HomeMy WebLinkAbout0223.094, ,
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April 7, 1994
HONORI\BLS CITY COUNCIL
Palo Alto, California
3000 Alexi. Drive, Application by Palo Alto Hills Golf and
country Club for conditional Use Permit and Site and Design
Review
Members of the Council:
Rru:1ru.:t........iIL Brief
On March 21, 1994 .. the City Comwil opened and closed the public
hearing on the Conditional Use Permit and Site and Design
application by the Palo Alto Hills Golf ilnd Country Club. The
Council then continued the item, to allow the Town of Los Alt09
Hills to review and eomrnent on the project .. and requested
additional information from staff regarding 1) conditions of
approval for country clubs in other jurisdictions; 2) the
poasihilit)1 of using the park-and-ride facility on page r-Hll Road
for bUB parking; and 3) standard conditions of approval l:cgarding
construction activities. The [..os Altos Hills Town council is
scheduled to review the project at their meeting on April 6,
1994. Written comments fl.·om the Town Council will be presented
at the meeting on April 11, 1994. An analysis of the project is
(Jontained in· the repOl:t dated February 17~ 1994, which was
previously diDtributcti and is available at the Planning Division,
5th Floor, Civic Center.
The-City Attorney has previously advised that two speakers were
inadvertel}tly skipped during the hearing. One haa chosen to
submit a letter in lieu of appearing 'sce attached). Should tlje
other-skipped speaker wish to present testimony, the City
Attorney recommends allowing that opportunity.
Background
On Febl'uary 9, 1994~ the Planning Commission unanimously
recommended approval of the project~ ",hich incl\ldes a 4 ~ 912
square foot addition to the clubhouse and the expansion and
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restriping of the parking lot to provide 57 additional spaces.
The Commission modified a condition of approval to allow the
Architectural Revie ..... Board to review and"approve a lower-profile
chimney and roof spine, that would allow more light into the club
interior, while minimizing the j,mpactB on neighbors' scenic
viewd,
Following the Planning commission meeting. the architect revised
the plana to give the addition more of a residential feeling and
to visually lower the entire profile of the addition. Also l in
response to a concern by a neighbor about the visibility of the
proposed parking spaces in the. area adjacent to the service yard,
the applicant requested the usc of a landscape reserve for five
parking spaces. According to the traffic and parking study for
the project, the club' B projected parking 6'..lpply exceeds the
demand by nine spaces. Thus, five .spaces could be put into a
landscape rese:rve without exceeding the remodeled club's parking
demand.
At their meeting on Febrllary 17, 1994, the ARB complimented the
architect on the redesign effort and unanimously recommended
approval of the revised plans, including the p.'t"oposed landscape
l'csexve for fi ve parking spaces. (Verbatim minutes of the
meeting r which were not available prior to the March 21, 1994
Councii meeting, are attached.) The ARB felt that the Im.,'ering
of the height of the roof spine by four feet was a good
compromise between lett:ing light into the building and reducing
the visual impacts on the neighbors. However~ the ARB expressed
concerns about buses being able to negotiate the tut:n into the
main entrance to the site, noise from people using tbe proposed
outdoor balcony area, and the aesthetic impacts of the existing
barbed wire fence along the front property line, as well as the
existing rooftop equipment. The ARB approved the project concept
and recommended adding a condition spelling out the detailed
items which should return for t.heir l'eview (see Condition A. 9
below) .
Following the ARB meeting, the applicant prepar~d ~evised plans
responding to the issues xaised at the ARB meeting. With the
exception of the details that need to go back to the ARB, the
applicant has responded t-o the issues th .. t have been raised.
~.ions of Approval for Other Country Clubs
There .nre two country clubs in the area with similar activities
and membership as the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club.
Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park was approved
in 1961. Staff has reviewed the use permit conditions, which
include required plan revisions related to parking and access.
There are no restrictions regarding the operational. aspects of
tbe club, such as the size or number of events.
CMR,223,94 4/7/94
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The Los Altos Golf and Country Club is located within
urlincorpo:tated Santa Clara County. A representative of the
County Planning Department indicated that the country club bas
been. expanded several times. including a major expansion in 1992.
AI.though the club i8 locatf';!.d in a single family neighborhood, the
County Planning Commission has not d~emed it necessary to
reetl'ict the C'lub~B special events:, patronage or hours of
operation. The County Plann1.ng Commission representative stated
that. the neighbors have not raised concerns regarding the club's
operationa.
UB? of ...l'Mk=~llJ~_]acil ityJ~~!!
Staff contacted CalTl'ana to dete:n1'line ""nether it. would be
l-'99sil?ln to. pal-ok buses in the park-and-ride lot on Page Mill
Road. The CalTl'ano representative indicated that the park-and
l..·lde IJpaces are for commuters only and that buses would be cited
by the California. Highway Patl~ol. In addition, signage within
the park-and··ride lot prohibits the parking of vehicles 30 feet
or longcL'.
It the City Council is concerned about: the number of buses at the
COUlltx"y club. a condition of approval could restrict the number
of bUSC6 in the parking lot at any given time 'e,g., no more than
th"O buacs), Another alternative would be to add a condition
tequiring that the b1.1SeS be parked in the uppex level parking
lot.. This would locate the parked buses further away from the
l'e.e=idences and reduce their visibility from Alexis Dxive.
Conatrllction of the project will re!)ult in temporary increases in
ambi(lnt noise levels, Construction activities will be subject to
the provisions of the Palo Alto Noise Ordinance,
Standard conditions of approval related to construction of
project:s 10C'ated in the foothills l-ypically address grading
activitieo and tree protection. However, since this is a
devil loped sit.e l conditions t'egarding grading activities were
deerne~ unnecessary. Tree protection standard conditions would ce
incorporated, into the complete landscape plan required for ARB
revieW', prior to &ubmission of a .huiJ.ding permit application.
Other standa.rd conditions may also b~ included during final ARB
review.
FINDINGS
PlndiD~~Qit~Qllal Use Permit
1. The proposed use at the proposed location will not be
det l~imental or injurious to property or improvements in the
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vicinity. -and """i11 not be det~:inlental to the public health,
safety, general "",'elfal-c or c()lwenienc(':j in that the project
ao conditioned will supply all incrcmentally required
pa:t-king on·site, and improve the acceD~ site distance for
the main drivew,l.Y, reduoing the potential fo:t' .a.ccidents
Gaused by POOl: dri .... er visibility. JAlOd8c.1pin~l will be used
to Boften .and enhance t he viDual. impacts of ;':he addition as
well as provi9o additional act:eening ~ivr.:,t:: Alexis Drive.
The proposed use will De located ~nd conducted in a mallner
in 3c:cordance with the Palo Alto C(;\'1'.prahen13ive Plan and the
purpo~e8 -Of Title la' of the: palo Alto Municipal Code, itl
that -& country club alld golf cou('se i.e a conditionally
permitted use in the 0.9 7.onin9 district. I\s conditioned ,
the project will not cause a significant illcrease in the
intensity -of use arove Gurrent levels, and \-:111 not operate
contrary to the ,firat-goal of the Housing I-:lcroent... which
protects the charact€l"' .and qualitics of existing single
famBy x:-esidcntial ne1.glloorhoods. In addit;'on j as
docu,T.ente(l in the llf:tg.1ti .... e declaration. the project as
condit .i.oned will not create 91911i (icant envil:onmental
-impacts. including traffic or visual ifripacto_
The proposed uoe wi 11 be cOJlstructed and OpcTatBd in a
ffi;;l;nne-r that will be o:rdel"l}~, ll<u:moniou9. and compatible with
existing or potent i.ll \ISi&S of adjoining o:r neal-by sites ",-hen
the project h .... o be~n designed to minimize impacts and is
subject to :review by the MB_ Redesign of the gabled
clcrc.9t..o:ry roof and climin'J.tion of the two-story chim.'1ey
will ri'linimi'lc i,~pacta on sceoic views h.-om adjacent
residences, .
2. The proposed use will not affect the desirability of
investment or the ,conduct of b\lsi'H~OB~ reoearch, or
educational activltieB j or other ~uthori~ed Dccupations. in
the flame or adjacent al"e-as in that the project io .;) limited
expansion of an-existing facility.
3-. The proposed use will not affect. the, sound principles of
environmental design :and ecological balance in that the
project has been assessed in conformance with CEQA
Guidelines and has been designed to be co,'"!1patible with
native vegetation.
4. IT-he proposed uoe will be in accord with the Palo Alto
Comprehensive Plan in that the definition [or "Open-Space,
Controlled Development-allows E:;om~ development, pro .... iding
that-the open space amenities are retained,
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~ITIONS,
The,following conditions of the Use Permit and SIte and D5:siyn
application are, recommended by the Planning Corr.mioaioll and ARO' in
support of the propos" .. l. They have been revised f~:om the
February 17. 1994 Planning Comfllisslon repol't to include th~ ARB
conditions. The revisions are noted in italics:.
A. Prior to SubmissioD for jl nuilctina.~.P-~ __ rmj.t_
1, The applicant shall redesign the chimne}. and ccnh'al
roof neplne~ element to minimize the irnp~ct on 6cenic
views from adjacent reBidcnc~8. Theo.e changes wQul<l 00
subject to ARB review and approval.
2. The applicant shall remove the three pal'kif19 spac-es
along the eastel"nmo8t pal"king aislc to p~:ovide
sufficient room for t\''I'O-way t:ra[lic.
3. The applicant shall provide nome additional bicycle
parking in a convenient location, The nlJf"\,ber of spac€iI
and location shall be subject to revie .... and apPl-oval of
the City' 8 Tl'anspol'tation iHvision. pr lor to ARB
l'eview.
4.
5.
6.
The applicant shall revise the landsc<lping plan to
include only low groundcover (less than six inches)
within the sight line drawn on Attachment 13. Thie
sight line ie to ens\lre that exiting -driven, can see an
approaching flouthbound vehicle on hloxia Ol'ivc_ at leant
300 feet away, Visibility from this distance will
ensure adequate time for the exiting vehicle to
accelerate I cross t.he HouthboL'nJ traffic l.1i'lc and t\lI;n
left into the northbound lane.
The new club ID sign shall_ be relocated to the outside
of the sight distance line shown in ~ttachmant 13 and
is subject to review and approval by the ARS.
The dirt berm within tho sight distance line shown in
Attachment 13 shall be lowered by about six i'nches to
enSUre the 300 foot driver sight line in maintained.
7, The applicant shall demonstrate how the remaining
unimproved roof equipment wi 11 be t.reated to improve
the visual appearance. subject to review and ARB
approval.
8. The applicant shall provide a private outdoor area for
use by on-sit',e ernployees~ subject to ARB review and
approval, Such at"eel shall be located so that it cannot
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he viewed by adjacent residences. The applicant shall
alao improve the appearance of the worker housing roof.
either by re-aRphalt.i.ng the roof or using some othet'
type of roofing matel'ial to make it more attl"active
when viewed from neighbors living above the club.
9. The following shall be submitted for review and
approval by the ARB:
CMR, 223: 94
a) a materIal and color board;
b) a descriptive sign submi. ttal incltlding egreso from
the site,'
c) c()mplete landscape plan,-
d) window details tor second floor;
e) refinement of window color panel on first floor in
l.ront of the bathroom 011 right of entry;
f) detail of second story windows;
g) correct the chimney height to as low and ruUTO:'" as
possible and as the code allows;
II) landscape reserve for five cars;
3.) the l'ransportatioJl Division need8 to z-eview the
median strip ,H: exiting. Furthe,r study is
required for acceS8 of busses and trucks;
j) further r-e£illement of balcony to reduce noise;
k) f~rthe,r study of facade front elements and llip
roof'behind entry prow and how it transitions to
the spine,·
1) propo8al for visual mitigatiorl and reducing
impacts of 2'oof equipment. At minimum, paint the
equipment to reduce bright elements,.
m} eXiting,signa to direct users to Page Mill Road,.
n) further Btudy of landscaping and removal of barbed
wire fence along tbc Alexis frontage and for the
extent of the property.
oj site lighting including redirecting pool lights.
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B. Prior to Issl.1i!D£.e· of a Building Permit
None
C. pl.·lor to O~~
1. The applicant shall retain the STOP sign on the egress
lane of the site access drive.
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2. The applicant shall provide adequate. exterior lighting
to, ensure pedestrian safety and building-security. All
entraucea should be lighted with a minimum 60 wattel of
photocell lighting. Light fixturen should be placed
high enough to be vandal resistant and should be
protected by a wire or plastic cover. other activity
areas auch as walkways and the parking lot should be
lighted with a minimum of 1/2 foot_candle,
3. The applicant shall modify the existing exterior
lighting on the clubhouse roof and near the pool area
GO that it does not shine in the windows of adjacent
neighbors' homes, subject to review and approval by the
ARB.
4.. The applicant shall install a fully automatic fi!.-e
sprinkler system and fire extingu'\shers throughout the
clubhouse building.
5. The applicant shall provide emergency lighting and
signage, per Fire Department regulations, thz'oughout
the clubhouse atructure.
6. The project landscape al-chitect ohall provide
construction administration and submit a letter to the
Plann.ing Division indicating whether the new
landscaping is installed according to plan.
D. Ongoing
1. The applicant shall maintain the hedges to the right of
an exiting driver to the height identified in
Att&.chment 14. This ia to ensure that the 300 foot
driver sight line is :naintained, subject to ongoing
review by the City's Code Enforcement 'Officer.
2. The applicant shall continlle to maintain the traffic
journal, investigate and respond to all neighbor
complaints regarding parking or other matters and limit
specia,l events to no more than 12 in one calendar year,
The applicant shall submit the projected special event
calendar for each upcoming year to the Zoning
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Adminiotrator and shall continue to keep records of the
number of persona attending, in order to monitor
compliance with this condition. The traffic journal
lIrid a record of any neighbor complaints shall be made
ava1l8ble for review by the Zoning Administrator on an
aD requested basic..
Staff 'recO!m'Iendo that the City Council, based on the findings and
conditious above, adopt the ,litt.ached negative declaration and
approyo the Condit ional Use Permit .and Site and Design
IIppll""t ion.
Respectfully 6u~~itt.d,
iZu.tM-J~vLur
ROnlml' SCflUDRR'I' -t'8-
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KEN1~E'fH R. SCHREIBER
Director of Planning and
Community Environment
BE;.tl\Rt;L~ R NY
}\9sistant; City Manager
1\ttachment: Verbatim Minutes bt 2/17/94. ARB Meeting
3/22/94 Letter f:rom Dr. Ken Kato
3122/9~ Letter fl'om Jim Nelson
Speakel' Carda from 3/21/~4. Council Meeting
Letter from Jim Nelson, received 3/28/94
cc: Planning Co.r.rnisDion
Arcnit~c~ural Review 80ard
Carrasco Ir ABsOC'iatea~ 120 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto,
CA 9BOl
Sal Giovanotto. )090 Alexis Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304
Don 'Klages, 281 University Avenue, Palo Alto, C1\ 94301
L~'n Nelson, )000 Alexis, PalQ Alto, CA 94304
Jerry Schwartzman, 3077 Country Club Drive, Palo Alto
CA 94304
Matthew Hurley, 40.30 Noorpark Avenue. San JOF.1C, CA 95117
Stev~ Saperstein, )089 Count~y Club Court, Palo Alto.
CA 94304
I-'rank Kelly, ~5 Alannah Court, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Diane Bottoms, 33101 Alexis Drive, Palo Alto$ CA 94304
G~ry Griffith, 555 Carla Court, Mountain View, CA 94040
John Smithson. 1t51 Shenandoh Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 9408?
Jim Nelson,. "3030 Country Club COU1't, Palo Alto, CA 94304.
Barbara Deerkop, 2944 Alexis Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304
Hide Taniganli, 31-}3. Alexis Drive. Palo Alto, CA 94-304
Dr. Ken Kato, 2995 Alexis Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304
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ARCHITECTURAL REYIEW BOAAO tlfARING
Thursday, February 11. 19~4
Palo Atto Hill' Golf and Counlry Club
94-ARB-6
93-0-S
93-£1A-34
9)-IIP·35
Site and design application for (I) ronov.tlon .nd expan'lon of the club's
existIng clubhous, fr.". 11,S64 squat. reet 10 31,396 squ .... fo.t (net
expaoslon of 4,811 sq'Jar. f.,l; and (1) .. lnor .xp.nston and testrlplng of
the parking lot to provld. 51 .ddltlonal .paces.
Shirley Wtls2nc_~lr: Oo.s sl.ff h.v~ .ny ,~nts1
St~ff has asked ~ to eake ~n ~n~o~nc~~~nt. rQr clarification about this
pnt1cular re'fiew tx:-ard. W~ .are her€! to di SCOB the .l!'"('hHecttlre of the
building and sHe issues. We do not hilive clO)' pUfy!ew over the use permit,
so If anyone has: conc~rns ,bout that. Y(lU should be aware of that. It is
out of our area.
H.s-,,~: Jflere were fiG verbiitlitll fl1nutes of our last ARB R:-eeting In ttle
Planning Comis'i1on packet. \It! tlnd'frstC{ld that thi!t would happen. I just
wondered where that is in the over.all schewe of th1n9S.
~1.a: The t.p., ""ro not .orkl',g properly th.t d.y. ,0 we coull! not
get. good t"onscr,pllo, of the "",.ling.
tk,Jl.!U.r: So there won't be any (or Ute City (o"lell p.c~.t?
Hs, W<!SS: ! doubt 1t.
Hr.,Jllllland: w. or. going to ask Joyce to t,·y .goin.
I!r., Senubut: I would I Ike to give. brle( staff report on thIs proJect.
Mr, GII)I)a~: Sob Schubert Is the _Ianne, on thIs project.
~~: la,t ~eek, the Planning Com.lsslon un.nl~usI1 recommended
CIty Council approv.1 of this project. The ,t.ff had r.c~cnded as a
condition of approval th.! the chlIM.y be elt.ln.ted and that the central
spine element be redesIgned so th.t It ~uld not block any scenic vIews
from existing stngle-famlly 1100 .. s adj.cent to the dub. The (o,,"lsslon
modified that condttlnn wltn the Intent of ,llowlng the bo.rd to review
and approve a chimney on the club ,cof with. lower profOe design for the
central spine el.ment, which would allow .,.re light Into the lnterlo,' of
the building whlle .. inlmiling t~e eff.cts on neighbor<' sc.nlc views_
They also added" a condltlon requtrl"9 the landscape architect to provide
construction administration ser'lliccs t and suo,'IIit a letter to the cHy
indicating whether the new landscaping was Installed .ccording to plan.
following the co"",ls,;on "eetlng. Carr.sco and Assocl,tes revised the
plans in response to th~se comments, as well as to the previous commeots
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which had b.,n made by the board. These r.v!sed plans "er. delivered to
the boa'" memb.rs on Tuesday e"nlng. At that time, we also delivered
'd"aft mInutes from the february 9 Planning Co""lsslon me.Ung to the board
members. This Ite. will b. going to th. council next Tuesday .venlng.
finally, I would like to distribute some photographs of the site whl(h
were taken prio)' to the Plaoning CQlI1'I1ission meeting.
Mr. Glllllan~: I would also like to annOunce that we II ... received •
request from the applicants, received at the Clerk's Office yeste.~ay,
that this be continued from the City Council meeting next Tuesday night to
March 21. It is on the council agenda, and It will obviously appe,r, but
ger.erally the council does honor that type of ,·.qu.st. So my guess Is
that it will be heard on M.rch 21.
~~: Hay we now have the applicant's presp.ntat1on?
~Ludden: Chair Wilson and members of the A~81 I am linda ludd~n rrom
Carrasco and Associates. ~e ~re the arcoitects for the project. I ~Ill
make a general presentation on the ~lanning and architccture of the
project. lynn Winterbotoam, our landscape architcct, is here to present
the landscape plan. Don Klages, President of the Board of Oir~ctor~ of
the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club is here, and also lynn Nelson,
the maruger of the club, as. well as other P1embers of the country club
board and general membership are here. If yo~ have additional question~
that you need answered by thp. club management. they are certainly
available to answer Questions.
As an overview, the club ha~, for the last 30 year~. been operating'in
this area, and the time has come to update the club, 1t is a rathH dai'k
~nd oppressive building when you enter it. A couple of years ago, We d\d
do a ri!novation to the dhling room, which brightened and 1 fghtened that
up. This is 9{1ing on with the long-term plan f<lt' ~xpansion of the club.
The purpose of this expansion is to creatp. a new members' club room to
replace t~e existing grill, whkh is very dark and not a \'ery pleasant
place to b. for the members; also to seismically upgrade the entire
building; and to moke the entire facility .,c.sslbl. to the disabled.
Generally, It is to upgrade the landscaping of the club, Improve the
entrance at the driveway, and do an overall face lift on the buIlding.
Since we have made a prevhus presentation to t.hp. MB, r will not "go
through the plan in great det,il. You have secn .it before and you are
... re of the general concept that ~. are trying to bring light Into the
c.nter of the building. The main focus of this Is the centrol spin. that.
goes through the middle of the building. ThIs shows how we are ta~in9 out
the second floor In the middle of the building so that a c.nt.,.1 space Is
created when you walk into the club. You can tell Whe)'e you are 9{11ng and
you can see from one part of tfle club to another, and you can 'Jet a sense
of the whole space. Right now, the club has five different levels inside,
and It is very di fflcult to tell where you are gOing, where you want to
be, and what is going on. Also, as you come into the existing club, it ;s
very dark. It has a low ceiling, and we are trying to open up the entry
area, bring natural 1 ight into the center of the building, and generally
organize the whole floor plan and functioning of the club.
So from that, we have created an entry spine that ~as clear-story glass on
either side tn.t brings li9ht into the center of the building. We have
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removed the existing office wing willcl> protrudes out this way, There are
high, landscaped walls on either side that block you as you come In, and a
yery tall porte·cochere that comes clear out across the roadway. All of
this Is being remoyed from the front of the building. Th. existing wall,
from the locker fGGmS a.n:d kitchen area, I'cmalns, and the new addition 1s
placed parallel to that in this fashion.
I will go back just a moment to the previous design which, as you see,
had a yertlcal wall of glass here that went up 12 feet to the under sid.
of the ceiling. The central spine had a pitched roof, and the design was
perhaps a little more slick and commercial in appearance. That was one of
tha commonts we have receiYed --that the building looked too commercial.
Also, some of the neighbors wel'e concerned about the alflOunt of glass and
the heigilt of the central spine, as was the Planning Commission.
In response to that, we ha~e revised the design. Here is the large
eleYatlon that sho.s It in more detail, Th. colors look a 1 ittle yellow
in here under these lights, so donlt go too much by the colors. We are
still working on them. It is not going to be that yellow. The concept is
to utili1-e the existing building as a backdrop to the new boilding. The
",,'est elevation is very glassy whet'e it looks out onto the <:ountry cl ub
9n1f C<lurse, howe't't'!r, the east elevation ~s very monol Hhic. The walls
are higt, and sol id, with jllst a tiny band of glass at the top to let light
into the 10eker room and kitchen areas, So what ",,'e have created is
allowing that to become a back.drop, bringing the c'ase of the building in
precast concrete with horizontal score lines, accents of stone. I'.'hich
would be a li~stone similar to what is us~d inside the club, and
redesigning the "pstalrs portion of the project in terms of Its
fenestration.
In trying to make the building more reSidential and club-like, we have
focused on detailing the'windows that at the pOints where the columns
occur down below, we have come upstairs with a decorative panel of glass.
The upper level of glass is also brok.en up into smallel' pan.es. Rather
than ha'ing the roof 99 all the way .traight up to the ceiling level (you
can see it in the sections herej, w~ have brought the eave lin! down to
eight feet, or probably about eight foot four Inche" to clear the glas,
head detail, Then we have sloped the roof up, and Inside, we have stepped
the ceiling up alcng the edge, similar to this 7 but with more of a
stepping deSign, still maintaining the ceiling at about II feet in. ide the
clubhouse. Thi s brings the apparent height of the building down ar,d
presents is'much hetter proportion In this area. We have essentially a
two-to-one proportion on the facade of the bundlng, with the "oof .loplng
back at a low pitch and utilizing a preflnlshed metal on this portion of
the roof. Ycu can see that around here.
Al.o, we have dropped the peak completely. The flat roof, which we are
using over the spine area now, is four feet lower than the roof was
previously, We can still get some natural light InSide, but the Impact,
as you can see, the datted line Is where the peak was previously. This is
now where the flat roof is. Jf you have been out to the Slt~ and have
seen some of the photographs from Hr. GiiovanottoJs house, this point would
be where the lower eave of the peak was and where that lower band of
yellow tap. was, So there I s qui te a di Her,nee here. By the '(', we
hav€ sh{lwn this design to Mr. Giovanotto, who saw it yesterday.:' ,W€ also
met with one of the other neighbors yesterday, to show them this ijesign.
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We are very pleased with the changes we have made to it, and I hop. that
th, board will give liS your Input on it.
W. h.ve gone through a serl.s of foUl' meetings with the neighbors and h.ve
gotten a lot of good input .from them, W. have trl.d to respond to their
concerns and to the Concerns that the board had given us previously al',ltl '~\o
the cOiITilents from the Planning CommiSSion. I will just brl.fly mentio.'·'
that one: of the )'equ~sts 'We had, in talking to Mr. GicwanottG yesterday,
~.s that this area here is currently landsc.ped, The parking plan calls
for five car spaces here, He was concerned that he was going to be
l<loking d1lwn on cars} and was not very pleased with that, We had the idea
tn.t I f the board feels It Is appropriate, we could dedicate this area for
the five parking spaces to landscap. prese".. The traffic study has
Indlc.t.d that the parking, as plan .. d, is more th'n what Is required for
the proj.ct. I\t this pOint, we have removed three spaces h .. · •. at the
recOh~ndatlon of the Transportation Department, so with these five spaces
Included, we wollld have one more space in the lot than is requlred by the
calculation for the existing lot plus the spaces that are required by the
.ddiljon.
Tne traffic study indicat.d that the existing parking lot is large!' than
it needs to be for the existing fad 1 ity, so w~ were hoping that thet'e
mi9ht be some possiu~l-jty of asslgnifig this to landscape preserve,
Howeyer, if that is not appropriate from the Doard1s standpoint, it is
acceptable to us. rt is one of the things we felt might make it ni,e~ for
the nelgnbors.
One of tne other items is the entrancp. into the club, This has been
revised per reco~ndatiolls from the Transportation Oepartment and from
tf'le h'afnc s.tudy. As far as thE:' landscape plan is concerned, I wili let
lynn addr.ss that.
lY~o_WJnterboth~ land;~J\rllLlt~~l: I would like to briefly go ov.r
the natut'e of ...,hat we are doing. In genct'al, r would say that Otlr
intention is to be fall'1y conservative. It is conslst.nt with the
surroundings. We are not trying to create somethjng different from what
Is th.re. We have an .xtr.m.ly I imited palette of ornam.nt.l plants that
we are going to be using, mainly relying on native and nati¥e-type
materials. There are primarily three different types of areas at the
pl'oject that we are going to be trying to address. Th. first is the
immediate entry area where we are going to have exclusive use of the
ornamental plants on the projea. There win be S{lme annual color, stat'
jasmjn~, et(" that are not indigenous to the area but which I feel wOllld
be culturally well adapted to the sit •. In addItion, we will hay. fairly
low trees, trying to emUlate the rhythm of the columns on the lower
portion of the building, c ... ·ying that out to the street entry. Th.y
would be fairly small, fairly open, something that would not mask the
entry to the building but would soft.n It and create a pleasing entry.
lhe second area lncludes the parking and tne edges of the building, where
we are going to try .lnd create quite a bit of density to get Visual
screening. as well as to do what we can for sound attenuation in the
parking lot that the neighbors have made (omments on. We will be using
Iarg.r trees .-Chinese pi stache, things 11 ke that --In the parking lot
to get the shad i ng, as "''e 11 as. try i 09 to create some hedge· type screen; ng
fr~. the car h.adlights Into the neighboring hous.s.
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Th. 'I.it .rea Is the street frontage where, right now, there is nothing
there. So we .re going to be loo~lng at the entire street frontago all
tho way down Alexis to th. first residence, Introducing natlYe plants such
as the Callf~rnl' live oak. If you look at the Palo Alto hills, what
typifies th.lr app .. ,'anco.re the large-headed trees with yery little
understol")' .and low 9Nund 'CoveY' and grass{!$, as found 111 the native
are~, Whd ... will be doing Is IntrodUCing the oaks, startIng at the
bottM, and gradu.lly, as you build up the street, Increase tne density,
Incre .. e the uooo .. story phntlng a little bit ... re, to the point where
YO" o<tu.11y get In front of the parkIng lot, where we wll1 have a bit
IOOre density than you might otherwls. se., with h ... ler pl,ntlngs of oaks,
wllh a he~J' along the parHng to screen the car bU"!'ets, etc. from the
neighbors. Then there would ~e an entry Identification sign element. It
Is' not retlly a Sign In the .en.e th.t It .ould ~; • ~reo-'tandtng
.l~""t, It II<>uld bo terr«lng Ih. e;'I,tlng c.~"t.ur ") the land. Tllere
",,~Id bo torraced plantors, and the s(gn woul', bo Int'9r':lod Into the f.ce
Of Ih. ",I L lhe R.terhls would be ,fmnk to wh.t Is In Ihe stair
.1 ... nt .-the spltt factd bloc, "Ith the indlvldu.l, rajsed brass
lette.." Thai <O"Pletos "Y presentation.
1tt._.li.lbJ1a: The d".lng sho .. d two sign posts, Arc those options? There
is a tall ~>ne ~nd a shorter one.
lir:.~rQ5tltliJS: That is Just one. fro,";'I two perspedlves. There is on~
$Ign that ~ou1d occor in thts location.
H.s.'LJI __ liun: The largcr ele~nt had three levels to It, with .... erbiag~ on
it. Th~n t"'~n there }fa'S-the lO~'el' pH!(e. What was tha.t showing?
I!L_Jl.~1hl@: j. ~no. wh.t you .re referring to. It was Intended just
to be • different perspective of the sa~", Item. There were two ,Ide
to,r"e".lIs, ,nd thM there ... a center, Slightly higher Itall that had
the slgn.ge on It. Th.t ~.s only to occur In one plac_,
Ill.J(U~211' h hlo Allo ,~l1Js Just " .. Hten out once?
1!r4--1il1l1 ... bQ\ba\il: Right.
(Discussion followed at the .lo.'al ion' on the 11,11)
1IL_.lUllill: 00., Ihe board h.ve .ny questions?
IIL_ O. Rosa: I do. liM', cou1d you r •• le" the wlors and mato"lal s? 00
you h.ye a color boardl
~q~~n: ~e ~o not have a ~olor board. Ue were just finishing this up
last night. It has been' quick redesign. Yhe goner.l ide. is th.t the
roof would be • pr,flnlshed met.l. We .re thinking of a kind of
gray· green color. At <me point, we-dlsctlS!ed using c<lpper, but we wouid
be using a lIe.thered copper, and we felt It lIould be. little too
turquoise for this area and th.t It needed to bo a llttl. softer
griiY'9reel1 color for the roof.
The glass in H,e building lIould be clear glass, and lie would be using tho
low ( gl.ss, do"~le'91.zlng, with. double £ coating, so that we do get
good sun control, yet lie do not have to us. highly reflectlYo glass. That
L~
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• as on. Qf the crlt,rh th.t w, did us. in the de,19n.
1he window mullions would be .luolnuo, .nd th.y would be preflnlshed In ,
color, most llxely. Ag.in, It •• u1<1 b •• fairly dark color, either a d.rk
gray or , dark gray·gre". Th •• xi st 1 ng color on the DU Ildlng I s no t lhi s
yellow. It h.s more of • bolg. ton, to It. W. would want to ~.ke Ih. n,.
concrete in an integral color and th~ sandston~ baing co=p.Lt~la with
that, In determining. s.nd,tone or • 1lmeston. th,t has Ih' tans and the
belges In it but not the 1' •• 1 dark, Intense colors th.t oro In the
ll ... ston. In the building. W. felt th.t that .. as a littl. too ""ttled
looking. So we are going to have to be developing that (olor palette as
we go .long, working mainly fro. .the slon.. So frOft that .spect, wo would
need to bring .11 of that Infor.atlon back to you. Ihat Is the Inltl.l
study.
Wh.t we would like to do with these detailed wlndo.s Is toh.ve s ... ll ...
panes in those, 'Im!lar In design to s~'" of the fr.nk lloyd Wright
windows tnat you hl~e seen In his buildfn9S. ~nd perhlpl 1 a little bil Of
colored g1ass in there. but !fery 'Saall a:-:'...:Junls, rUy '$2'111 .!c.:cnts:,. fhat
is an overview. We really do not have the colors Ued do .. r'! at this.
pOint. That Is the general Ide •.
Ms._~: Could you explain what is happening at Ihe front of the
spine?
1ii.~\t~o: Sure. The spin. CO""" up flat to the point Inside the
building ~h~re there is a hole that div1des the l~v areas, You cao lobk
over where there is 'a oridge tn~t comes lcross. Up to Out point, W1J have
the flat sp'ne. from that p.oin1 for'Hard. there Is ,) hip nH>( area sc' Ihat
that f"ont edge is softenOiJ. W. did not want to just brlog a flat roof
forward from th~ spine. Th~n the very fr.r}nt arN doe~ hive a flat roof
over just the pa,·t that projects out. It" Is ,Imil.r to buildings .. h,t
were done at the turn of the century Ith~re tllere is an Cirea that pt~ojects.
up, and then (tIe ronf com(>s bad. frl)f'll U. So there is just a :!.I1l1J area
th,t comes O"t flat Ihere to ma,e th.t tr,osllton.
Ms. Oa Ros •. : What Is It that you plan t. do with thatl
Ms. Ludden: Th. difficulty, .t Ihat point, if yO" just bring the 'al'es
straight dO)ru'tt creating this f.ac.et~d prow tflat (orr...es out on the front, It
is an untQmfort..~bl~ transition. W'e also ~anted to give $Or.e feature to
that parI of the building, as oppos.d to the roof Just c~lng straight
d<lwn across ; t.
~!tr: Regarding the first-flool' windows: Hit you are indicating oYer
on the lower "ight, to the right of the entry, arc those r(!stroCiflls a;nd ,
unless I am r~adin9 this wrong, they are --
Hs. Ludd.n: Wh.t~' wer, considering there is th.t we would just chanse
color In the mater,.l,. It would be • solId material, and we would just
change color at that point so Ulat we still get a rhythm goin9 across, but
there would be a solid panel in the concrete at that'point.
~.JI!ill: So which one of those windows on th.t 10 ... r band ore re.l
wlndo.s .nd which are fake? Are all the ones on the lert r.all
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~: These .re .11 real.
~ir: Old you make any pl.n major plan ch.nges from what you had
originally?
~~: Very few In tn. orientation of the angl.. The previous .ngle
".s a 1 ittl. steeper. Also, we changed the pivot point where the two
wings come together, 'ihleh helped with the geometry and allowed the
geom<!t,·y to be a 11ttle m<>re comfortable. So this has gone back. It
essentially pivoted. Th. functioning of the building Is just the sa~
Insld.. We have not had to chang. anything from that. This •• s the
previous design. We have not ,had to change the circulatIon patterns. It
Is • matter of Justtl1tlng a little bit. In r.sponse to some c"",,",nt,s
from the board previously, there we're some not<:hes ttlat caine back. in rtere,
and-this fa~ade was som.what overly complex at thl s point, SO".
straightened th.t part out.
Ms. Hasgr: J noticed some discrepancies in the chimney height and you]'
elevations, I am just wondering if you have verified the hei9ht.
Ms. Ludden: The chimney has to be three fl)et ab{JlJe this peak. 1M One
that shows It the MOst accurately is this section. That is how nmch
high.r It 1$ th.n the roof. It would only be three feet.
Mh~: TfH'ee feet above the peak?
HL_ll!lli!M: Yes. We thought it had to be th.· .. feet .bove the closest
poi~t ten feet away, but if it can be lower, we will make ft lower. ~~
will definitely make it .s low as we possIbly can.
fu~.!!iU.Qll: How wide is this building on the b"nad side?
~.JlY4Qruu: We do not really know, designwise, b.cause of the design of
tne fireplace itself, how close we can get thos~ flues. We nave two
fireplaces. The intent would be to make it as narrow a5 we can. It
doesn/t need to be as widt! as the whole fireplace fa~a.de.
Ms Mase~: You can taper it ~n at some point.
Ms. ludden: Right. Obviously, you have som. things that we are going to
be seeing again., ~hat is It that we will be seeing in the future? lIill
it be a co 10" bO'l'd?
Ms. \udden: Yi!S, and we would want to show you rr.Qre detail In terms of
how the stone 1 s going to be fntegrated. ~here we change materials, etc..
Typically, for the final information that would normally be brought to the
ARB, you do need some wall sections, that type of thing, And definitely
the oolor and materIals board,
Ms. Maser: What about landscaping and signage? Are we gOing to see
anything more detailed out there) too?
Ms~Ludden: Sure. We fully expect to bring b,ck <ietails at a future
time. , Th,t completes my questions.
Ms. pIh.: Has anything been reVised in terms of the mechanical equipment
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on the roof?
!Is, Lydden, Aotu.lly, thls Iiho1e .re. hel'e over the locker rooms will get
pack.ge unils all the roof slmll.I' to the ne~ units that were put on the
dining room. As regards the area over the kitchen~ as the kitchen is
I'enov.ted in the future, those unils wl11 probably b. phased out. That 1s
not part of this p1.n, but wh.t we would intend to do is to clean up the
view her(\-' and from tr.e solar panel s here, that some of those elements can
be palnt-ed. They can be cleaned up S(I ttiat t.hey are not of such a
hodgepodge appearance, Right now the piping I,or. is shiny, If we could
get that palnted out, it will really make a big difference,
One tiling I did intend to mention is that the c1ub'.!s planning to reroof
the employe. housing buildlng, That roof will b. given a bit of a slope
so that it drains better, It would be a bulltup roof "lth colored gravel,
so it will give a bettel' appearanc'E!, !}a,rticularly from Sal's house.
fu_,_Jk_HQ~' Did you see thls letter frO', the neighbol' regardlng the
roof?
~Ludden: N~, wa have not.
Ms. h'ilson~ David, do you have any Questions?
fu:.:...lillll: Yes, but most of them ha .... e already been answered. You have
added a small median tc the i!ntryway in order to try and redirect t,'affic
sl19 ht1 y. 00 you h2ve any presentation on that, or will that come back in
, 11tt1e gr •• ter detail?
~,~~, That .i11 come back ln tbe 1andsoape detail, b.cause it wl11
be a low thing and obviously C31lnot "'ave high planting in it. People
could not see OVF!r it. That wl1l conle back as part of the fjnal landscape
design detai1. We will have a dlange of paving in this area, as well.
The detail of this getting sculpted a 1 ittl. more and the plantings to
ensure there is good Sight distance.
Mr. Ross: In looking at the minutes of previous meetings, it s(lunded like
there is some difficulty~ perhaps at times, with bus access when that is
necessary. I am wondering If that median is gOing to make it even ITKIre
difficult for a bus to tur~ in from Alexis Drive.
1!L...l.JiJ!J!rul: That I could not really speak to, not being, tl'.ffic
engineer. The traffic report did recommend this solution, so that is
where the deSign came from. Tf'cey are aware of ~he fact that bllses go in
there. I could not speak to that. We may have to get a respGnse from the
traffic engineer.
ML.JlQu: On a different subject, site lighting seems to have come up a
number of times. I must apologili!~ as I nave not been involved in,any of
the pl'ev;ous discussions, so this may have been covered by now. Is any of
the slte lighting that has been an issue with neighbors proposed to be
revised or changed in this plan you are presenting?
tI..L...JJJ dden:
neighbors ,
the pool,
Maybe Lynn could address that, as you have spoken to tbe
As 1 u,derstand it, the difficulty was with lighting around
There are issues, from the club's persp~ctive, of needing
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enough lIght to keep It safe so that people don't trip who aI'e walking
around the pool, From the neighbors' standpoInt, the light fIxtures need
to be oriented and $hlelded s. that they do not spIll light out to the
neIghbors. Correct""' If I am wrong, but I believe it Is essentially an
I"u" of shIeldIng the flxtur.s .nd r.dlrectlng the light, whIch we would
certainly take <-.re of In this project.
&...JlQ.ll: At, the trash enclo,ure wher. you are propOSing landscaping
preserye for the flve p.,klng phc.s. If, In fact, tt becomes a parking
.re •• Is th.re any way of ret.inlng a planting strip along that whole
.lr"h .nclosur. "all1 SM' greenery on It?
H" luddj.Q: I think we could. CerUlnly a vine of some so,·t could be
groon. 1hls llttl. piece here could g.t more substantial landscaping.
IIL_1Wlte.r.b!>1/Wl: Th.t Is ,o.",thlng we could start In the initial phases.
9.ttlng ylne. that ~uld start to grow along that wall. In the "ent that
It ~a. turned Into parking, Something would haye already been started.
W. will Include Ihat In the final landscape plan.
~R2li: (auld yO" review that chart about what parking is available?
Hh_l.u<1d~Jl: The .. Istlng parking sp.ces amount to 255. We are adding 5S
spaces. Including the fiv.. That would be a total of 313. Th.r, at the
refC<!i~ndat1on of the Transpllrtation Department, these three spaces would
be deleted and this would be turned Into a two-way drive so that peopJe
can come in and loop around. It was previously one~way. That would leave
us with 3]0 sp.acoes. the requ'l'e~,entSt by calculation of area, would be
3~9 'paces. It Is clole.
~J(llllD: J will no. tUrn to the public. I have one card.
HeU~~lJtelilti!L 3Qa, Country Cllll> Court. Palo Alto: Hy residence Is
directly across fr,om th. entrance to the dub on the street tllat Is
perp&ndlc.ular to Alexis Orlye. I talked to Undo and other "embers of the
a~hltectur.l staff yesterday. One of the things I was concerned about is
lho b.lcony. W. discussed so .. chang.s th.t possibly could be made. Hy
concern would be Ihat w. face th.t wall. If the balcony is being used at
any great .,t.nt In the evening (In.r. are going to be three tables on the
b.lcony), ~ concern Is that the noise off that wall will come down and
reflect Into our property, and eSSEntially, hto OlJr fiouse. Right now, we
get. fall' a .. unt of noise (omlng from the porte cochore when parties are
over. When people ar. leaYing, there usu.lly goodbyes In faIrly loud
volte,. ~e can hear them fairly distInctly. w. figured that we are about
300 feet away from that area. So the one thing I would like to s.e happen
perhaps Is a way that either the roof line and windows could be extended
to cover th.t wall of the b.lcony, still leaying a view to the east, but
tt1at would also cut down on the volume of noi se coming out f)'om that
direction. Towards the north, th.re .re no houses, and 1 think that would
be a sol~t1on that we would appreciate, as far as trying to keep the noise
do,-n.
lhe other thing Is, we haye not seen .ny of the models for the signage,
and I am glad you brought th.t up. J have not s •• n th.t drawing yet. It
would affect the .esthetlcs of our house, since It is right across the
street. I would ll~e to see how that is going to be done.
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The th1rd thIng Is. the bu •• s th.t O.vld Ro.s beought up, I would al.o
11k. to bring up the fact that there are a lot of delivery trucks .nd
larger trucks that do freQuent tho club on a regular basis, 1 hope that
that Is taken Ir,to ,onslderallon !<hen th.y put in the ... dlan strip,
hotead of having the,. 90 up over the curb or back up and back down .galn
a few tl~., which agAin produces roor. nol,. and ~re nuisanc. In .tho
neighborhood. I know there is • tradeoff In safety here, c.rtalnly, when
c.rs are 1.oYln9 the club, but there I, also the f.ctor of It just being
an annoyan(:e or. the street of truch having to IIAke K·turo'S or whatever to
get back and fortt, 10 g.t Inlo the drlve.,y. Ihat Is all I have, Thank
you very ,(Wen for yom' th:e.
ll.'D I'rrY, 915 l.i1ttl.ID.m....hl.2.nAll2: I go by the <1ub""y t I.., I go
up and down Al.xls Orlve. I hope this Is an approprlat< group to speak to
thl. Ite... We "ant the hn~,c.plng to not only be wh.t Is right h.re In
front, but lopacts the Mtghbon a"d e,eryoM who comos up Is "here the
b.rbed wlr. fence starts ahead of the No lrup",lng SI9", all the ",y
down to the first n.19hoo,·. II. h.v. this long .. pan •• of u91y brown with
p1ne trees that don't look ~o ~~e~l. s~ we are hoping that the landscape
d()cso't just include what is tler'C and llwfl qoe'5-do·.rn to there. 'l'ou ha ..... e
anDthcl' really 1<ln9 bl()t~ .all t~i? 'Wa)' dOfo'n to ttie end. So we would like
to krrc)f if that is induded in your pian, because ~e are hoping that that
barbed wire fente will go away.
tlJ:,-J!JllJ~rJlQlb.~ __ ~: It is. OUI' jntentiO:l to do so~thing there.
M_$~O:: SO does thi'lt -that (".i>a:n trut In the next detailed plan, we will
seo • renclng or planting pI,.? (Ye,)
The other thing 1 l<ould like to speak .~oul Is on the ,lgna9" I Ihlnk
that I. critical to happy nel9hbors up the Slreel thaI when somebody gets
h~l"i', they can see the. sign and that when 1he) leave, they know which way
to turn. If they are n()l h~llla,' with H, there !night be sOr:iething there
to let them know thlit they need to tlJrn left. So the sign I sn' t
nec'ssarlly just somelhlng right here, bot I ~on't know If there is
somelllins dls" .. 1 th,l can b< ... ~. across the street as they com. back
out, dir~ctl"g theQ back dow. to rage Hill Road. lh • .! was b"ought up at
one of our meetings. '1 do not ~"ow If that has been develop.d with some
of the neighbors, or what. We ~'uld like to see that In the nexl del.il
prob I ....
Hs, Wilson: Is there a proble •• llh people driving ~~ the hill?
Ms, Terry: Yes, they 9,t confused, be.tau," Ihey have not been there
before. People g.t up there. then realize Ihey are going Ihe wrong way,
so they pull into nei9h~rs~ driveways, turn around, creating ~ore
confusion.
Hr. Wi"ter~othtm: for clarification, ~ •• re not intending to do anything
with the existing fencing. W •• r •. just Inten~ln9 to landscape It.
ML_ILthQn: I understand th,t. ne club ~oesn·t o"n that property. does
It?
Hs, Terry: 00 )'OU ... an that barbed fence does nol belong to the club? Is
th.t not going to be replaced?
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IIr. WinterboU!!m, At the butt"'" of the hll1, starling at tile club
property.
Ms. Terry: Th.t Is one of the ugliest things that the neighbors brought
up at the meeting, that they did not like th.t barbed .ire fence. I
person.lly feel strongly .bout it. I don't think .It belongs there. So
underst.nd it Is not golog to be Includell, or can you Include It?
Hr. Gilliland: What you should do is to direct your cO>n<nts to the
Arcl1ltectur.1 Review Bo.rd and ask them to Include It In their
reco~ndatlon.
Ms. Terry: A lot of people would appreciate It If It w.s Included.
John Smithson. !lSI Sh'nand9a~!!Il.I'.tllk: Good II>O,olng, ~rs of the
Architectur.l Review Board. I a •• dir.ctor of the club alld re'pMs Ibl.
for the project. W, met with Hr. Saperstein yesterday for an hour, and ~
ar~ &ware (If hi s concerns and are studying thel'!. I think W~ agret-d to
study the barbed wire probl.m also. I think we can (0"," up "Ith ,,,,.,.thl"'l
by Ute nflxt meeting. l~arlk you.
H~~ill.n: Seeing no one else who wfsnes to speak. J win r~tUl'n tMs to
the board. ~e will have coments fro~ the board.
tlJ:"..&!U: 1 will be brief. First of all, I am ghd to se, the spine
lowered. In my view, it is a good (ompr(lt'~ise between the functlo~ thej'
need to bring light into t~e interior, while redUCing l~e iftpart on the
neighborhood aesthetically, and not cut down on the vie. of the
neighbo,'s. 0,,,.11, it looks to me Ilk. th.y hav. responded pretty w.ll
to PC{)p]e's co/,eerns.
I am a little concerned ahout the median and the traffic englneerfng of
truc~, and buses going Into the parking lot. It sounded like It was a
close call a~ay, and J know that a bus tends to have to swing pretty
wide to make an entrance. 1 think that should be looked at nor. c.refully
by a traffic engineer.
I think the chimney should be just as narrow and low as the code allow"
It sounds like that is the d,slgn intent. That will be ,tudled further,
suppose, and brought back. I am very Interested In the color board. 1
think the amount of metal roofing, is It • ,tand'l'd s •• ""d ..... 101 roofing
that you intend? lhere is a f.ir quantity of it, which ha, • kind of
residential character because it Is hipped, but on the oth,r ha~d, the
m.teri.l itself is not very resid,ntl.l. Depending on the ,elottlon, it
could have. big impact on the nelghborhoO;j, So I thlll~ • big dlffer.nce
could be Made there, depending on selectiQn of materials. I am lOGking
forward to se.lng that. Otherwise, J like what r see. That completes my
corrments.
lis. Oa RQsa: I share David's COrMlents. The dir(!ction Hrat the architect
h.s described and the s.lection of materials, the gray-green and the
feeling of blending into the hills, a neutral color, Is • good dir.ctlon.
Metal is a material that doesn't have the softness of some other building
materials, .'0 th.t color is absolutely critic.l. r am pleased to see the
changes that have been made. lhe building has re.lly come. long way. It
is much ,more r.&sidenUal, more invitlng. The shadow lines Are ItIOre
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Interesting now with respect to the columns.
better project.
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think this will be a much
One of the the things 1 think Mr. Sape)'stein mentioned was about no; se
bouncing off that balcony wall. He made a suggestion that the roof be
extonded. I don't think the roof r.ecessarlly has to be extended, but
there might be some other way of dealing with noise bouncing off that
wall. That 1,; an Issue that needs to be looked at. I look forward to
sec1ng further devJ.!lopment of this project. I am supportive Df it as it
stand. rIght now.
Ms. Haser: I thinK it I~ amazin~ what you have done In such a short
amount of time. I noUced that. on every drawing, there was a different
ln1t!al, so you must have had the entIre offIce working on this. It
really shows a tremendous amount of creativll energy and responsiveness. I
agree with both David and Ai.o that I like what i see. Th. deSign chooses
not to build upon the exi sting style of the club but to make a departure.
The previous design did .aho, but thi s does it in a much mo)'e sltccessful
way, I thil1K you can get away with it bt!Ciluse you have gotten the
inte)'ior plane behin<l 1t which does act as a foil 1lr backdrop for what you
are doing.
The new design of the roof expression is a lot warmer. It feels less
corrfflercial, mOl'e inviting. I think those were an things. that disturbed
IJS about th.e fit"st scheme. So I e.m really delighted with 'iI'hat I see. It
works well, and I think the neighbors should be pleased that you Jre dOing
what you are doing witn tne roof and the spine. I never did think that
the roof was the real culprit in some of the views that I saw, but the
rooftop equipment that you saw In front of that spine was so bad tnat It
really was the dominant problem in blocking the view.
I have a little bit of a problem with two aspects of the design. One is
the prow and the way it intersects the I'oof. I feel that is somewhat
unresolved. I feel it needs fUrther study. It does not really seem to
come off very well. Per~aps it requires seeing it in three dimensions.
feel that It just does not look quite right.
The other thing that both.rs me a little bit Is the color panels that you
talked about for ,the windoWS on the fir~t flool' 'Where the restt'ooms. are.
I would I1ke to see what you are talking about thel'e in more detai]. it
might br. better to just be more honest about it (lnd leave them as bhrrk
walls with some plantiog' in frGflt of them, or do s{lmething elst!. But that
is a minor detail. [do not feel you necessarily have to carry that motif
all the way across to make It successful.
[ really do like the fact that you are making those piers on the lower
floor solid piers so that they really look substantial and structural
rather than what you hai:! before, which were rathC!r thin walls. That Is
all I have to say. People have covered E! 'ole ry thing else. 1 conQt'atulate
you on a ,'eat ly 111te redesign.
!1.L..J'.iha: i agree with all that has been said. I wish to compliment the
appl icant on their redesign efforts. They certainly have been very
responsive to a variety of concerns. I think you have made some very good
changes. One cOlnment i have is that I will look forward to seeing the new
landscape deSign, You mentioned a c(lnsenatlve approach. I th1nk that
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needs to be expanded upon and evaluated, I am not sure I understand the
,eason for aconseryatlve approach. Is It a budget factor or is it just
in keeping wUh what Is there? I think that again, that needs some
further study to allay concerns o,f the neighbors. I would be In support
of eliminating the five parking spaces and keeping that as a lahdStape
preserve.
Ks. I!jlsl11l' I f.el very enthusiastic about the progress that has be.n
.ade. One of the key words that caught me In something I read was the
reference to a home. Clubs are extensions of people/s home life. !
certainly sa. that In my childhood growing up, seeing the way people used
aclub In my community. I think that accepting that Idea has driven a
whole new design approach that, to me, has really been beneficial. I am
Yer), excited about the direction you have taken.
I~ this elevation you are showing, you have la1d ynurselves very bare
there, because when you look at the landscape plan, you see a lot of trees
In front, and It softens those big planes and walls. It was effective to
draw It that way. I feel really optimistic that that harshness Is not
going to be a reality with the development of the landscape pi an.
e too, support the landscape preserve concept, and will be look1ng for
candttions in our ~t1on. Als~ f~r mitigation for the roofscape visually
and for this barbed wire fence which you have Indicated you can deal
with. This traffic pattern needs to be analyzed further so that there is
a co~fortable sftuattol\ for both cars and buses.
lhe d1scussion at the Pl anning CO!mlisshlrl level with regard to buses was
v~ry interesting and valuable. Acceptance of carpooling and mass
transport.tjon got back on track, because that should be the direction we
are heading. It certainly could work for non-club members.
This issue about the wtndo-"s on the lO\o:ler level is kind of an Interesting
one ar~ I suppose you will be jnvestlgating it further. 00 you need walls
there. or ;s it just a privacy issue?
~~: At these two bays, there are restro~s in that area. So it
needs to b. solic. We were looking at • woy of continuing the rhythm. ~.
could have just a score line in the concr.te at that pOint so ther. would
not even be a chang' of color, or it could b. just pl.ln with no
Indentation. That Is something we could study. In the first bay adjacent
to It, there are windows Into the lobby. But from this poltlt on, there
are restrooms. [yen If th.r. were high .indows, they would not
necessarily ,be 'appropriate,
"s. "O]son: The issue about the p{lint of the roof. I tend to a9,'ee with
Jull.. I d. not totally understand what the technical problem is with
lhat shape. I gu.ss you are saying It Is the shape iotersecting with the
roof that Is probl.matic1 lhe way I have seen that done Is that the flat
roof usually separates from the ~ave somehow. In your condition, it is
together, and I am not real comfortabl. with it, either. A hip roof would
look '0 much better. It i. a little hard to tell from just ao elevation.
lILl!Ull' Or aMther roof that. cove"s that prow and dovetai I s back inlo
the main roof.
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HI, Hilson; I like the qul.tnesl of the roof. To me, it is a line.r,
pr~lrle houle feeling which I .. ntloned here m.ny months ag" at som.
revlell. I a .. really extlted to see thil happening_ I just think you need
to 100.< .t th,t a little more and see if It can be resolved. [am just 0
11ltl. "nc..,forlable with th.t. I like the colored glass.
~l..[Q:j! H.s, Haser: 1 I!':()VC for .approval or the basiC concept, -with some
.ddltlonal ... te .... l 10 return to the board. Thai .ddltlonal m.terial
would bo (II • color board; (2) ""re desnlptlve m.teri.l regarding your
slgn.ge th,t not only Identifies the entr.nc" but how to egress Ihe site
clearly; (3) • ""r~ detalleo lands<.pe pl.n, with .11 the usu.1
reql}irEi'gent$ of a hMS(;\pe Jl1an~ such as the materhls you are using.
with (urlhel' study of the portion of the site th.t Jan Tel'l'Y mentioned;
jI,.!I not suri!' ex.t:ttly ",hue that h. You may want to describe that, Jim.
00 you kn .... vIlero It Is? Is It east of the entrance?
I!r~GIlIlhnd; Yes, yhe best "ay to dew'lbe It is ".11 the way down the
hill .long Alexl, IIrlve."
1lI"~JiueJ:' (!!otlon (oollnuos) further study of that frontage so th.t we
~nc"" what to expect fr~ lhati (ot) ",,'e would 1 ike to see more details of
the windows) as pfoposed; (5J SOJl",e further study of the windows in front
of the I'estr()~s on the firs.t floor and how those will be treated, (~j a
little ft'Ore detailed infornation ~bout )'our typical second-stor)' ~'indow,
J ~l'i ctJrious to see hO)f you are 90ln9 t{) treat the decorative aspects in a
ltttl. more del.;l; (/) w, would In. to se •• corrected chImney heIght to
nlnf~\l' the erfect of Ih't, (8) we ,ovid like to se. a plan that shows
thi:l hndsnpe pr-esel've for the five cars near the servke yard;
(9) (ul·ther study or the enlry with reg.rd to bus and truck traffic and
how fOU can resolve p~tkln9 around the ~dian for safety, plaCing It in
such a way that it does n~t impatt acc~ss by 1arger vehlc1es
Oavld 1 did you want to say sDmeth1ng a~ut site lighting?
t!h..!ti.IlilO: lhat Is p>rt of the I •• dscape plan.
H.I~U: lhen ~e "-an just Include that, underlining H that we want to
see a lighting pl.n.
t!1~82ll: It is not cleH to "" fro .• the "Inutes, but perh.ps It has
already been address.d. If it ~as not, then r would I iko to see something
Inciuded to Show .hH the lighting Is .upposed to do .nd how the gl"'e
problea Nuld be "Itlg.ted,
H,kJJUer: (!!otlon continued) (10) sooe sound consIderation with regard
to Hr. Saperstein's coocern about the balcony noise issue and how that
md.gt)t b.e r.esolved., eit~er t>y SOMe way of progr.1.trning tttat space in terms
of Its us.ge or by physically softening the echo effect of nOise occurring
there; (II) furlher sludy of the Intersection of the faceted front element
.nd the hlp roof.behlnd ft,
H1~Jl~~8Q1!: r have two olnor things that werc mentioned today as regards
landscaping. (Motion contlnu,s) (12) 9't some vln,s put on that wall
near the landscape pl'esel'''; (13) sh;.ld .nd redirect the I ighling .t the
pool.
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1Is.....tIia!:: Also, as~ th." to ta~. into conslder.tlon the lotter fro"
Karle Burns to ,tudy possible mitigation for the rooftop 'Qul~nt.
~JtL!1gn: I would like to word Ihat ~re slro0,91y. I would 11k. a
propo,al to be brought back to s.o .n.t can ~ don. about th.t.
~i1t[: I think ,o .. thlng ~r. Ihan just palntln9 the 'Qulr~~nl,
,o"",tl1lng that Is "",r. posH Iv., .sp.clally the .qui"",n! on the ron( OV'I' the kitchen .re •.
Hr. Ro,s: I would Ilk. to ask for s_thfng very sp.ciflc th.r.. A, I
look at the vi •• frOM abo v,, the thing th.t c.tches .y .y. the ~$I ar.
the things that .• r. bright, Shiny, silv,,' ... 1.1, such as long conduits.
would 11k. to se. Ihos. paInted to be s~ kind of n.utr.I, .arth ton. type color.
Hs. Wilson: I think the proposol should be up I. the ... ><h.th." It Is.
pahtlng or anythIng .1 se. th.t c<n b. don.. H.yb. «"'" kind of c.ge that
broathes. David d.scrlbed the eos! disturbing thing Ih.t r ,aw ~h.n I
went to Sal's house-, I was sh{)cled l .and .... ould o>.'! oo"e dhturbf!d by that.
were r hiR'l. than losing lQY ... tew.
~lJu~:: How would you word th.t?
~QjJJJ..lilod: It would be a proposal for screeninr ~.o ff:duce trw Sl:'Ipacts of the reof equi~~nt.
tI.hJi.I.lJ..rul: I would say ·,isu.1 .llIg.tlon,· not jusL 5<I',.0Ing.
Hr. GlIlf1an~: I h.v. ,e.n Lhat ther. Is ,no09il h,r. th.t we ,,"old not be
able to Issue a boildl"9 p.mlt of any ~Ind, "'n If the City Coullcil
approved this, "0 that YOII would wanL to se. It 9rior to Ih.t. aut I, It
,ufficl.nt that tt,ey could go fOl'word 10 the City Councll with It as It
lSI with your cond\tions?
HI, Has'r: So It will go to the CIty Council before It c~~s b.c~ to u,1
Hr. Glllll.nd: I think It would be up to th ... , since th.re is gOing to b.
adelay untIl March 21st. If Lhey want to c~. back, I o.llev. ". could get them on an agenda in bet~p.cn.
Ms, WllsQll: a.slcally, th .... Is unanlmou< ,up"port for the project. W. are talking about refinements.
MOTION PASS[S UNA/HMOUIl Y.
02/11/94
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March 22, 199~
Office (Jf Ihe Cily Clerk
City of Palo Allo
250 Hamilton Av.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Clerk,
o
N-".~IO 0EIWf;flF.D
I am wrfling 10 express niy conr..ern over not being able 10 appear before the Cily
Council al the March 21, 1994 meeling regarding Ihe Palo Alia HIlls Golf and
Country Club project.
I live direcUyopposile the club and nave been a resident of ltH: area since 1975.
J (eel my comments are of imponancO' 10 the Cily CounCil, and was a frustrated
thai I had subrnilted a card, was called as the next speaker, and Ihen for some
reason or anal her, my card was dropped.
I reel very strongly that I should alleasl be able to express my comments in
writing. If you i'evisw the program, you will notice Ihat my name was called, and
then skipped. The next Ihinn I knew, the Mayor called for Ihe summation of the
project from the applicanf and Iho public hearing was dosed. You should also
know thai I was no! Ihe only one present who turned in a card that was nol
re"cognized.
I will be submiHing a leller 10 the Mayor this week, and a copy ,,~II also be seollo
your attenlion,
Thank you for your assis~ance.
Sin~reJy:/. .~
"T4'd(;Z"4J
Dr. Ken Kato
2995 Alexis Drive
Palo Afto, CA 94304
cc f'lan,,;ng Departm.,,]
,IJ"
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March 7.2, 1991
Oilice ofthe Cily Clerk
City ofPaio Alto
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Dear City Clerk,
Jamr:-;. .111d Beverly Nd~tlll
JOJ() COlliliry Clul; COllI!
1',11011.110, C1\ ()-1:l0·1
This letter is wriHen to inform you thai due to an error, my 1l:11TI(! was not called to speak
at the City Council meeting la~1 nigh! regarding agenda item 18 concerning the Palo Alto
lIills Golfand Counlry Club.
r tumed a card into the front desk. waited for my name to be called, and at the conclusion
ora te.stimony gi'¥cn by a Bernard Belkil'l, Mayor Kni:is thanked 1fr. Nelson, which would
have been my c.ard.
1 wanted to speak on the project and be heard as part or the public hearing regarding my
support of tile project I rcquest that you allow me to submit this tes!imony in writing fo
be included as part of the heanng. I feel my comml'lIfs. were relevant to the CQuncil'.s
opinion of tile Counlry Club.
I believe a review of the tapes will Sllppon Illy intentions to speak. and will send a lener to
you before the end ofthc month.
Sincerely,
lim Nelson
(;C J'lnnning Commis~ion
o
Wl:LCOMIO TO TilE .,,1
I'M.O AI.H> CITY COUNCIL MEETING //V
Tn Hddrc!>s Ilic Council, pk.t~~ cOl1lpkrc this Corm <l.nu haltd it
10 the Ck-rk. Please sc!C<'t 011(',
WELCOME 'iO THE
PALO ALTO C!1Y COUNCIL MEETING
To address the Council. plea.se complete tnis fOlm and hand il
10 Ihe Clerk. Please select one.
O ORAL COMMUNICATIONS (Non·Agenda Item) SUBJECT __
or
::qJ AGENDA ITEM NO. 1.8..
NAME, j;H fl€L;i-o,J
STREET ~.2:>_COllI-.l77<.V CUIB
CITY flko Rt.ro
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3030 Country Club Court
Palo Aho, CA 943C}<l
March 24, 1994
Honorablfl Ma)'Of .fClli.s.S
M.yo,ofPaloAlto
CityofP,Jo AI!o
250 Hami!!on A ,'enu~
PaJo Aho, CA 9-1303
Dear Mayo, Kn''':
\ '
CilY An~~l\"'I::~~3:J
c, 'SOr-rlCc
Milil 2 5 19;)4
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1 turned la a Spea.Xtl cud on Match 21 It') :5p(ak ('In agenda iltm 18. You r~ad my name
Indicatio.g roy lum y .. as apJ1(ol<hing, but J WJ.S ncv('( c.all«f 10 speak r!lIn distressed and
cQn«moo ,'will]; the fllCI 11M you dos~ tne public hearing ;,\"jtbOlJ! giving me and some
other poople (he Oppoitunily to spt'..u. ,egMding 30gmda il(,01 18. J \vanted to spe--.1k 011 the
f.'roje<;~ CUl;J be heard as pari or the-r'.Jblic h('.ariog r(gurling my support of the project,
Writing)'oo a letter will noi h.~'"t (he ~:une impact or influence as speaking to you, the other
ffic-mb-trs of thc-Cour.cil 5!ld the: .e.l..idiencc. j \\ill be !fa'lteling o[) business o\.Jlside Ihe
cOuntry Oil April 11 alld!Sk LhM thi$lclIC'r be lNd int,,) the H>cord at your April II meeting
r ha:,.'c been z. [}('igbbo.r of the dub since 19SQ a;1d h.wc been in the neighborn<Xhi for 14
ye';'f$ 1 ''r'Ould like to s.diy [b,n I fttl the cfl:b hM bo:"t'n a rcally good neighbor. I believe the
club is an imporHH'It as.~fl to U1~ Palo Alto HiUs co,'Tlmi.mity, the City of Palo Alto and the
sUITolJnding c:ommunities.
The club has gon'e ()1!llo itS Why 10 li~1elllO the (".()nt"-e.ms of its neighbors and others, and as
a (csponst' to the expressed wn<:trl'\S made fc::sponsivc c:hangc.s rtsul!ing in Ihe ptoposal
befote you.
I have attended all fi .... e orlbe rt<:~1 neighbor mt-c~inr,s on the subject. Il is Important foc
you to 'understand that the club bas auelIlpttd!O ((".."teh a compromise here \"jelt the
neighbOrs, Ihe AM and the. PIMning C~mmi$Sioil. rl is nOI that all of the neighbors have
been in lQtal agreement 'With evetyth~ng. but there' is a vtr'J strong suppon in the
neighborhood fOf the C'4£n·nt ('onlpromise proposal , and yet on the other h1lnd, (here is a!so
a very ~tfOflg vocal mlnor1IY. 'The{e are less than a h.and full of neighbors who, going back
4 Or S years, ~ave fCXlghl the dub !level)' t\lm .and have opPosed every action that the dub
hILS propos~. I b~lie .... e this \'oc~1 minority will oppose any change pro'poscd by fhe club as
a matter of ptjndp!c. 11 is not right (h01\ a few vocal opponents should bt abte to block Ihis:
expansion proposal given the cifort and open process sponsored and sllpported by the club
to receive inpUl aIld make responsive changes to 2ccomnlOdate Ihe neighbors, the ARB, the
Ptannin.g. Commission and other imereslN ·pjrtie:s..
The club is an imponam asset !oour neighborhood and to ihe communit)!. Part of the
[(,-Mon we bough I our home in the arca \'las be(J,w;e Ihe. dt!b 'w;;s Ihere.. I am concerned lhat
the club needs. to be impro\,'ed. fO be a modern up·to·dalc operation, !O be competitive and
10 be flnanclaJty heallh),. ;\(t1.~ally. the facility has deh~(ioratl'd somewhat. Tt1e dub is old
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and I.ired and in need of improvement. In recent limes. the dub boud has lried to impro'l-'c
the club but wifhout SU.:.ces5. The improvemcnts being proposed wili help uPErade the
facili!ic5 and image of the club signiIiC.1ntly. If the club is nOI pemlltt':d (0 m~kc
improvements, property values in the area could be sub.stanlially Jffectoo, as well3.S .:he
financi ... 1 stringth of the club.
II j,e: important for you to re-alizc that the clubhouse is set ba.;:k sc"e-fal h~ndftd feet from u,e
neighbors and from the street: I don't fee! that the lmp[Oyt'menlS that are being pmposed to
any way are going to be detrimenlallo the3l1ITOundlor, .a~etics of the neighlx)(hood. rn
ract, I feel the proposed improvements are going to grc.au'!('obaoce the ft"thct.ks or the·
building facades and the landscape ateas in front of !he clubhouse. In lite fin.1 an,I),i,.
enban~ propertY values. Yes, thete is traffic. Yes., the dub hts puties, but we,. as;
neighbors, also have parties, and we ,re.ate tIaffit and we cre.!le noise in the neishOOrhood
and we nave to put up with thaI. That ie; just part of life. So, I w'ould like to s.ay Ihat I
perso1l8!ly~ tog(ther with most of the neigh1x>rs, do support Ihe dt"-sign And e.xp.1mion Ih3t is
before you. I feel the spine is an important pMt of the Chlb rroros~t beC.,:fu.se it will htlp th('
interior of the club, although some -people ha ... ,.::: au.empttd 1(1 minimize il.s imVOlllmce The
club ~s. dark on the inside. Any facitity like this needs an irnp<lJlant .sense of enuy $J,) thai
people feel comfortable and welc-ome when Ihey "'lTi~e The aJchiteoCl has m.)f~ed hard to
lower the heigbt of the spine, in response (0 the input of the ncigbools. the ARB 2nd the
PlllIll1i.ng Commission. 1 think from an aesthcl[C poinl of\"iel''': Ibe proposed fac1!de. fOOr
and spine \\"ill greatly enhanc-e the appearance of Ihe dub and help Lilt r)'o'elall feeling, both
as you approach the club and when you are inside the farilit)'. I sec the Impro"em4!n'l~ a.s:
being rong overdue and significant; from a facility. beautification and !a.nd.scape point or
view. The clubhouse bas ne«led these improvements \'./,'1)' mu(h for a oumber of yean, nol
10 mention the landscape areas which buffer the street and n(ighoors frl)m the .dub pAl king
and buildings.
I would like yOU!O know that my wife and I arc strong supponers of the propos,!!! beforc
you, along with most neighbors. We ask that ~'ou dQ nol give u'nC1o wejght (0 the opposing
vocal minority's input. The club has gone through an open anti e:-;teos;ve pr~ wrlh the
neighbors, the ARB and the Planning Commission. The propos ill before )'01.' is vastly
different from the first proposal and represents a compromise so!ution as a re-.sponse to the
many inputs received from all interested parti~.
Thank you very mucb for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jim Nelson
cc: City Clerk -Palo Alto
City Attorney -Pa I 0 Aha
Palo Aho Planning Department-Jim Gilliland
Palo Allo Hill, Country Club
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