06-08-2004 Council Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

There are no reasonable alternatives to addressing these safety concerns, other than through the long-used secondary access at Woodhill Avenue. The dangers associated with Highway 15 arise not just from the construction activity, but will continue after the road is improved. The improved road will attract more traffic which travels at a higher rate of speed. In terms of secondary access to a public street, Woodhill Avenue is the only available access. On the east, north, and south, the Club is land-locked by railroad tracks and highways. On the southwest and west sides, Woodhill Avenue is the only point where the Club owns property that abuts a public street. There is no other location that Woodhill could use without having to acquire propedy rights and build a road. In contrast. Woodhill Avenue is a century-old road that abuts the Woodhill property. Given the historical use of the road, Woodhill has a constitutionally protected property right of access to Woodhill Avenue. The driveway on the Woodhill property and the public street abutting the property can be used without any purchase of additional property. Woodhill Avenue also provides the shortest connection to any public street. Acquisition of property and construction of a new road through a different neighborhood would disrupt more homes and create greater construction problems than the removal of the chain on the century-old access at Woodhill Avenue. The membership size and activity level at Woodhill Country Club have not changed greatly since the issuance of the 1968 CUP. Family memberships are kept at 400. which was the approximate membership size in the 1960's. Many members do not actively use the club facilities. The popularity of golf has increased, however, there is a decrease in tennis activity. Horse-riding and skeet shooting have been eliminated at the club. Social activities remain approximately the same. Woodhill has fairly limited social use of the club facilities in comparison to other country clubs. For example, parties including non-member invited guests are currently scheduled on only 14 of the 153 days In the five-month period between May 1 and September 30.1999. Use of the Woodhill Avenue access will be made almost exclusively by those members whose homes are geographically located to the west and north of the club. With the westward expansion of the suburbs, moro members now live to the west and north of the Club than in previous decades. The maximum number of active members who live in this limited area would utilize it on any given day is unlikely to ever exceed 50. Most days, the number of active users is more limited Woodhill estimates that traffic will be in the range of 20 to 30 trips per day on weekdays, and possibly 60 on weekend days in the summer months of June and July. This number will be reduced in May, August, and September and will be greatly reduced during the periods of October through April. The Club is closed during the month of March. The restoration of dual access for vehicles to the Club will improve overall safety for Woodhill Country Club members, their guests, residents surrounding the Club, and the general public. Currently, all traffic from the country club (members, guests, employees, and service and delivery vehicles) is routed along Woodhill Road which Doc*m3102\I 7