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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20090616 - Agenda Packet - Board of Directors (BOD) - 09-19 10. "M Mid peninsula Regional Open Space District a A Meeting 09-19 SPECIAL MEETING: SECOND PUBLIC HEARING ON THE LA HONDA CREEK OPEN SPACE PRESERVE DRAFT MASTER PLAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT 6:30 p.m. Tuesday,June 16,2009 Hiller Aviation Museum 601 Skyway Road San Carlos, CA 94070 AGENDA The Special Meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. SPECIAL MEETING 6:30* SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA 6:35* BOARD BUSINESS I Welcoming Remarks—N. Hanko 2 La Honda Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee Remarks 3 Purpose of the Public Hearing—S.Abhors 4 Presentation of the Draft Master Plan—A. Ruiz and K. Lenington 5 Meeting Procedures—A.Jatczak 6 Public Comment 7 Board Questions and Comments 8 Motion to Close the Public Hearing ADJOURNMENT Times are estimated and items may appear earlier or later than listed.Agenda is subject to change of order. TOADDRESS THE RoliRD. The Chair will inviti,public comment on agenda items at the time each nein is considered by the Board of Directors. Each speaker will ordinarily be limited to three minutes. Alternately,you may comment to the Board by a written communication,which the Board appreciates. Written comments can me mailed to 330 Distel Circle,Los Altos,CA 94022 or entailed to lahondamasferplan�a.�opensUace.or In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,if you need assistance to participate in this meeting,please contact the District Clerk at(650) 691-1200. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the District to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. Public records provided to a majority of the District's Board of Directors relating to an Agenda Item on the open session of a regular Board meeting will be made available for public inspection at the District's Administrative Office located at 330 Distel Circle, Los Altos,California 94022 during normal business hours. IR Meeting 09-16 Page 2 CERTIFICATIONOF POSTINGOF AGENDA I,Anna Jatczak,Interim District Clerk for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District(MROSD),declare that the foregoing agenda for the June 16, 2009 Special Meeting of the MROSD Board of Directors was posted and available for review on June 9,2009 at the Administrative Offices of MROSD,330 Distel Circle,Los Altos,California,94022. The agenda is also available on the District's web site at http://www.c2pentil)ilce.ora. Signed this 9th day of June 2009,at Los Altos,California. TP Interim District Clerk Date: 06/9/09 Participation is key to a great plan! The Board of Directors will again receive public comment on the La Honda Creek Draft Master Plan at the June 16 Public Hearing in San Carlos and will take no action. A third public hearing for the Board of Directors to receive public comment and consider tentative approval of the Draft Master Plan will be scheduled in July (date, time, and location to be determined). A final hearing for Master Plan adoption/environmental certification will be held later in the summer. To view the Draft Master Plan, please visit www.openspace.org. ' . i44 101 41 Hj 82 F ` bpi • n Str et Parl. 81 n lac ,b 4`` ` t .s h x tm MEETING LOCATION: Hiller Aviation Museum (next to the San Carlos Airport) 601 Skyway Road San Carlos, CA 94070 Midpeninsula Regional • ' Open Space District R-09-85 Meeting 09-19 June 16, 2009 AGENDA ITEM I AGENDA ITEM Second Public Hearing on the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Draft Master Plan AD HOC COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Receive additional comment on the La Honda Creek. Open Space Preserve Draft Master Plan (Draft Master Plan). 2. Schedule a third public hearing at the District's Administrative Office to receive additional public comment, consider Public Access Option 1 and Option 2 and whether to tentatively approve the Draft Master Plan. SUMMARY The La Honda Creek Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee (Committee)recommends that at tonight's meeting the Board receive additional public oral comment regarding the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Draft Master Plan. The Committee also recommends that a third public comment hearing be scheduled in July at the District's Administrative Office to receive additional comments, and for the Board of Directors to consider Public Access Option 1 and Option 2 and whether to tentatively approve the Draft Master Plan. DISCUSSION Since June 2004, with assistance from the consulting firm Design, Community and Environment (DC&E) and guidance from the La Honda Creek Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee, staff has been preparing a Draft Master Plan for La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve (Preserve). During this comprehensive planning process, the majority of the Preserve has remained closed to public access. The Master Plan will ensure responsible stewardship of the Preserve by describing actions the District will take to protect natural and cultural resources, expand conservation grazing, and provide public environmental education and ecologically-sensitive recreation. R-09-85 Page 2 The first phase of the project focused on data collection and review, with subsequent phases utilizing that data to identify, analyze and solidify recommendations for resource management, conservation grazing and public access. The following table lists the major project milestones and the final tasks that remain: Master Plan Milestones Workshop#1 - Existing Conditions November 3, 2004 Public land tour of upper La Honda Creek November 20, 2004 Initial stakeholder phone interviews November—December 2004 Workshop#2 - Issues and Opportunities December 6, 2004 Driscoll Ranch purchase October 2005 —December 2006 Public land tours of Driscoll Ranch October 13 and 14, 2006 Additional stakeholder phone interviews November 2006 Workshop #3 - Driscoll Ranch Addition November 16, 2006 Stakeholder focus group meetings November 2006— February 2007 Preliminary Draft Plan recommendations March—December 2007 Existing Conditions Report revision July— September 2007 Open House December 4, 2007 Draft Plan document preparation January—October 2008 Final Draft Plan completed December 2008 — March 2009 Draft Plan released for Board and Public Review April 13, 2009 I"Public Hearing: Receive Initial Public Comment May 19, 2009 —► 2°`� Public Hearing: Receive Additional Comments June 16, 2009 3`d Public Hearing: Tentative Master Plan Approval July 2009 Mitigated Negative Declaration (CEQA doc) circulated August—September 2009 4`}'Public Hearing: Master Plan Final Approval October 2009 The District has encouraged active public participation throughout the planning process, soliciting input from agencies, environmental organizations, local neighbors, and potential trail users at workshops, through hone interviews and in focus group meetings. The majority of p , g p g p g J Y comments have centered on public access and trail use, particularly bicycle and dog access. These comments were discussed at length by the Ad Hoc Committee, who called for a second review of the preliminary trail use recommendations for the Preserve to determine whether additional trail use options could be considered that would not impact natural resources or conflict with existing and future grazing operations. In response to comments from the public and suggestions from the Ad Hoc Committee, staff prepared a second set of alternative recommendations with additional bicycle and dog access opportunities in the Draft Master Plan for consideration by the full Board of Directors. However, the introduction of bicycle use or dog use as described in either alternative will require formal approval from the resource agencies due to potential impacts to the San Francisco garter snake (SFGS), which is a fully protected species that may be present at the Preserve. To date, SFGS has not been observed either during fieldwork or as part of wildlife surveys, however, suitable habitat and the preferred prey (California red-legged frog) do exist in the Preserve. Additionally, in 1987, one SFGS was recorded less than a mile away from the Preserve boundary. R-09-85 Page 3 Numerous public comments on the Draft Master Plan were received during and following the first public hearing held in May. A summary of the questions raised by the public and responses prepared by staff are provided in Attachment A. At the June 16 second public hearing, staffwill provide a brief presentation on the Draft Master Plan and focus on key topics, including public access. FISCAL IMPACT Consideration of public comment on the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Draft Master Plan will not result in any direct or immediate fiscal impacts. Implementation of a Board- approved Master Plan will require District resources and funding. Estimated implementation costs for each Master Plan action and long-term operational costs are included in the Draft Master Plan that is currently under Board and public review. The District will be required to seek additional funding sources to implement the majority of the Master Plan projects. PUBLIC NOTICE Public notice was provided as required by the Brown Act. Interested parties and adjacent neighbors who are on the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Master Plan mailing list were also notified of this item. CEQA COMPLIANCE This public hearing to receive public comment will not result in Board action and does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Future action taken by the Board to adopt the Master Plan will be subject to CEQA review at that time. NEXT STEPS If the Board accepts the Committee's recommendations, the Board will consider tentative adoption of the Draft Master Plan, including the preferred public access option, at a third public hearing tentatively scheduled in July 2009. The actual date, time and location will be determined at a later date. Following tentative approval, staff would complete the environmental review document, which would then be released for Board and public review. Following this review period, a final public hearing would occur for the Board to consider final approval of the Master Plan and certification of the environmental review document. Attachment: Exhibit A: La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Draft Master Plan Questions & Answers Prepared by: Ana Ruiz, AICP, Planning Manager and Project Manager Contact person: Larry Hassett, Chair, La Honda Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee i Regional OpenSpace Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Exhibit A: La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Draft Master Plan Questions & Answers June 16 2009 Note; The District's Board of Directors is holding a series of public hearings to receive public input regarding the Draft La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Master Plan. No decision to approve any component of the Draft Master Plan has been made. A final decision on such issues as recreational uses, trail locations, staging areas, and other Plan components will be made by the Board of Directors after completion of the environmental review. These Questions and Answers have been prepared by District staff in response to public comments received to date and solely reflect staffs initial assessment of these issues. District staff hopes that the public will find these Questions and Answers helpful as the District planning process continues to eventual final Board decision-making. RECREATIONAL USE AND FACILITIES Q: Is it possible to construct all of the proposed new trails at one time under one contract? The District recognizes the strong interest of some of its constituents to open as many of the new proposed trails in the Preserve as early as possible. However, the District must balance the goal of providing greater public access with other critical goals for the Preserve, including protection of sensitive habitat, watershed quality, wildlife, cultural resources, and the expansion of conservation grazing. Costs to complete all Draft Master Plan projects over a 30 year period are estimated to be between $8.1 and $10.3 Million (in 2007 dollars). With such a high total estimated expense and given other priority projects located at the District's 25 other open space preserves, projects would need to be prioritized and implementation phased over a 30 year horizon. Moreover, it is the District's experience that large trail projects individually span a 3-5 year schedule to allow sufficient time for design, development of construction plans, environmental review, permitting, securing of grants, bidding, and construction. Q: Why not construct the Ridge Trail alignment during Phase I? The alignment that requires immediate attention from the District is the Driscoll Ranch main access road since it is currently in use by the grazing tenant and serves as the access road for four ranch residences. Numerous high and moderate priority road treatments have been identified for this 5.6- mile section of ranch road to reduce potential sediment delivery to a watershed that supports fisheries. Given the District's experience with road work and the need for multiple permits, these high and moderate-priority road treatments are expected to require 3-5 years to complete. Given limited resources, we do not expect the capacity to begin pursuing additional trail work until Phase II, which is when we plan to focus on the proposed Ridge Trail. Q: If a multiple-use regional trail were made available to the coast,would the District consider opening the entire Driscoll Ranch main access road to multiple-use? The Master Plan has been developed based on a number of assumptions about the future, including recreational trends, and both environmental and financial conditions. The master plan is designed to be flexible so that future conditions can be addressed as they arise. With this in mind, the District expects to review the master plan in 10 to 15 years to determine if its goals are being implemented successfully and if changes are needed. Should a new multiple-use regional trail out to the coast be made available in the future, the District would have the opportunity to consider amending the trail use decisions for this road as part of the future periodic review of the Master Plan. Q: What remains to be done to dedicate a regional trail out to the coast that would connect to La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve? Multiple private parcels lie between La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve and the coastline. The nearest public open space land in this direction is San Gregorio State Beach—located approximately 5.3 miles from the Preserve. Members of the public would be required to travel along the lower stretch of Highway 84 in order to reach this State Bea ch and the coastline. g Y Since no alternative trails exist in this area, bicyclists who are motivated to reach the coastline would have no option but to travel along the narrow shoulders of Highway 84. It is worth noting that this lower stretch of Highway 84 is much less steep, with softer curves and greater lines of sight as compared to the upper stretch. Q: How does the District envision making the connection between La Honda Creek and El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserves? The District aims to continue working with surrounding neighbors and property owners in the Bear Gulch area to secure trail easements and/or purchase properties to establish a trail connection between the two Preserves. Bear Gulch Road itself is not considered a suitable trail corridor since this road is too narrow and winding, with limited line of sight, steep side slopes, and no roadside shoulders to allow trail users to safely step off the road when necessary. Therefore, a dedicated trail that connects the two properties is needed. Q: Would the District consider making the Sears Ranch Road parking area accessible to horse trailers? The Sears Ranch Road parking area will be designed to encroach as little as possible into one of the more productive pastures in the entire ranch area. For this reason, the proposed parking area is notably small (10-20 vehicles). No horse trailers are proposed to keep the footprint as small as possible (horse trailers require a much larger parking space and sufficient space for turnarounds). Instead, the Draft Master Plan identifies two other parking areas that can accommodate 3-6 horse trailers each. One will be located adjacent to the Red Barn and the second.near the Driscoll Ranch West Gate. Q: Is the Draft Master Plan consistent with the Allen Road access agreement between the District and Allen Road neighbors? Yes. The access agreement requires visitors who drive into the Preserve via the Allen Road to first secure a permit; this agreement limits access to no more than 20 vehicles each day. Also, no hiking or riding is allowed on Allen Road to reach the Preserve, visitors are instead required to drive in and park at the permitted parking area. In accordance with this agreement, the Draft Master Plan continues to limit vehicles access by visitors to no more than 10 cars each day via a permitted system that is administered by the District. As is currently the case, visitors who receive the permit will be given the combination to open the locked gate at the end of Allen Road to obtain access to the permit parking area. It is worth noting that bicycles are not allowed on the trails that connect to the Allen Road entrance. The only proposed change in trail use in this area is the introduction of dogs on leash following the reintroduction of grazing in these upper grassland areas. Q: Why not allow bicycle access along the entire Driscoll Ranch main access road? Why not open more single-track trails, additional loops, access to Ray's Peak and a greater variety of trails to bicycles? The District must carefully balance the needs of all its user groups. In 2000, long before this master plan, the Board of Directors amended this preserve's Use and Management Plan, calling for the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve to be one of seven reserved for hiking and equestrian use to provide some areas on. District land where potential use conflicts could be avoided. The amendment also changed the District's approach to trail use designations, moving away from a trail by trail review to looking at larger areas and preserves as a whole, allowing for better visitor understanding, compliance and simplified enforcement. With this in mind, staff does not recommend extending bicycle use onto the remainder of the Driscoll Ranch main access road given that hiking/equestrian loop trails intersect the main access road in this area. The trail to Ray's Peak will be a short, narrow, up and back trail. Given the steep topography and the one-way nature of the trail, mountain bicycling is not recommended to avoid user conflicts on downhill, narrow trails. The master planning process for La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve provided an opportunity to reconsider how the Use and Management Plan amendment is applied,particularly related to bicycle use. The Board of Directors is currently considering two public use options that reflect the intent of prior use and management decisions while still providing for bicycle access. Q: How will the District address the needs of bicyclists living in the Allen Road/Skylonda area? Residents from the Allen Road, Skylonda, and surroundings neighborhoods will continue to have access to the more than 35 miles of multi-use trails at El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve, located less than two miles from these residential areas. Q: Would the District consider alternate days or weekday access for bicycles? Would the District consider uphill only access for bicycles? The District has not had success with similar limited use techniques in the past (walk only and one- way travel zones) and feels strongly that opening trails to specific uses on alternate days is difficult for users to be informed about and remember and for patrol staff to enforce. The District aims to simplify trail use rules. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Q: How does cattle grazing benefit the land? The settlement of the western United States brought dramatic change to California grasslands, primarily as a result of tilling for agriculture, reduction of native grazing animals, and introduction of cattle. The introduction of non-native plants and animals, coupled with the suppression of fire resulted in native grasslands being virtually replaced by non-native plants, which tend to dominate and replace existing native grasses and wildflowers. The District carefully manages a sustainable grazing program for the health of the grassland, while protecting sensitive areas including riparian corridors, stream and creeks. Cattle grazing helps remove a portion of the plant material produced each year by grasslands. By consuming plant material, cattle create openings in the soil beneficial to plants that thrive with greater amounts of sunlight. Plants that benefit from grazing include many types of wildflowers and native California grasses. The health of these plants is affected by the frequency and intensity of the grazing. Although not all native plants favor grazing, the overall diversity and productivity of California annual grasslands is higher in properly grazed environments. Q: How is the Master Plan addressing setbacks/buffers for wetlands and riparian corridors? Appendix G of the Draft Master Plan establishes the Design Guidelines for Trails and Public Access Facilities, which are consistent with the Coastside Protection Area Service Plan. Setbacks from wetlands are 50 feet for trails, and 150 feet from streams for equestrian trails. Additional restrictions are required where "any trail alignment might affect sensitive biological resources", in these cases, "the District will consult with the appropriate Resource Agencies." An example of this trail design guideline in practice is the current evaluation of a connector trail from Driscoll Ranch to the Red Barn area. Because of concerns regarding potential impacts to sensitive species from this trail alignment and the possibility of designating this trail for multiple- use (includes bicycles),the District is consulting with biologists and the US Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game regarding this proposed trail prior to opening this trail alignment to public use. MASTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION Q g: What is the length of time required to address high priority road and trail treatments? Of the 144 sites inventoried as part of a road and trail assessment for the Preserve, 21 have been identified as a high treatment priority. The high priority sites on existing roads will be addressed before the road is made open for public use. Road and trail treatments will therefore be implemented in conjunction with the phased trail system enhancements. The high priority road and trail treatments on the Driscoll Ranch Main Access Road are scheduled for implementation during Phase I (years 0-5). The high priority treatments on the Vista Point Loop Trail, La Honda Creek Loop Trail, and Interior Loop Trail located north of the Red Barn Area are scheduled for implementation mentation during Phase se II (Years 5- 10 . Finally, high priority treatments on the Redwood Cabin Loop Trail are scheduled for implementation during Phase III (years 10-20). The expected duration of each treatment project is three to five years. Q: What does the Coastside Protection Area Service Plan state with regards to committing services, funds, and staff resources on Coastside properties? The Service Plan includes two guidelines and two implementation items that address how the District can ensure that its activities within the Coastside Protection Area will not compromise existing services and that sufficient funding will exist before the District takes on any new responsibilities. Guideline G.1: The District shall only acquire lands or enter into management agreements with other public or non-profit entities where such agreement would not result in any negative significant impact to existing services. Implementation Action G.I.A(i): Following annexation, the District will work cooperatively with its constituents to develop appropriate District funding measures to augment existing funding sources for land acquisition and management within the Coastal Annexation Area. Guideline G.2: Prior to making any lands available to public access for low-intensity recreation in the Coastal Annexation Area, the District shall have personnel and equipment available to manage public access such that: there would be no significant negative impact on existing services; and adequate stewardship to protect natural and agricultural resources will be provided by qualified and experienced personnel. Implementation Action G.2.A(i): The District shall conduct a site assessment prior to entering into any acquisition and/or management agreements to assure that the District shall not undertake any project without sufficient resources to sustain that project. Q: How has the District prioritized projects? Why are public access projects (opening Phase I trails) ranked higher than identifying wildlife corridors? How are road and trail treatments prioritized as compared to opening roads and trails to public access? Although corridor identification and protection is identified as a low priority within the Draft Master Plan, the District has taken significant actions to protect the most sensitive habitats and wildlife corridors on the property through the creation of the Conservation Management Unit (CMU) within the northwestern corner of the former Driscoll Ranch area of the Preserve. This action precludes public access, protecting these sensitive habitats from any potential impacts from public use facilities. In addition to the corridors connecting the ponds within this CMU, which are protected, the other important corridors are those that connect the Preserve and wildlife to surrounding lands and nearby habitats. These connections need to be studied and evaluated for their conservation priority within the San Gregorio Creek Watershed and larger Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregion to inform future land conservation efforts in this region. The opening of roads and trails to introduce public access in new areas of the Preserve is a priority for the District, consistent with the District's mission to "provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education". Existing road alignments that will be converted to trail use have already been evaluated for potential sediment delivery and those sites with the highest erosion potential are identified as high priority treatment sites. Each new alignment will be opened to public use only after the implementation of priority erosion treatments. These treatments intend to minimize or prevent future erosion and upgrade existing alignments to acceptable District trail standards to appropriately accommodate the level of trail use expected.