Landscaping Issues - 1999 orandenburg
edler &
ore
333 W. Santa Clara Street, Suite 1212 * San Jose, California 95113 · 408 / 279-5200 * FAX 408 / 279-3678
March 9, 1999
Ms. Barbara Schoetz Ryan
Planner 1
City of Campbell
Community Development Department
70 North First Street
Campbell, CA 95008
RECE ¥ED
BAR 1 0 1999
CITY OF CAMPBELL
pLANNING DEPT.
Dear Barbara:
The following summarizes the discussions that David Babby and William Friedman of
Corporate and Commercial Services and I had with you yesterday pertaining to trees at
our Timber Cove Mobilehome Community:
1)
Two Story Mobilehome: We presented to you a proposal to plant three
cedar trees in the space behind the mobilehome. You indicated that you
would like to have some other alternatives to consider. We will present
them to you at our next meeting.
2)
Trees Along Los Gatos Creek Path: We discussed the fact that certain
trees that were included in the original park landscape plan are missing.
Since this property is under the jurisdiction of the Santa Clara Valley
District, you indicated that you would discuss with representatives of the
District and the Campbell City Arborist the types of trees that would be
acceptable for planting in this area. In addition, I agreed to research
whether or not an irrigation system was installed by the owners of the park
when it was built.
3)
Street Trees Within The Park: We presented a plan for replacing street
trees that had been removed. Consideration of this plan has been postponed
pending a resolution of the above.
Ms. Barbara Schoetz Ryan
March 9, 1999
Page 2
4) Hillside Trees: We recommended not planting additional trees on the
hillside due to its topography.
I believe that the above summarizes our discussions. Please call me and let me know
when you would like to get together with us again.
Sincerely,
BRANDENBURG, STAEDLER & MOORE
armer
CC.'
David Babby
William Friedman
Corporate and Commercial Services
2000 Oakland Road
San Jose, CA 95131
/ks
CITY OF CAMPBELL
Community Development Department
January 25, 1999
Jeff Moore
Managing Partner
Brandenburg, Staedler & Moore
333 W. Santa Clara Street
Suite 1212
San Jose, CA 95113
Dear Jeff,
We have received your letter of January 22, 1999, regarding our meeting to discuss landscaping
at Timber Cove Mobilehome Community. In that meeting we discussed three items:
1. The screening of the two-story mobile home.
2. The replacement plan for the trees lining the streets.
3. The replacement plan for the diseased Monterey Pines located at the entry and near the
clubhouse.
Screening the two-story mobile home.
You stated there is only 3 feet behind the new two-story for landscaping, and requested whether
the screen planting could be accomplished on the other side of the fence, on Santa Clara Valley
Water District property, within the Los Gatos Creek Park. You offered to plant screening trees
on the Water District side for a greater distance than just at the two-story unit in order to blend
the area in.
If the planting of trees to screen your units is to be located on adjacent property, it should be
your responsibility to provide water and maintenance for them.
Today, I walked the trail behind the unit and examined both our aerials and the landscape plan
which was part of the original approval. Both the aerial and site visit indicate there to be 3 feet
behind the newer single story units, but considerably more room behind the two-story.
The landscape plan indicates trees along the entire perimeter of the Timber Cove property, two
per each unit site, trees along the interior roadways at one per site, and trees on the rear property
lines of the units facing the cul-de-sacs. An examination of the aerials and the site visit
indicates the large majority of these trees are missing.
70 North First Street · Campbell, California 95OO8.1423 · TEL 408.866.2130 · FaX 408.866.8381 - TDD 408.866.2790
Page 2- Trees at Timber Cove
It also appears that those trees on the creek side of Timber Cove, which remain, are planted on
the Water District property. Do you have any information in your files to indicate whether the
original planting was carried out on the other side of the fence, and what the terms of that
planting was?
The varieties of perimeter trees indicated on the approved landscape plan are all tall, with
heights of 30'/40' for the tree form of a privet, 50'/60' for the silk oaks, and 80'/100' for the
Monterey Pines. The total number of trees along the Los Gatos Creek property line are 120:63
Monterey Pines, 43 Silk Oaks, and 14 Tree privets. It does not appear there are any where near
this number today, with numerous treeless gaps where none were shown on the plan.
Changes to approved unit plans
The Approved Site Plan for Timber Cove indicates 94 single-wide units of the 147 shown. The
single-wide sites are 36 feet in width, whereas the sites indicated for double-wide are 37' to 48
feet wide. It appears the majority of the single-wide sites have had the single-wide units
replaced by double-wide units. The new two-story unit appears to have been placed on a site
designated for a single-wide. It also appears that a large number of the units have expanded their
covered, concrete patios quite beyond the 24 foot length shown on the approved plans.
All these changes have resulted in loss of landscape area and trees.
Conclusion
We understand your desire to allow the more popular double-wide units, and freedom to add to
patios. However, the City approval was for a plan with considerably more landscape area and
trees. The location of Timber Cove Mobilehome Community is next door to one of the most
popular and visited regional parks in the County. Also, State Route 17 is the City's highest
volume thoroughfare. Considering the number of persons who view the City's boundaries as
being that of the boundary of Timber Cove, the image of the City is dependent upon the
maintenance of the approved landscaping in the Timber Cove Mobilehome Community.
We will contact the Santa Clara Valley Water District regarding the planting of trees on the
Water District's side of the fence. In consideration of the facts stated above, we would expect
your tree screen plan to include the length of the Creekside boundary.
The future plans to be submitted for the roadway trees and recreation area should compensate
for the additional building coverage, and loss of approved trees which have occurred.
I will be away from the office from January 26~ through February 7~. Should you wish to
discuss these matters in the meantime, please call Sharon Fierro, Senior Planner, at 866-2141.
Sincerely,
/Barbara Schoetz R~,arg' AICP
/ Planner I