09.14.2026-ASCC Meeting Agenda Packet

TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY A rchitectural & Site Control Commission Field Meeting Monday, September 14, 2026 3:30 PM 302 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA A n Architectural Site Control Commission field meeting has been scheduled at the site. This meeting is informational, there will be no decision at this meeting. The public is welcome to attend this meeting at the site. A rchitectural & Site Control Commission Meeting Monday, September 14, 2026 7:00 PM Hybrid Meeting D anna Breen, Chair Gina Dixon, Vice Chair Carter Warr, Commissioner Lance Vaughan, Commissioner Sonia Dhillon, Commissioner A G E N D A H ISTORIC SCHOOLHOUSE - 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028 R emote Public Comments: Meeting participants are encouraged to submit public comments in writing in advance of the meeting. Please send an email to scawrse@portolavalley.net and cc the Town Clerk at pvtownclerk@portolavalley.net by 12:00 PM on the day of the meeting. All comments received by that time will be distributed to Commissioners prior to the meeting. All comments received are included in the public record. Time permitting, your correspondence will be uploaded to the website. Additionally, technology permitting, the public body will take questions using the Raise Hand button for those who attend the meeting online or by phone. Phone callers may provide comments by pressing *9 on their phone to "raise your hand" and *6 to mute/unmute themselves. The meeting Chair will call on people to speak by the phone number calling in. Remote participation is provided as a supplemental way to provide publi c comment, but this method does not always work. The public is encouraged to attend in person to ensure full participation. Assi stance for People with Disabilities: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Town Clerk at (650) 851-1700 or by email at towncenter@portolavalley.net. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the Town to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION VIA ZOOM To access the meeting by computer: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89424958620?pwd=2PblMYUqWhWIDpLaBrTyZzvyNSp9Df.1 Webinar ID: 894 2495 8620 Passcode: 720427 To access the meeting by phone: 1-669-444-9171 Mute/Unmute – Press *6 / Raise Hand – Press *9/Unmute – Press *6 / Raise Hand – Press *9 1 Town of Portola Valley – ASCC Meeting Agenda September 14, 2026 Page 2 Land Acknowledgement: The Town of Portola Valley acknowledges the colonial history of this land we dwell upon the unceded territory of the Ramaytush (rah-my- toosh) Ohlone, Tamien Nation, and Muwekma (mah-WEK- mah) Ohlone, who endured a human and cultural genocide that included removal from their lands and their sacred relationship to the land. Portola Valley recognizes that we profit from the commodification of land seized from indigenous peoples and now bear the ecological consequences. We seek to understand the impact of these legacies on all beings and to find ways to make repair. 1. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL Chair Breen, Vice Chair Dixon, Commissioners Warr, Vaughan, and Dhillon SB 707 CONSIDERATIONS: Announcements/Consideration of remote attendance by Councilmembers, pursuant to SB 707, Government Code 54953.8.3 (just cause circumstances). 2. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Persons wishing to address the Architectural and Site Control Commission on any subject not on the agenda may do so now. Please note, however, that the Architectural and Site Control Commission is not able to undertake extended discussion or action tonight on items not on the agenda. 3. APPLICATIONS FOR REVIEW a. Architectural Review for 14 new exterior signs at 302 Portola Road (Woodside Priory); Applicant: EHDD Architecture, Emily Bello; Property Owner: Benedictine Fathers of the Priory; APN: 079 -053-050, 079- 053-130, 079- 053-140, 079 -053-320, 079- 053-350, 079- 053-390, 079-053-400, 079- 053-420, 079- 071-100, and 079- 220-040; File #: PLN_ARCH0009- 2026 (Max Mendenhall). 4. REGULAR AGENDA a. None Scheduled 5. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS a. Brown Act and Conflicts of Interest Training 6. COMMISSIONER, STAFF, AND COMMITTEE REPORTS 7. MINUTES a. Adopt Draft Minutes of August 24, 2026 ASCC Meeting 8. ADJOURNMENT AV AILABILITY OF INFORMATION Any writing or documents provided to a majority of the Town Council or Commissions regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection at Town Hall located 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA during normal business hours. Copies of all agenda reports and supporting data are available for viewing and inspection at Town Hall and at the Portola Valley Library located adjacent to Town Hall. PUBLIC HEARINGS Public Hearings provide the general public and interested parties an opportunity to provide testimony on these items. If you challenge any proposed action(s) in court, you may be limited to raising only issues you or someone else raised at the Public. Hearing(s) described in this agenda, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the Public Hearing(s). 2 _______________________________________ TO : Members of t he Architectural and Site Control Commission F ROM: Max M endenhall, Assistant Planner Sarah Cawrse, Planning & Building Director DATE: September 14, 2026 S UBJECT: Architectural Review for 14 new exterior signs at 302 Portola Road (Woodside Priory); Applicant: EHDD Architecture, Emily Bello; Property Owner: Benedictine Fathers of the Priory; APN: 079-053-050, 079-053- 130, 079-053-140, 079-053-320, 079-053-350, 079-053-390, 079-053- 400, 079-053-420, 079-071-100, and 079-220-040; File #: PLN_ARCH0009-2026 RE COMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the ASCC approve the Architectural Review for new signage subject to the Conditions of Approval (Attachment 1). BACKG ROUND W oodside Priory School (the Priory) is a private college preparatory school for grades six through twelve, established in 1957, prior to the Town's incorporation. The approximately 50- acre campus is designated for "institution" land uses in the General Plan and is within the Town's Residential Estate (R-E) Zoning District. Private or parochial elementary or secondary schools are a conditional use in the R-E Zoning District. The existing use of the property is authorized under Conditional Use Permit (CUP) X7D-30, first approved in 1968 and most recently amended by Planning Commission Resolution No. 2025- 04, adopted March 11, 2025 (Attachment 3). On August 18th, 2026, the applicant submitted an application for architectural review of the signage package. The application was deemed complete on August 21, 2026. C ondition 29 of the amended CUP provides that all site signage shall be subject to prior review and approval by the ASCC for conformity with zoning standards and the Priory architectural guidelines. Condition 12 provides that all building permit applications for construction pursuant to the CUP are subject to initial review by the Planning and Building Director for a determination whether ASCC review and approval is necessary. This application is submitted in satisfaction of Condition 29. STAFF REPORT TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY 3 302 Portola Road September 14, 2026 ASCC Staff Report Page 2 C hapter 18.40 of PVMC governs signs. Section 18.40.010 states the purposes of the chapter as authorizing and regulating identification and directional signs accessory to uses permitted by the zoning ordinance, maintaining and improving the visual qualities of the Town, and minimizing hazards to motorists and pedestrians on public roads. Section 18.40.020 provides that all signs shall comply with the regulations of the chapter in addition to such other requirements as may be imposed in connection with the granting of a variance or conditional use permit, or as may be required by other ordinances of the Town. S ection 18.40.070 provides that the design and placement of all signs, except those enumerated in subsections A through J of Section 18.40.030, must be submitted to the ASCC for approval prior to installation, construction or erection. Condition 29 of CUP X7D-30 is broader, requiring prior ASCC review and approval of all site signage. The proposed signs are therefore reviewed for conformity with Chapter 18.40 of PVMC and with Condition 29 of CUP X7D-30. PROJECT DESCRIPTION S ite Information The project site is the approximately 50.56-acre Woodside Priory School campus located at 302 Portola Road, comprising APNs 079-053-050, 079-053-130, 079-053-140, 079-053-320, 079- 053-350, 079-053-390, 079-053-400, 079-053-420, 079-071-100, and 079-220-040. The site is within the R-E Zoning District and carries an "institution" land use designation in the General Plan. The campus has street frontage along Portola Road, which is designated an arterial road in the Circulation Element of the General Plan. The site is located within the Portola Road Scenic Corridor, the subject of the Portola Road Corridor Plan adopted by the Town in 2015. Description 6408 of the Corridor Plan identifies the Priory as one of the Town's two largest institutional uses and provides that the visibility of these uses from within the corridor should be managed so as to minimize visual intrusion or conflict with the objectives of the element. P roposed Signage The applicant proposes 14 new exterior signs totaling 183.15 square feet of sign area, organized into four groups: a campus entry monument identification sign, address and school seal signage at the existing Gambetta Drive entry columns, campus and parking wayfinding and directional signs, and pin-mounted building identification lettering on the new Athletic Center. The proposed signs are set out in the schedule below, drawn from Sheets G4.00 and G4.01 and the applicant's design narrative. No. Type and Purpose Location Dimensions Area (SF) Illumination E1 Monument identification sign, campus entry Campus east entry near Portola Road, outside the property line 10'-10" x 1'- 10"; 4'-4" overall with base 19.82 None proposed 4 302 Portola Road September 14, 2026 ASCC Staff Report Page 3 No. Type and Purpose Location Dimensions Area (SF) Illumination E2 Site address numerals and school seal, pin- mounted Two existing Gambetta Drive entry columns 12" high numerals, 1" stroke 12.80 LED fixtures behind lettering, directed at column face, shielded from above, dusk to dawn on photocell, dimmable E3 Directional sign, "Father Martin Way" (Type A) Gambetta Drive intersection, on boulder base 1'-3" x 4'-8" 5.83 None proposed E4 School name / campus welcome sign (Type A) Near west parking lot, on boulder base 1'-3" x 4'-8" 5.83 None proposed E5 Campus wayfinding sign (Type C) Father Martin Way at Gambetta Drive intersection 2'-3" x 6'-3" 14.06 None proposed E6 Campus wayfinding sign (Type D) Father Martin Way at the pedestrian spine 1'-10" x 4'-2" 7.61 None proposed E7 Parking lot entry sign (Type G), two-sided North entrance to the west parking lot Per Sheet G4.00 1.83 None proposed E8 Campus wayfinding sign with campus map (Type E) North edge of the west parking lot at the pedestrian path 4'-10" x 5'-7" 26.95 None proposed E9 Parking lot entry sign (Type G), two-sided West entrance to the west parking lot Per Sheet G4.00 3.34 None proposed E10 Campus wayfinding sign (Type D) Western campus near Gambetta Gym 1'-10" x 4'-2" 7.61 None proposed E11 Campus wayfinding sign (Type B) Pedestrian path between Founder's Hall and Gambetta Gym 1'-10" x 2'-10" 5.18 None proposed 5 302 Portola Road September 14, 2026 ASCC Staff Report Page 4 No. Type and Purpose Location Dimensions Area (SF) Illumination E12 Campus wayfinding