300 Marchmont Dr - Desk Item and Exhibits 8-9
PREPARED BY: JOCELYN PUGA
Associate Planner
Reviewed by: Planning Manager and Community Development Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6874
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 09/27/2017
ITEM NO: 2
DESK ITEM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
TO: PLANNING COMMISSION
FROM: JOEL PAULSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT APPLICATION U-12-002. PROJECT LOCATION:
300 MARCHMONT DRIVE. APPLICANT/PROPERTY OWNER: MARK
SILVER/HILLBROOK SCHOOL.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF AN APPROVED CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT
MODIFICATION TO INCREASE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT FOR AN EXISTING
PRIVATE SCHOOL (HILLBROOK SCHOOL) ON PROPERTY ZONED HR-1.
APNS 532-10-001 AND 532-11-011.
REMARKS:
Exhibit 8 includes public comments received between 11:01 a.m., Thursday, September 21,
2017 and 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 27, 2017.
In response to some of the public comments received, Parks and Public Works staff have
prepared the following responses:
Spring Manual Count
1. As a result of an error, the required three-day manual counts for the Spring 2016 semester
were not counted. W-Trans has prepared a memorandum outlining the monitoring process
for the current 2017-2018 school year and implementation for the future school years. The
process proposed by W-Trans builds in additional layers of oversight control to ensure all
data collection and reports are completed and submitted on time (Exhibit 9).
Manual Count versus Sensys Data
1. Based on past and present data, the Sensys counters appear to be undercounting most of
the time when compared to manual counts and the difference appears to be increasing.
PAGE 2 OF 2
SUBJECT: 300 MARCHMONT DRIVE/U-12-002
DATE: SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
N:\DEV\PC REPORTS\2017\Marchmont 300 DESK.docx 9/27/2017 11:27 AM
This is possibly due to lack of maintenance calibration. The 2017 Fall semester monitoring
report prepared by W-Trans recommended that the Sensys sensors be calibrated for the
2018 trimester. Staff recommends that Hillbrook work with Sensys to re-calibrate the
sensors at the beginning of each semester and that the results be submitted to W-Trans for
inclusion in the semester reports.
Sensys Data Collection
1. The Sensys data collection system has redundant sensors, both Sensors A and B track
vehicles exiting Hillbrook school. The back-up tube data would be required for evaluation if
both Sensor A and Sensor B were to go off-line at the same time.
2. W-Trans contacted Hillbrook School when it was discovered that Sensor A was not working.
Hillbrook School was aware that the sensor was down and had contacted Sensys. Based on
information provided by Hillbrook staff, the Sensys contact for Hillbrook was on an
extended leave and the School was not able to get the next Sensys engineer to trouble
shoot and repair the sensor in a timely manner. The sensor went off-line on July 13, 2017.
A new sensor was installed and brought on-line on September 12, 2017. With the
implementation of Town staff’s recommendation of maintenance calibration at the
beginning of each semester, it provides an opportunity for W-Trans to identify a failing
sensor before it goes off-line.
EXHIBITS:
Previously received with September 27, 2017 Staff Report:
1. Location Map
2. Required Findings (one page)
3. Conditional Use Permit U-12-002 (four pages)
4. Traffic Consultant’s Report, received on September 18, 2017 (eight pages)
5. Hillbrook School Bus Stops for 2017-2018 School Year (one page)
6. Hillbrook School Letter of Justification, received August 24, 2017 (three pages)
7. Public Comments received by 11:00 a.m., Thursday, September 21, 2017
Received with this Desk Item:
8. Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m., Thursday, September 21, 2017 and 11:00
a.m., Wednesday, September 27, 2017
9. W-Trans Manual Data Collection Workflow for Hillbrook School, received August 24, 2017
(two pages)
269 Marchmont Dr.
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Tel: 408.623.6634
Fax: 408.358.4494
Patricia BHot
Attomey at Law
Eniail: Elliotlaw@mail.com
September 25, 2017
RE: Billbrook School CUP-Concerns -Bearing on 9-27-17
Dear Planning Commissioners:
Thank you again for yom time and attention.
Many neighbors worked long and hard to obtain a Hillbrook CUP with Conditions that would
protect the neighborhood. There were many years under the prior Hillbrook CUP where the
CUP was not enforced and due to loopholes Hillbrook found, did not protect the
neighborhood. The Town Council assured us that would not be the case under the 2015 CUP
("CUP").
The main enforcement methods enacted in the CUP are Conditions 17-19, 21and22, 25-27.
We have several concerns and questions we hope you will get resolution to before allowing
additional enrollment at Hillbrook.
First, the September 18, 2017 W-Trans ~ysis makes clear that the Sensys system continues
to be unreliable. It does, reliably, significantly undercount car trips on all days tested. The
CUP requires reliability within 5%. Hillbrook's Sensys system fails this test
In the counts on September 5-7, 2017, Hillbrook's Sensys system failed to count 9.43%,
7.600Ai and 8.26% of the trips respectively, or 188 car trips through the neighborhood, and that
included only 12 homs of counting each day.
The information gleaned from the current and prior Staff Reports reflects that on nine out of
the nine days Hillbrook'·s Sensys system bu been checked, it has been shown to undercount
Hillbrook's vehicle trips. The percentage of undercountmg has gone up as Hillbrook has
increased its enrolhnent and is now,. on average, more than 8% per day.
Hillbrook's Sensys traffic counting system is significantly flawed, is getting worse and before
you allow additional enrolhnent, please insure that Hillbrook has in place a reliable, verifiable
and accurate traffic counting system. The viability of the CUP requires that.
EXHIBIT 8
Page2
September/October 2015
2015-16 School Year-Enrollment 315
September25, 2017
Date Video Sensys % # Vehicle trips NOT counted by
Sensys
9/29/151 795 746 6.2 49
9/30/151 781 760 2.7 21
10/11151 709 674 4.9 35
Averwzes 762 727 4.6 35
Data from Exhibit 2 to October 23, 2015 Staff Report to Town Council.
October 2016
2016-17 School Yea .... Enrollment 338
Date Video Sensys % # Vehicle trips NOT counted by
Sensvs
10/4/lfu 604 568 6.14 36
10/5/163 804 764 S.23 40
10/6/163 795 774 2.68 21
Averages 735 702 4.55 33
Data from Exhibit 8 to October 17, 2016 Staff Report to Pianning Commission
September 2017
2017-18 School Year-Enrollment 357
Date Video Sensys % # Vehicle trips NOT counted by
Sensys
9/5/173 811 738 9.43 73
9/6/173 710 658 7.60 52
9/7/173 794 731 8.26 63
Averwzes 772 709 8.46 63
Data from Exhibit 4 to September 22, 2017 Staff Report to Planning Commission
i 24 Hour Counts-all daily trips COlDlted
2 Only 10 Hours CoWlted-there are additional wtcoWlted trips
3 Only 12 Hours Counted-there are additional WlCOUlltod trips
Condition 25 allows the Planning Commission to require more effective and reliable data
collection methods. The enforcement mechanism in Condition 26 necessitates that there be an
accmate, reliable counting system.
There is no question that as enrollment increases, traffic does too. Hillbrook has not even fully
enrolled the 38lstudents they are now entitled to (currently at 357 students). It is imperative
that Hillbrook has a reliable, accurate and verifiable monitoring system in place BEFORE it is
entitled to enroll 414 students.
Page3 September25, 2017
Condition 19 requires that the tube count data (MetroCount) be used as back up in the event of
a Sensys malfunction. The whole point of the tube counters was to have a reliable back up to
the sensors and to be sure that all trips are being counted.
The W-Tran s report reflects that from July 13, 2017 to September 12, 2017 Hillbrook's
Sensys system was not functioning properly, yet the MetroCount data for those two months
was not supplied.
Why wasn 't the MetroCmmt data for those two months produced?
Did W-Trans compare the MetroCount data for September 5-7, 2017 with the video counts?
Did the Me1roCount data differ from the video count data by as much as the Sensys data did?
Why wasn't the MetroCount data supplied for all three test days to enable comparison with
the Sensys counts?
The MetroCount data should now be analyzed to detennine its level of accuracy. If in fact the
MetroCount data is more accurate and reliable, shouldn't that data be used as the initial count
for analysis with back up by the Sensys data?
The Town can and should require that the Me1roCount data be accessible to the Town and
posted online, just as the Sensys data is.
Please require that Hillbrook is to supply all of the MetroCount data for evaluation. The
MetroCmmt system counts all trips individually (rather than the Sensys system that CO\lllts
only one lane of traffic) and perhaps that data is more accurate and reliable.
Second, we understand that on the September 2017 test days the numbers likely do not yet
exceed the 880 daily limit (even though they are only 12 hour counts). However, the true
extent of the traffic for existing enrollment was not adequately measured, given that
Hillbrook is pennitted to have athletic events up to three days per week. Condition 5.
The W-Trans report states that ''there were no large school events" on the September 2017 test
dates. Hillbrook has now posted its athletics schedule which reflects that on the t.est days there
were no athletic competitions at Hillbrook, when traffic is significantly higher. Hillbrook's
enrollment increase bas mainly occurred in its Middle School, where, according to Hillbrook,
"Nearly 90% of all middle school students participate in at least one interscholastic sport."
To only test on days when there were no athletic competitions at Hillbrook is not an accurate
measure of the true traffic impacts or of the reliability of the Sensys system . Hillbrook can and
routinely does have several athletic competitions in the afternoons, now up to three days a
week. The traffic CO\.Ults are supposed to be ·unannounced and should be conduct.eel, at least on
some days, when there are athletic competitions at Hillbrook and the afternoon and evening
traffic is greater.
Page4 Septernbec 25, 2017
CUP Condition 27 requires that Hillbrook post its athletics schedule on its web site. Hillbrook
has now done so. Given that there were no athletic competitions at Hillbrook during any of the
September 2017 test dates, the tests should be done again, so that unannollll.ced tests can be
conducted on days when competitions occur.1
Third, CUP Condition 19 requires three full days of testing each semester. A day is 24 hours.
The testing done on three days in early September 2017 did not comply with Condition 19,
because they only counted 12 hours each day. Table 1 excludes trips both before 7:00 am. and
after 7:00 p.m., which occur routinely . All of the daily trips must be included.
Also, the W-Trans report provides no information about the Spring 2017 counts that were
required per Condition 19.
Was that testing conducted? What were the results? Why is that information not provided in
the W-Trans report or in the Staff Report?
Given all of the above, no further enrollment increase should be permitted at this time. Further
analysis should be required to insure that Hillbrook has a reliable, accurate, verifiable traffic
comrting system in place that does not routinely undercount the amomit of actual traffic.
1bank you so much for your careful attention to this situation.
1 In the Sept-Oct. 2015 test, the only day there was an athletic competition at Hillbrook was Sept.ember 29, 2015 .
That was also the day that the largest nwnber of trips were not cowtted (49 trips; -6.2"Ai).
Members of the Planning Commission
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030
239 Marchmont Drive
Los Gatos, CA 95032
September 25, 2017
SUBJECT: HILLBROOK ANNUAL REVIEW AND CONTINUING PROBLEMS WITH HILLBROOK'S
TRAFFIC COUNTING SYSTEM
Dear Members of the Planning Commission:
I probably won't be able to attend the Planning Commission meeting on September 27 during
which you are scheduled to conduct Hillbrook School's annual review. Below are remarks I plan
to make if I can get to the meeting. However, if I can't attend, I hope that you will take these
points into consideration •
.....................................................................................................................................................................
I'd like to thank Hill brook for the good job it's done over the past year in controlling its traffic.
The neighborhood has beco.me much more livable thanks to the school's traffic management
program and the cooperation of the school's parents.
However, one major problem remains-the counting system.
UNDERCOUNTING. The school's Sensys counting system consistently undercounts the number
of vehicle trips. According to W-Trans data, the system undercounts between 7.6 and 9.43
percent, which is significantly above the CUP's 5% allowance for discrepancies. It is also above
the discrepancies reported last year, suggesting that the problem of undercounting is getting
worsP..
Undercounting occurred last year, and the problem was brought to your attention at last year's
hearing. Yet, nothing was done to compel the school to create a situation where readings
would be more reliable and accurate.
W-Trans, in its report recommends that Hillbrook work with Sensys to "recalibrate and evaluate
the data collection system." W-Trans recommends that "the recalibration will be verified during
the routine Spring Trimester manual data collection» and that the results will be reviewed next
fall. This seems like an unfair delay in evaluating whether the system has been made accurate
and reliable.
LACK OF COUNTS FOR UNREASONABLE AMOUNTS OF TIME. As reported.in the Staff Report,
the Exit A sensor was offline for about two months, from July 13 to September 12.
Furthermore, backup data was not provided to W-Trans. I think the neighbors have a right to
expect Hillbrook to have a reliable counting system; a system that's offline for two months and
for which no backup data is then provided can't really be considered reliable.
As I said, Hillbrook has done a good job in controlling its traffic. However, once the school ls
given its final enrollment increase, the neighborhood will no longer have any leverage to get
the school to make its data collection system accurate. Therefore, I ask that the enrollment
increase not be approved until the school has demonstrated that it can provide accurate
traffic figures .
Would it be possible to postpone giving the school a go-ahead for its last increase? Would it
further be possible to schedule a hearing, perhaps within six months' time, to evaluate
whether Hillbrook has taken the steps needed to provide an accurate counting system?
OTHER POINTS
• Please note that the manual counts performed by W-Trans were only for 12-hour
periods. For accuracy, these counts should be conducted for the full 24-hour period as
specified by the CUP. As noted by W-Trans, cars may have remained on campus after 7
PM and thus not have been included in counts.
• The W-Trans counts were done on days when there were no afterschool sports events
or activities. These events and activities create extra traffic, and it's very possible that
discrepancies between the Sensys system and the W-Trans manual counts would be
even greater on such days. Neighbors mentioned afterschool traffic as a major cause of
disruption in the neighborhood over and over again during the CUP hearings; W-Trans
counts to validate the accuracy of the Sensys system should be conducted when these
activities are in full swing-which they were not in early September.
• Condition 19 calls for "ongoing traffic data validation" through a "random manual traffic
count for three days, each semester." It appears that no count was done in Spring 2017;
if a count was done, it's not included in the W -Trans report. In order to ensure that the
school is in compliance with its CUP, the Town should be conducting both the Spring and
Fall count.
Again, I hope you'll postpone allowing Hillbrook its last enrollment increase until the school is
able to provide a reliable, accurate traffic counting system. Hillbrook has kept its traffic under
the levels specified in the CUP, but as enrollment increases, traffic is almost certain to increase,
too. An accurate counting system is needed to ensure that Hillbrook continues to comply with
its traffic commitments.
Thank you, as always, for your hard work and dedication to the community.
Sincerely,
Barbara Dodson
Memorandum
Date: August 24, 2017 Project: LGA004-2
To: Ms. Lisa Peterson
Town Engineer
Town of Los Gatos
41 Miles Avenue
Los Gatos, CA 95030
From: Mark Spencer
mspencer@w-trans.com
Nick Bleich
nblelch@w-trans.com
Subject: Manual Data Collection Workflow for Hillbrook School Monitoring 2017-2018 School Year
In response to our failure to collect one of the three required 3-day manual counts (12 hours per day) during the
2016-2017 monitoring cycle, W-Trans has prepared this memorandum to outline the data collection process for
the Hlllbrook School Conditional Use Permit monitoring for the 2017-2018 school year. This process builds In
additional layers of oversight (at no additional cost to the Town of Los Gatos) to ensure that all data collection
methods (Sensys, tube data and video count/manual data) are completed and submitted on time.
Updated Data Collection Workflow
1. Before Hill brook School Year 2017-2018 (August 2017) set calendar reminders for the beginning of each
trimester to schedule data collection with National Data & Surveying (NOS) Services
a. Calendar reminders will be sent to the following staff for redundancy
i. Principal -Mark Spencer
ii. Project Engineer -Nick Bleich
iii. Data Collection Lead at W-Trans -Hannah Yung
b . An additional reminder will be set for two weeks into each trimester for additional redundancy
2. First day of each Hillbrook School Trimester (Fall, Spring, Summer)
a. Project engineer wlll select dates for data collection, during the first six weeks of the trimester
b. Data collectlon lead will contact NOS to confirm availability for data collection
c. Data collection dates will be confirmed and added to both the project engineer's and princlpal's
calendars
3. Week of scheduled data collection
a. Data collection lead to follow up with NOS confirming planned data collection
b. Project engineer to make site visit during data collection to note any atypical conditions at the
Hiii brook School Driveway
c. Data collection lead at the end of the week to follow up with NOS to confirm data collection and
Identify an issues in data collection
4. Upon receipt of data from NOS
a. Project engineer will review data for completeness and contact NOS if data Is missing
b . Project engineer will download Sensys Data for the same 12 hour period as the manual counts
and request the backup counter data from Hillbrook School
c. Project engineer wlll compare all three available data sotirces and summarize In letter report to
transmit to Town staff within two weeks of the manual counts
5 . If the manual counts exceed the Sensys counts by more than five percent and where the readings are
above the allowed maximum number of daily trips
505 171h Street 2nd Floor Oakland CA 94812 510.444.2600 w-trans.com
SANTAROSA•OAKLAND•SANJOSE
Ms. Lisa Peterson Page2 August 24, 2017
a. Project engineer will work with data collection lead at W-Trans to schedule one-week (seven
days) of mechanical hose counts
b. Data collection lead will contact NOS to schedule mechanical hose counts prior to the end of the
current trimester
6. Upon receipt of mechanical hose counts from NOS
a. Project engineer will review data for completeness and contact NOS if data is missing
b . Project engineer will download Sensys Data for the same one week period as the mechanical
hose counts and request the backup counter data from H.illbrook School
c. Project engineer will compare all three available data sources and summarize in letter report to
transmit to Town staff within two weeks of the manual counts
2017 -2018 School Year Monitoring Tasks and Tlmellne
D August Data Download - First week of September send to Town
D September Data Download -First week of October send to Town
D Fall Trimester Manual Data Collection -Collect data second week of October
D Fall Trimester Site Visit -During manual data collection
D Fall Trimester Data Collection Summary Memo -Send to Town within two weeks of receiving data from
NOS (data processing takes approximately one week)
D October Data Download - First week of November send to Town
D Fall Trimester Out-of-Compliance Counts (if necessary)
D Fall Trimester Out-of-Compliance Count Summary Memo (if necessary) -Send to Town within two weeks
of rece iving data from NOS (data processing takes approximately one week)
D November Data Download - First week of December send to Town
D December Data Download - First week of January send to Town
D Fall Trimester Summary Memo -Send to Town by the third week of January
D January Data Download -First week of February send to Town
D Spring Trimester Manual Data -Collect data third week of February
D Spring Trimester Site Visit -During manual data collection
D Spring Trimester Data Collection Summary Memo -Send to Town within two weeks of receivi ng data
from NOS (data processing takes approx imately one week)
D February Data Download -First week of March send to Town
D Spring Trimester Out-of-Compliance Counts (if necessary)
D Spring Trimester Out-of-Compliance Count Summary Memo (if necessary) -Send to Town within two
weeks of receiving data from NOS (data processing takes approximately one week)
D March Data Download -First week of April send to Town
D April Data Download - Frist week of May send to Town
D May Data Download -First week of June send to Town
D Spri ng Tri mester Summary Memo -Send to Town two weeks after the last day of school (approximately
last week of June)
D June Data Download -First week of July send to Town
D Summer Trimester Manual Data Collection -Collect data second week of July
D Summer Trimester Site Visit -During manual data collection
D Summer Trimester Data Collection Summary Memo -Send to Town within two weeks of receiving data
from NOS (data processing takes approximately one week
D July Data Download -First week of August send to Town
D Summer Trimester Out-of-Compliance Counts (If necessary)
D Summer Trimester Out-of-Compliance Count Summary Memo (if necessary) -Send to Town within two
weeks of receiving data from NOS (data processing takes approximately one week)
D Annual Summary Memo (Entire School Year) -Send to Town third week of August, approximately one
week p rior to start of 2018 -2019 school year
MES/nfb/LGA004-2.M4