Portola Valley Weekly Update November 17, 2022

This week's update:

• Architectural and Site Control Commissioners and Planning Commissioners Needed
• Field Renovations and Temporary Closures
• Pre-Thanksgiving Farmers Market Wednesday, Nov 23
• Upcoming Housing Element-Related Meetings
• Sheriff’s Contract Update – Share Your Thoughts
• Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip -Building Code and Decking Material Changes
• Draft Safety Element Available for Review
• Hawthorns Area Plan Visitor Survey
• 3 Chances Left this Year. Rain Barrels While Supplies Last!

Architectural and Site Control Commissioners and Planning Commissioners Needed

The Portola Valley Town Council is seeking two volunteers to serve on the Town's Architectural and Site Control Commission (ASCC) and two volunteers to serve on the Town's Planning Commission. Terms on each commission expire in December 2023 and in December 2024.

The ASCC consists of five members appointed by the Town Council, and meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. The ASCC is charged with the review and approval of design review applications and site development permits, including applications for new homes, second units, larger additions, second-story additions, and commercial buildings. In addition, the ASCC provides comments on conditional use permits, subdivisions, variances, and other matters referred by the Town Council, the Planning Commission, or Town Staff.

The Planning Commission consists of five members appointed by the Town Council, and meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. The Planning Commission is responsible for addressing policy matters related to general land use and development in Town. The Commission provides recommendations to the Town Council on legislative actions such as amendments to the Zoning Code and the General Plan. In addition, the Commission reviews and acts on certain types of applications, such as conditional use permits, subdivisions, and variances, as well as reviewing appeals of ASCC and administrative staff decisions.

To apply, please submit a letter of interest to the Town Council to towncenter@portolavalley.net by 5:00 pm on Monday, December 19, 2022. The Town Council will conduct interviews at a scheduled meeting on January 4, 2023 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. This time is subject to change, dependent on the number of interviews to be conducted. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact the Town Clerk, Melissa Thurman at towncenter@portolavalley.net.

Field Renovations and Temporary Closures

The Town is beginning the annual renovations of our playing fields. The fields will be closed on the following dates:

• Town Center Softball Field and Performance Lawn: November 14 until December 23 (Weather Dependent)
• Ford Field: November 21 until late February (Weather Dependent)
• Russ Miller/Rossotti: November 28 until late February (Weather Dependent)

The closure will remain in place throughout the winter.

These closures are for scheduled field turf maintenance. This includes leveling out worn areas and seeding the entire field. Signs will be posted at each field.

Pre-Thanksgiving Farmers Market Wednesday, Nov 23

The farmers market will be holding a special market on Wednesday, November 23rd. Come by to get your last-minute Thanksgiving supplies. The market will be open from 2 – 5 PM

Upcoming Housing Element-Related Meetings

The tentative public meeting schedule related to the Housing Element is as follows:

• November 30 – Planning Commission reviews materials related to the Housing Element Update
• December 7 - Planning Commission reviews materials related to the Housing Element Update
• December 13 – Planning Commission reviews all materials and makes a formal recommendation to Town Council
• January 2023 – Town Council review of Housing Element and all associated materials

To stay up to date on the process, please sign up for Town eNotices and choose Housing (calendar) and Housing News.

Useful Links

• Town's Housing Element Update webpage
• Town's Ad Hoc Housing Element Committee's webpage

Sheriff’s Contract Update – Share Your Thoughts

What are your public safety concerns? How would you like to see public safety enhanced in Portola Valley? What public safety efforts in Portola Valley are working well?

The 5-year public safety agreement between the Town of Portola Valley and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office expires in June 2023. The Town needs input from Portola Valley community members as it enters into discussions with the Sheriff’s Office about a new public safety contract.

There are several opportunities for you to provide input on your feelings about public safety. This input will be used to inform discussions about a new contract:

Learn how you can participate in the process

Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip - Building Code and Decking Material Changes

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.

Draft Safety Element Available for Review

The Public Review Draft of the Safety Element is available for review and public comment. The Town’s technical team, including staff and consultants, have developed this draft based on the content of the existing Safety Element, State law, guidance from the State and regional agencies, and best practices. This draft was guided by preliminary comments received from the Sustainability Committee, Geologic Safety Committee, and Emergency Preparedness Committee on early memos prepared by the technical team.

Town Committee Review of Draft Safety Element

View the recording of the October 26 Joint Committee meeting with the Wildfire Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness, Sustainability, and Geologic Safety Committees. The technical team presented the Draft Safety Element at the meeting. These committees will have opportunities to further discuss the Draft Safety Element at their individual committee meetings.

Opportunities to Provide Input on the Draft Safety Element

There are several opportunities for members of the public to provide input on the draft Safety Element:

Submit written comments

• Submit electronic comments using the form on the Town’s website at www.portolavalley.net/safetyelement.
• E-mail comments to safetyelement@portolavalley.net

Provide input at public meetings.

• TBD Emergency Preparedness Committee meeting
• TBD Geologic Safety Committee meeting
• TBD Sustainability Committee meeting
• TBD Wildfire Preparedness Committee meeting

Members of the public are encouraged to engage in these committee meetings and provide feedback at any stage in the process. Comments on the Draft Safety Element are requested by January 13, 2023.

In addition to the committee meetings, the Planning Commission and Town Council will review the Draft Safety Element. These meetings will provide additional opportunities for community members to provide input on the Draft Safety Element. Dates for these meetings will be added to the Safety Element webpage when available.

To receive updates on meetings and other Safety Element matters, you may sign up for eNotifications on the Town’s website by going to the “Community” page, navigating to “Stay Informed,” then “Subscribe to Town eNotices” and selecting Safety Element. You may directly access the “Subscribe to Town eNotices" page here.

Hawthorns Area Plan Visitor Survey

Midpen wants to hear from you!

The Hawthorns Area is a 79-acre property located in the Town of Portola Valley, across from Roberts Market. It is part of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve but is currently closed to the public. Midpen is working on opening it to public access through the Hawthorns Area Plan planning process. As part of this effort, Midpen is looking to better understand the existing traffic conditions around the project area, visitor preferences, and alternative transportation options. Your answers to the survey questions will help inform their planning efforts.

Please help them by taking this quick 10-minute online survey.

For more information about the Hawthorns Area Plan project, visit their website at: openspace.org/hawthorns.

3 Chances Left this Year. Rain Barrels While Supplies Last!

There are 3 pickup dates left to get a discounted rain barrel Saturday, November 19th in Millbrae, Saturday, December 3rd in Redwood City, and Saturday, December 10th in San Mateo

Purchase yours before supplies run out!

With the Countywide Rain Barrel Program, San Mateo County residents, property owners, and property managers can purchase up to two high-quality, 50-gallon rain barrels for $80 each plus tax. This is a significant discount from the barrel's $145 retail value.