The purposes of this article are to insure that provision is made for public pathways to provide pedestrian, equestrian, and bicycle access for Town residents; to implement the Master Pathway Plan of the General Plan of the Town of Los Altos Hills; and to prevent damage to the Town's pathways from activities that occur on private property.
(§ 15, Ord. 299, eff. December 11, 1985)
(a) 
Each property shall have direct access to a pathway or indirect access via a vehicular right-of-way.
(b) 
Undeveloped properties along designated pathways and bicycle routes may be required to dedicate an easement for the extension of the pathway as a condition of site development approval.
(c) 
Pathways shall be sited and improved in a manner that creates minimal disturbance to the natural environment.
(d) 
Equestrian and pedestrian paths should generally be separated from roadways.
(e) 
Pathways shall be of sufficient width to provide a safe corridor for travel and pathway maintenance.
(f) 
Except for designated regional trails and bikeways, paths shall be designed primarily for local use by Town residents.
(g) 
Intersections of paths and vehicular rights-of-way shall be kept clear of vegetation which might obscure the view of users.
(h) 
Pathways shall be designed and maintained to prevent erosion, to prevent injury from landslides or other soil movements, and to assure proper drainage of the path.
(i) 
Slopes in excess of 15% adjacent to a pathway shall contain soil retentive landscaping, rockery, netting, or other devices approved by the City Engineer to reduce potential damage to the path or injury to users of the path from landslide, soil creep, or erosion.
(j) 
Pathways shall be designed and maintained to minimize their impact on adjacent properties.
(§ 15, Ord. 299, eff. December 11, 1985)
Construction activities and tilling undertaken near a pathway shall create minimal disturbance to the pathway. Appropriate measures shall be undertaken to assure that landslides or soil movement do not occur on pathways. Temporary drainage facilities or plantings may be required by the City Engineer during construction to insure that pathways are not eroded or damaged from stormwater runoff. Any damage to a pathway resulting from private activities shall be repaired by the responsible party at their expense. In the event damage creates an irreparable break in the pathway, the responsible party may be required by the Town to provide or acquire an alternate easement for the pathway.
(§ 15, Ord. 299, eff. December 11, 1985)
Drainage facilities on private properties adjoining pathways shall be designed and maintained so that stormwater runoff from those properties does not drain onto the pathways.
(§ 15, Ord. 299, eff. December 11, 1985)
The surfacing or resurfacing of a driveway at its intersection with a path shall be accomplished with material and methods acceptable to the City Engineer to reduce the danger of slipping by users of the pathway.
(§ 15, Ord. 299, eff. December 11, 1985)
Whenever a site development permit is requested for a main residence, an accessory dwelling unit, an addition to a structure of at least 900 square feet of "habitable" floor area (including cumulative additions of 900 or more square feet of habitable floor area made over a period of 10 year(s)), or a barn or stable for equestrian use of at least 900 square feet in floor area, on a property which is designated on the Master Path Plan for an off-road pathway or for a roadside pathway, but where all or a portion of such roadside path cannot feasibly be located within the existing public or private right-of-way, the Site Development Authority may require the payment of pathway fees and/or dedication of an easement for public use as part of the Town's pathway system according to the guidelines contained in the Pathway Element of the General Plan. Pathway easements shall be required within emergency road easements. In addition, the following guidelines apply:
(a) 
An easement should generally be located along the boundary of a property;
(b) 
The easement shall be located so as to connect to existing or future pathway segments at the boundaries of a property; and
(c) 
The easement shall not be located on terrain that cannot be safely or conveniently traversed by pedestrians or equestrians.
(§ 15, Ord. 299, eff. December 11, 1985; § 4, Ord. 381, eff. April 19, 1996; § 1, Ord. 584, eff. November 16, 2019)
A site development permit for a lot on which no path is needed and on which is to be constructed a main residence, an accessory dwelling unit, an addition to a structure of at least 900 square feet of "habitable" floor area (including cumulative additions of 900 or more square feet of habitable floor area), or a barn or stable for equestrian use of at least 900 square feet in floor area shall be assessed a pathway fee, the amount of which shall be fixed by Council resolution as a development impact fee pursuant to the Mitigation Fee Act (AB 1600) (Government Code Section 66000 et seq.). For purposes of assessing the pathway fee, "habitable" floor area does not include additions for kitchen and dining rooms, entryways, foyers, hallways, stairways, or elevators. Pathway fees collected shall be deposited in the Town's pathway fund. No fee shall be assessed if the lot has been assessed and has paid a fee pursuant to Section 9-1.1112 of the Subdivision Ordinance.
(§ 6, Ord. 381, eff. April 19, 1996; § 1, Ord. 584, eff. November 16, 2019)