spring Season
Playing Season April- November October- March (1)April- mid-July
No. of Teams in (n/a)7- 8 10- 12
League
No. of Teams Using (n/a)2 - 3 (21 3 - 4 (21
Same. Home Courts
Frequency of Play Monthly Weekly Weekly
Days of Week Sat. & Sun. (31 Saturday Tues, Wed, Thurs.
Court Hours 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.1:00 - 3:00 p.m.6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
No. of Players 20 - 40 141 12 16
Courts Required 4 or 5 3 5
Notes:
(1)The absence of lighted courts eliminates any evening play during the October- March
season. The Leagues would not use any courts from late July through September.
(2) These teams may use the same home courts. Over half of these events are played "away
from home" at sites hosted by other teams. The Spring season is the heaviest usage of
the courts.
(3) A few tournaments are one-day events, usually on Saturday.
(4)The players represent .1/4 to.l/3 of the total tournament sign. up. The remainder play at
two or three other public court sites that are reserved for the same event.
Above, Photo C: Wood fence
at 3009 Middlefield Road
near Condo~ini~m~
Left, Photo D: So~.nd barrier
at 3009 Middlefield Read nest
front entrance and Condo-minium
Photo E: So~nd barrier, at St. Mark’~ Church, 600 Colorado Avenue,
Palo Alto.
Attachment C
.~uggested Conditions on Tennis Project for Ellsworth Place
Natalie Fisher 1 I/6/97
(a) A I0 - 13 foot high sound barrier closely surrounding the tennis
courts, situated perhaps where the chain link fences are located
rather than at the property ~lines. Mr. Rodkin’s design for a I 0 ft.
barrier around the courts might be acceptable (his reports dated
|0/29 and 10/30). Note: The barrier must be long enough, and
~Perhaps. curved at. the ends,, ~ to prevent sound, outflanking the
~ ~ ~arrler and turning back towards the neighbors.
~or, if barriers are built along the property lines:
(b) for Ellsworth Place: a 13 foot barrier (to be built on the tennis
site’s property line) along the creek. It must be long enough and
perhaps curved at the~ends so that sound does not outflank the
barrier.
If the barriers are made Of wood rather than brick or concrete,
they must meet the strictest specifications for an effective sound
barrier and be properly maintained so as not to lose their
effectiveness over time. A brick barrier covered with ivy, as found
at St. Mark’s Church on Colorado, would be aesthetically pleasing.
Brick is the preferred material. It might actually be more
expensive and troublesome in the long run to maintain a wooden
barrier.
We prefer Mr. Rodkin’s specifications for a barrier over Mr. Pack’s
and would like Mr. Rodkin or another City selected sound engineer
to oversee the design and construction of the barrier. Also, see #7.
:2. .Sound barriers are to be erected prior to other construction.
No sound amplification or other mechanical or electronic equipment
is to be used at any time; no practice walls or ball throwing
machines are to be used.
Later startin.g times are desired: no earlier than 9 am ~.veekdays
-~nd !0 am Saturdays and holidays. Possibly no tennis played on
.~undays to allow one day of quiet for the neighbors.
Double locks on entrances with only authorized staff haL~ing
entrance prior.to starting times and staff locking up at the end of
the day
CSI to have someone available at all times to come down
personally and identify play:ers violating rules, such as the time
restrictions. This person to have a beeper or other means of being
reached immediately. Alternatively, CSI to give police permission
to identify violators and request this information be forwarded to
CSI.
A densely landscaped buffer zone (I0 feet wide) to be placed
between the courts and the creek, as required in the municipal
code. Zoning Code Section I8.32.D7D, Special requirements
in the PF poblic facilities district, sobsection (a) (3) (page
1859 of the Municipal Code) requires a ten foot wide
landscaped "yard" between a creek and the property line.
Also, the Comprehensive Plan states that landscaping increases the
effectiveness of sound barriers.
No tournaments or league play be conducted at this site. Public
courts elsewere are better suited than this tiny site closely
surrounded on 3 sides by three different neighborhoods. Greer Park
can be finished with the addition of lighted tennis courts that will
not impact neighbors. Cubberley also is a site where there are or
will be lights for tennis playing.
If the City Council insists on the inclusion of tournaments at this
site, then we wish to limit the frequency and length. No more than
I monthly tournament and I league play per month and none on
Sundays or holidays.
Spectator- seating: Benches placed by the courts to be used instead
of bleachers
10.Meetings betLveen affected neighbors and CSI to be held monthly
for a minimum of one year-. Continuation beyond that time to be
discussed then.
2
A log tO be kept by CSI of all complaints, including those reported
by the police, and how they were resolved. The City to monitor this
log on a regula~ basis to be determined by the City staff.
12.Prohibition of special events at the Winter Lodge being scheduled
simultaneously with special~events or tournaments at the tennis ¯
courts - in order to prevent additional traffic and parking
problems
3
Public Works Department
Engineering Division
MEMORANDUM
Date:November 20, 1997
To,"
From:
Subject:
Jim Harrington
Mike Nafziger (x3103) ~ iIL~
Soundwall estimates.
The following is a listing of estimates for a 10 foot high soundwall:
Type of Material Cost Range per Lineal Foot (LF)
1.Concrete block $125 -$175
2.Reinforced Brick $375 -$525
3.Brick Facade $130- $170
4.Wood $80 - $150
Design cost is 10% of total.
Con.tingency is 10% of total.
Design Life
100 years
100 years
100 years
15 years*
SUMMARY
Total Cost including Design and Contingency (per LF)
1.Concrete Block $150 - $225
2.Reinforced Brick $450 - $630
3.Brick Facade $156 - $204
4.Wood $96 - $180
Assumptions
Wall is 10 feet in height.
Costs for materials are slightly higher.
"economy of scale" can be used.
Due to the size of the job, it is unlikely that
* Wood fence will face significant maintenance costs after approximately 15 years, leading to replacement.