Portola Valley Weekly Update March 2, 2023

This week's update:

• Latest Draft of Housing Element Now Available!
• Save the Date - Community Gathering with the Sheriff's Office
• Alpine Inn Proposes an Addition and Remodel to Update and Improve Onsite Kitchen Facilitates
• Emergency Preparedness Groups in our Community
• Postponed - Annual Portola Valley Town Broom Pull
• Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip- Ignition Resistant Decking
• Sustainability Committee Tip - Induction Cooktop Loaner at PV Library
• What’s Blooming Now? Currants and Gooseberries
• Peninsula Photo Contest
• Storm Recovery from the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience
• Upcoming Events

Latest Draft of Housing Element Now Available!

Housing Element Draft #3 is now available for review and comment. This draft reflects changes requested by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in response to their comment letter issued on November 9, 2022, as well as changes recommended by the Planning Commission and Ad Hoc Housing Element Committee.

Changes are shown in track changes so that reviewers can easily follow what has changed. The most important changes have been made to Sections 6 and 7. Please note that this is an iterative process. There are some sections of the Housing Element that will be updated as the Town moves through the next few public meetings. There may be typos and things that need to be corrected. This is to be expected with such a large undertaking.

Next Steps

Upcoming meetings on the Housing Element include the following:

• Monday, March 6 - Planning Commission final review of Housing Element and Conforming General Plan Amendments
• Wednesday, March 15 – Town Council study session
• Wednesday, March 22 – Town Council with consideration of adoption of Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND)
• Wednesday, March 29 – Town Council with consideration of adoption of the Housing Element and Conforming General Plan Amendments

After Town Council review, staff will update the Draft Housing Element based on the comments received and submit it to HCD for their review.

Public Comments

Residents are encouraged to submit comments for the Planning Commission and Town Council to consider. You may submit comments three ways:

1. In person – please visit Town Hall during normal business hours; Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM. Town Hall is located at 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028

2. By mail – please include “Draft Housing Element Comments” in the address line of the envelope. Mail to Town Hall (see address above)

3. Electronically – please email housing@portolavalley.net

If attaching documents, please ensure all attachments are in PDF. You may consider dropping off larger documents to Town Hall if file size is an issue for email.

To stay up to date on the process, sign up for eNotices and select “Housing News”.

Extensive additional information on the Housing Element Update is at www.portolavalley.net/housingelement.

Save the Date - Community Gathering with the Sheriff's Office

Thursday, March 23, 5:30-7 PM

The community is invited to an event with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s to meet members of the local public safety team and hear about how you can keep your home safer from burglaries. Time will be available for questions and conversation.

Alpine Inn Proposes an Addition and Remodel to Update and Improve Onsite Kitchen Facilitates

Portola Valley Residents, Deke and Lori Hunter, have submitted an application to the Town of Portola Valley for an addition/remodel of the Alpine Inn, located at 3915 Alpine Road. The project proposes to modify and adapt the square footage of the existing facilities to allow continued operations to be upgraded to meet current codes and health standards. The project involves the removal of the 450 SF lean-to portion of the building and the 153 SF outdoor bar on the west/ garden side of the building, to be replaced with an approximate 1158 SF. kitchen. The addition/ remodel is proposed to be in compliance with the existing Conditional Use Permit for the Alpine Inn.

The Town is beginning its public meeting process for this project, which will include review by the ASCC on March 13, 2022. Project plans and details can be found on the Town’s website: https://www.portolavalley.net/departments/planning-building-department/development-projects

Emergency Preparedness Groups in our Community

Did you know that Woodside Fire Protection District that had 3 community programs that work on Emergency Preparedness? WPV-Ready, WPV-CERT, EPiC work on preparedness, education and engagement to help our communities in times of need.

Read their latest news item about what they did to help during the winter storms. You can learn more about this dedicated group of residents from around the fire district – Woodside, Portola Valley, Emerald Hills, Ladera, Los Trancos Woods, Skyline, and Vista Verde – who have been trained to safely help others.

Postponed Annual Portola Valley Town Broom Pull

The Portola Valley Conservation Committee's Annual Broom Pull has been postponed due to weather. The new date is March 26th.

Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip - Ignition Resistant Decking

The Wildfire Preparedness Committee has created a series of tips to help the community prepare for wildfire season. You can see the current tip and download any past tips on the website.

Sustainability Committee Tip - Induction Cooktop Loaner at PV Library

The Sustainability Committee provides a series of tips to help plan your personal and household sustainability goals. Go to the Sustainability Tip page for current and past tips. This tip provides information about induction cooktops for your home.

What’s Blooming Now?

Currants and Gooseberries - Ribes spp.

Early spring blooming shrubs are such a treat, and among the best of these are the currants and gooseberries, both members of the genus Ribes. There are about 150 species, many of which have been cultivated and do well in the home landscape. Many of these, such as Ribes menziesii, aureum and malvaceum, (shown aboveare native to our specific area and can be found in local parks and the Town Center Native Plant garden.

Drought-tolerant and hardy, these shrubs range in size from 4-5 feet in height to up to 15 feet. There are Ribes that do well in sandy or clay soil, full sun to half shade. Their beautiful foliage, fall berries and winter blooms make these truly multi-season shrubs that can replace any traditional landscaping plant.

Most currants and gooseberries are deciduous and some lose their leaves in the summer, so be sure to choose one that will be leafed out in the season that you want it to be, and beware of thorns – some are quite well-armed.

Check with your local nursery for help finding the appropriate variety for your specific needs.

Did you know?

• Gooseberries have thorns and currants do not
• The Ribena blackcurrant cordial is named after the genus
• The berries are edible – some are good but others are best left for the wildlife.
• These currants are not the type used in cooking (Zante currants are a type of grape)

The wildlife value of these plants is very high

• The nectar feeds many insects and pollinators
• The berries provide food for many native insects, birds and mammals
• The shrub itself provides cover and protection

Peninsula Photo Contest

The Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Art Center are pleased to announce the 2023 The Six Fifty Peninsula Photo Contest, open to all individuals who live, work or attend school in any city within the 6-5-0 area code.

Individuals can submit photos in the following categories: Abstract, Landscapes, Moments, Portraits, Travel and Wildlife.

Winning photos and those selected for exhibition will be displayed at the Palo Alto Art Center. A reception for the winners will be held online, and all winners and finalists can see their work displayed at a Palo Alto Art Center exhibition from June 11 to August 20, 2023. Winning images will also appear on Palo Alto Online and its social media accounts and on TheSixFifty.com, as well as the Palo Alto Art Center’s publications, website, social media and promotions. A selection of winning photos will also be published in the Palo Alto Weekly.

Entry deadline is Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Learn more here https://peninsulacontest2023.artcall.org/

Storm Recovery from Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience

The first step in the federal process is to register with FEMA. The SBA deadline is always the same as FEMA’s deadline, in this case March 7, 2022.

We encourage people to complete the SBA application even if they are not sure if they need it yet. If approved the loan becomes an option.

If a homeowners or renters is declined, most are eligible to be referred to FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance Program.

Individuals and Families Start by getting information here.

Homeowners: up to $200,000 to repair or replace real estate damage and up to $40,000 to replace personal property.

Renters: up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property.

Businesses Read the Small Business Fact Sheet here and the What You Need To Know Fact Sheet here.

Property Damage: up to $2,000,000 to repair or replace real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other assets that were damaged or destroyed (available to businesses of any size and private, non-profit organizations).

Economic Injury: only for small businesses and most private non-profit organizations suffering adverse financial impacts of the disaster (with or without property loss), up to $2,000,000 for working capital to help pay obligations until normal operations resume.

Interest rates can be as low as 3.305 percent for businesses, 2.375 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 2.313 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, survivors must first contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.disasterassistance.gov.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information including details on the location of disaster recovery centers and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155