HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2613
City of Palo Alto (ID # 2613)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 6/4/2012
June 04, 2012 Page 1 of 4
(ID # 2613)
Summary Title: Page Mill Rd & Moody Av-Buena Vista Improvements
Title: Approval of an Agreement with the Town of Los Altos Hills and the County
of Santa Clara for the Recovery of Two Thirds of the Costs ($33,3334) for
Improvements at Page Mill Road & Buena Vista Avenue-Moody Road
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Planning and Community Environment
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council authorize the City Manager to enter into an
Agreement with the Town of Los Altos Hills and the County of Santa Clara
providing for the City to construct certain improvements at the intersection of
Page Mill Road & Buena Vista Drive-Moody Road with the three parties sharing
equally in the City’s construction cost.
Executive Summary
The intersection of Page Mill Road & Buena Vista Drive-Moody Road serves as the
jurisdiction boundary between the City of Palo Alto, Town of Los Altos Hills and
County of Santa Clara. In Palo Alto the intersection also serves as the boundary
for park lands from Foothills Park. When necessary, each agency works
cooperatively with the others to implement improvements as required for
operational enhancements or to respond to customer service requests.
In June 2011, the City of Palo Alto and County of Santa Clara implemented a series
of improvements at the intersection in response to a request from the Town of
Los Altos Hills, whose residents on Buena Vista Drive were expressing concerns
regarding sight distance. The City performed grading improvements and the
removal of shrubbery and several small trees while the County implemented
warning sign and roadway marking improvements. The Town of Los Altos Hills is
now requesting additional improvements at the intersection. The three partner
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agencies have evaluated the request and identified additional work that would be
responsive, including the removal of four additional trees (outside of the Park
Land Boundary), additional grading along the edge of the roadway and erosion
control improvements. The agencies agreed to a three-way cost share agreement
for the additional work proposed. The work would be performed by the City of
Palo Alto, and each agency will reimburse the City one-third of the City’s incurred
costs for the project.
Background
The City of Palo Alto maintains the west half of the Page Mill Road & Buena Vista
Drive-Moody Road intersection. The County maintains the east half of the
intersection including Moody Road. The Town of Los Altos Hills maintains the
south side of Page Mill Road along Buena Vista Avenue but Buena Vista Drive is a
private-maintained road.
The Town of Los Altos Hills controls land use decisions on Buena Vista Drive, and
there are currently several single-family homes located on Buena Vista Drive. The
increased residential traffic from Buena Vista Drive has resulted in increased
concerns from residents regarding sight distance visibility at the intersection.
Page Mill Road is also a popular recreational bicycle route. The City and County
implemented a series of improvements at the Page Mill Road & Buena Vista
Drive-Moody Road intersection in June 2011 at the request of the Town of Los
Altos Hills.
Improvements in June 2011 by the City and County included shrubbery removal
along with roadway signage and markings improvements to guide motorists
through the curves in the roadway at the intersection and to encourage proper
placement prior to executing turns through the intersection. The recent
improvements ensure that suggested State standards for stopping sight distance
(150-FT) are satisfied for the posted 25-MPH signed speed limit of the street for
vehicles traveling east downhill approaching the intersection. The minimum
stopping sight distance requirements for Page Mill Road are actually based on the
advisory speed of the intersection, 15 MPH, based on previous studies and the
minimum stopping sight distance requirements for the intersection have always
been satisfied.
Discussion
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(ID # 2613)
The Town of Los Altos Hills and its residents are now requesting additional
improvements to further improve sight distance through the Page Mill Road &
Buena Vista Drive-Moody Road intersection beyond the stopping sight distance
standard of 150-FT. At the request of the City, the Town of Los Altos Hills funded
a sight distance analysis to help them determine the level of improvements
desired or feasible without significant capital infrastructure needs. A copy of the
full report is provided within Attachment A. The report recommends two
alternatives to improve sight distance at the intersection.
Option 1
This option recommends additional grading of Page Mill Road including the
removal of three (3) trees and groups of shrubs up to the Park Land property
of Foothills Park. This option improves stopping sight distance to 160-FT but
also provides an increased 30-FT of visibility for vehicles traveling westbound
up the hill from the entrance to Foot Hills Park. The consultants estimated
cost for improvements of Option 1 is $105,000.
Option 2
This option recommends all of the improvements in Option 1 and includes the
removal of an additional three (3) trees, six (6) total, along with additional
shrubbery removal. This option improves stopping sight distance to 180-FT for
vehicles traveling east and an additional 40-FT of visibility for vehicles traveling
west (10-FT additional over Option 1). The consultants estimated cost for
improvements of Option 2 is $159,000, or an additional $54,000.
Upon review of the Town’s study, staff from the City, Town, and County
conducted a field analysis in February 2012. The City’s arborist identified two of
the six suggested trees as inappropriate for removal due their size, type, and need
to provide stabilization of the hillside along Page Mill Road. The City’s arborist
also provided recommendations for material to further stabilize the hillside upon
the completion of grading and shrubbery removal.
Staff from the three agencies agreed to implement a modified improvement plan
that implements all of the recommendations of the two options minus the
removal of the two protected trees identified by the City’s arborist. The City
agreed to implement the improvements using City forces and the Town and
County agreed to reimburse the City their fair-share cost of the improvements, up
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to one-third each of expenses incurred by the City. The cost estimate for the
agreed-upon improvement plan is $100,000.
Upon execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the three
agencies (Attachment A), the City will establish a charge number to track
expenses for the project including Project Management, staff time and resources,
equipment use and rental, and disposal of materials. Pending approval of the
MOU, the City anticipates implementation of the improvements in July.
Resource Impact
The initial cost of improvements for the Page Mill Road & Buena Vista Drive-
Moody Avenue improvements will be covered using CIP PL-1200, Transportation
& Parking Improvements. Upon completion of the project, the City will invoice
the Town of Los Altos Hills and the County of Santa Clara for recovery of two-
thirds of the overall project costs estimated at $33,333 each. The City’s portion of
the costs is expected to amount to one-third of the overall costs, or about
$33,334.
Environmental Review
Improvements along the Page Mill Road & Buena Vista Drive-Moody Avenue
intersection involves no expansion of the existing use and are being performed
for the purpose of maintenance and safety. This project is therefore exempt
from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Categorical
Exemption Section 15301, Class I (Existing Facilities).
Attachments:
Attachment A: Page Mill Road Memorandum of Understanding with Los Altos Hills and
Santa Clara County (PDF)
Prepared By: Jaime Rodriguez, Chief Transportation Official
Department Head: Curtis Williams, Director
City Manager Approval: ____________________________________
James Keene, City Manager
May 14, 2012
Mr. Carl Cahill
Town of Los Altos Hills
26379 Fremont Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Mr. Michael Murdter
Santa Clara County – Roads & Airports
1505 Schallenberger Road
San Jose, CA 95131
Subject: Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”)
Page Mill Road & Moody Avenue-Buena Vista Avenue
Intersection Improvements
This letter agreement is to document the understanding and agreement between the City of Palo Alto
(“City”), Town of Los Altos Hills (“Town”), and the County of Santa Clara (“County”), hereby collectively
referred to as “Parties” for construction of intersection improvements at Page Mill Road & Buena Vista
Avenue-Moody Avenue (“Intersection”) for the purpose of enhancing stopping sight distance on Page
Mill Road at the request of the Town.
1. Project Background
The Intersection serves as the jurisdiction boundary between the Parties (Attachment A –
Intersection Jurisdiction Boundary Map). In Summer 2011 the City and County implemented
improvements at the Intersection to help improve the stopping sight distance on Page Mill Road
beyond the 15-MPH advisory stopping sight distance to 150-FT, the minimum required stopping
distance for the 25-MPH posted speed limit of Page Mill Road. The City completed grading and
tree/shrubbery removal work while the County implemented roadway markings and signage
improvements. The Town is requesting completion of additional improvements to enhance the
stopping sight distance of Page Mill Road beyond the recommended standard of 150-FT. The
Town completed a feasibility study (Attachment B – Los Altos Hills Page Mill Road Sight Distance
Feasibility Memorandum) to determine the Town’s preferred level of improvements and is
requesting an increase in the stopping sight distance of Page Mill Road up to 180-FT through the
removal of additional trees/shrubby and grading work.
The Parties agree to work together to assist the Town in increasing the stopping sight distance of
Page Mill Road as described in this agreement.
To: Carl Cahill – Town of Los Altos Hills and Michael Murdter – County of Santa Clara
Date: May 14, 2012
Subject: MOU Page Mill Road & Moody Avenue-Buena Vista Avenue Intersection Improvements
Page: 2 of 25
2. Project Description
The Parties agree that the City shall complete the work shown in the Improvement Plan
attached as Attachment C, including removing four (4) shrubs, four (4) trees, and grading
of the hillside beyond that previously graded by the City to a 1:5:1 slope in efforts to attain
a new stopping sight distance of 180-FT.
Prior to tree removal and grading, the City’s Arborist will flag the four (4) trees and four
(4) shrubs for removal following the City’s practice for community notifications and
comment practices for tree removal. City forces will remove the trees and shrubbery and
complete the grading work. Upon completion of the grading the City will provide Jute
Netting to provide erosion control along the new grading limits and to help stabilize the
hillside.
3. Cost Sharing for Project Improvements
The Parties through this MOU agree to fund the improvement outlined in Section 2 –
Project Description of this MOU. The City will use City – Department of Public Works staff
and resources to complete those improvements. The Town and Country agree to
reimburse the City for each entity’s one-third fair-share cost of the City’s accrued
expenses, up to Thirty Three Thousand Dollars ($33,000) each based on the Project Cost
Estimate provided in Attachment D. Payment to the City shall be provided within forty-
five days of completion of the work and invoicing by the City.
The City will maintain an expense report of the project to identify all costs, including but
not limited to project management, construction, debris removal, material, and inspection
costs and provide a detailed project expense report with the project invoices to the Town
and County.
4. Project Maintenance
Upon completion of the project, the City will provide maintenance of the type, frequency,
and extent consistent with maintenance for similar projects in similar areas of the City.
The Town or County may request to perform enhanced maintenance in their area,
provided such maintenance shall be at their own expense and that they have obtained
appropriate permits from the City.
5. Indemnification
In lieu of, and notwithstanding the pro rata risk allocation which might otherwise be
imposed between the parties pursuant to Government Code Section 895.6, the parties
agree that all losses or liabilities incurred by a party shall not be shared pro rata but
instead the County, the Town and the City agree that pursuant to Government Code
Section 895.4, each of the parties hereto shall fully indemnify and hold each of the other
parties, their officers, board members, employees and agents, harmless from any claim,
expense or cost, damage or liability imposed for injury (as defined by Government Code
To: Carl Cahill – Town of Los Altos Hills and Michael Murdter – County of Santa Clara
Date: May 14, 2012
Subject: MOU Page Mill Road & Moody Avenue-Buena Vista Avenue Intersection Improvements
Page: 3 of 25
Section 810.8) occurring by reason of the negligent acts or omissions or willful misconduct
of the indemnifying party, its officers, board members, employees or agents, under or in
connection with or arising out of any work, authority or jurisdiction delegated to such
party under this MOU. No party, nor any officer, board member, employee or agent
thereof shall be responsible for any damage or liability occurring by reason of the
negligent acts or omissions or willful misconduct of other parties hereto, their officers,
board members, employees or agents, under or in connection with or arising out of any
work, authority or jurisdiction delegated to such other parties under this MOU.
Upon final approval of this MOU by the Parties the City will schedule the work within sixty (60)
calendar days.
Page 4 of 25
City of Palo Alto – Town of Los Altos Hills – County of Santa Clara
Memorandum of Understanding for
Page Mill Road & Moody Avenue-Buena Vista Avenue Intersection Improvements
Project work scope and cost sharing conditions as identified in this project Memorandum of
Understanding.
Agreed: Approved as to Form & Legality:
City of Palo Alto:
James Keene Melissa Tronquet
City Manager, City of Palo Alto Sr. Deputy City Attorney
Date Date
Town of Los Altos Hills
Carl Cahill Steven Mattas
City Manager, Town of Los Altos Hills Sr. Deputy City Attorney
Date Date
County of Santa Clara
Michael Murdter Elizabeth Pianca
Director, Roads & Airports Department Deputy County Attorney
Date Date
Page 5 of 25
Attachment A
Page Mill Road & Moody Avenue-Buena Vista Avenue
Jurisdiction Map
Page 6 of 25
Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
Page 7 of 25
Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
Page 8 of 25
Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
Page 9 of 25
Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment B
Los Altos Hills - Page Mill Road Sight Distance Feasibility Report
(Continued)
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Attachment C
Page Mill Road & Buena Vista Drive-Moody Avenue
Tri-Agency Agreed Upon Improvement Plan
Page 25 of 25
Attachment D
Page Mill Road & Buena Vista Drive-Moody Avenue
Tri-Agency Agreed Upon Improvement Plan – Cost Estimate