Woodside sides with flora, fauna, equestrians in easement dispute Woodside sides with flora, fauna, equestrians in easement dispute (May 05, 2004)

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

In a reprieve for equestrians, dusky-footed woodrats and other inhabitants of Woodside's nature corridors, the owners of a large parcel of land near Wunderlich Park lost their bid to restrict the passage of horses and remove protection from areas considered environmentally sensitive.

In a 5-0 vote on April 21 -- with commissioners Elizabeth Hobson and Diane Elder absent -- the Woodside Planning Commission accepted a proposal to create two small parcels and one large one from the 42-acre Schroll estate at 3000 Portola Road, but rejected requests to slash conservation and equestrian easements on the properties.

The estate is home to the 1840s-era Charles Brown Adobe house, a 3.75-acre pond that feeds Alambique Creek, several groves of redwood trees, a 9,000-square-foot house, two smaller houses and several utility buildings.

The estate -- owned by the Portola Road Trust and represented by Nancy Cronin -- proposed narrowing the construction-free zone bordering the creek from 100 feet to 50 feet, and around the pond from 300 feet to 100 feet.

"I'm surprised a property owner wouldn't want to do the right thing and conserve a natural resource like that," said Commissioner Sara Jorgensen. "Shame on them."

Larry May, a Burlingame attorney representing the estate, said the town overstepped its authority by demanding easements for conservation and equestrian purposes. The interests of the parcels being created trump those of the community, according to Mr. May's reading of the law.

Touching on that point, Commissioner Steve Patrick described access to horse trails as a specific benefit to the new parcels, particularly in a town noted for its equestrian ways. The current residents may not ride horses, but future residents are likely to do so, he said.

The owners have 10 days to appeal the ruling to the Town Council.

Safety issue

The Schroll estate had at one time been open to equestrian passage along the property line, with an entrance near the intersection of Portola and Phillips roads. The commission's decision will reopen that corridor to the Center Fault Trail, which allows sequestered access to Wunderlich Park and connects to trails near Mountain Home Road.

Though the passage was not a formal trail, town law accommodates unofficial trails created by long-term use. Phillips Road resident Roy Crawford suggested that that category is appropriate for the trail on the Schroll property, but Mr. May disagreed.

With trail access denied, horse and rider have had to negotiate the edge of Portola and Woodside roads, often in the presence of vehicles driven by people insensitive to the needs of horses, said equestrians at the meeting.

Describing the danger, Mr. Crawford said it's impossible to sense an approaching vehicle before deciding to cross the narrow bridge on that section of the road.

Susan Lang, who said she keeps her horse at a Phillips Road address, said she has been in situations in which a considerate driver has stopped to allow her and her horse to pass only to hear the screeching tires of an approaching but less attentive driver applying the brakes.

"It just seems that any opportunity for a trail easement that is lost ... just erodes the integrity of the entire trail system," Ms. Lang said. "I think the entire community loses out."

E-mail a friend a link to this story.