SUBJECT: 2000-0041 – City of Sunnyvale (Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association): Information Report regarding Miscellaneous Plan Permit for Orchard Heritage Park Interpretive Exhibit (OHPIE) located adjacent to the Arboretum at the Sunnyvale Community Center.

This information report is intended to update the City Council regarding the approval of a Miscellaneous Plan Permit on February 22, 2000 for the proposed Orchard Heritage Park Interpretive Exhibit (OHPIE) located adjacent to the Arboretum building at the Community Center. The Miscellaneous Permit is approved at staff level and is subject to a 15 day appeal period ending March 8, 2000.

A conceptual interpretive exhibit program was approved by the City Council in 1992. This report summarizes the proposed plan by the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association. A separate report regarding fiscal and maintenance responsibilities between the City and Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association will be forthcoming to City Council.

The plan includes a barn-like structure that will house the interpretive displays and an outdoor amphitheater to be utilized as an outdoor gathering place for demonstrations, lectures and other activities. The report discusses the proposed concept, site plan, architecture, landscaping, parking and hours of operation.

Staff believes that the proposal meets the required findings and has approved a Miscellaneous Plan Permit for the proposed OHPIE.

In 1992, the City Council approved a conceptual plan for interpretive displays for the Orchard Heritage Park at the Community Center. As noted in the report, the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association was encouraged to develop and fund such a program. As a follow-up to those directions, the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association is proposing to build an interpretive exhibit at the Orchard Heritage Park.

Staff has reviewed and approved the proposal through a Miscellaneous Plan Permit. The purpose of this report is to inform the City Council and the community at-large about the Interpretive Exhibit. This report covers the proposed site plan, architecture and materials.

A separate report regarding fiscal and maintenance responsibilities between Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association and the City, which will be covered through an agreement, will be presented to the City Council in the near future.

The design of the Interpretive Exhibit is more than a simple display. The exhibit will be in the form of an outdoor museum. The intent, as proposed by the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association, is to create a contemporary space, built with maintenance-free materials, that commemorates and honors the agrarian way of life and the people who were a part of our early economy.

The proposed Interpretive Display will be located east of the Arboretum building at the Community Center (See Attachment A – Site Plan). The exhibit will be part of the 10-acre Orchard Heritage Park. The proposed building would be located between the Arboretum building and the existing orchard fence. The area of improvement encompasses approximately 8,000 square feet. As noted by the Historical Society, this area is not currently utilized for any specific purpose. This portion of the site also has no orchard trees that would need to be removed as part of this improvement.

The exhibit will include a small amphitheater for outdoor lectures and classes, a "space frame" enclosing the graphics and text material, and suitable landscaping. The exhibit area will open to the apricot orchard at one end and have access to the Arboretum building at the other end. The Arboretum building could also be used for classroom space and weather protected exhibits.

The design is symbolic of the orchard era and suggest a barn (See Attachment B and C – Elevations and Perspective Drawing). The architectural design and color selections are meant to "stimulate interest, excitement, and provide a location for guests to discuss an important element of Sunnyvale Heritage."

The "space frame" is a structure, which is not quite a building, but would be like a frame of a barn with the walls missing. The space frame would be made of steel and painted with a rusted red color. The roof would be of galvanized corrugated metal. The exhibits will be located along the side of the frame. The exhibits will be weatherproof and made of permanent or long-lasting material such as etched enamel or embedded fiberglass. A wood post and rail fence will enclose the entire exhibit area, including the amphitheater with the existing orchard as a backdrop.

The Exhibit will utilize the existing parking spaces at the Community Center. Currently, there are 109 parking spaces immediately north of the project site. Staff believes that weekday visitors will primarily arrive in vans and buses and weekend visitors will arrive in vans and cars. Staff finds that the existing spaces would be sufficiently during the weekdays and weekends to accommodate this new use without causing a parking shortage at the Community Center.

The applicant has provided a conceptual landscape plan, which includes planting shrubs and ground cover in the improvement area. Staff recommends that the applicant work with the Parks and Recreation Department to develop a plant pallet that is appropriate for maintenance and orchard setting of the project.

The hours would be subject to Parks and Recreation Management and City Council decision, which will be covered, in the forthcoming Agreement between the City and the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association. The Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association currently conducts a school docent program that served about 900 students annually to the Murphy Park Museum. The plan is to expand that program to include this new Interpretive Exhibit and host as many as 1,200 students from the local and neighboring school districts. The Historical Society and Museum Association envisions countywide use of this new history resource. The Historical Society and Museum Association expects the new Interpretive Exhibit to be used primarily during the workweek and during the day. However, they expect that over the life of this exhibit there may be occasional evening weekend use. The Society and Museum Association anticipates lectures, demonstrations, interactive program and perhaps outdoor skits and drama presentations.

If the Interpretive Exhibit is successful, the Society believes that it will be regularly used by students, tourists, families, private groups and people working on research in local history or genealogy.

In order to approve a Miscellaneous Plan Permit, either of the following findings must be made:

1. Attains the objectives and purposes of the General Plan of the City of Sunnyvale:

Heritage Preservation Sub-Element

Goal 6.3A – To promote knowledge of, and appreciation for, Sunnyvale’s heritage and to encourage broad community participation in heritage programs and project.

Action Statement 6.3A.1a – Consider development of partnerships with the Sunnyvale Historical Society and other interested organizations and individuals to prepare a plan for a comprehensive multi-media informational resource package on Sunnyvale’s heritage resources and programs.

The proposal will display Sunnyvale’s agrarian heritage through the an interpretive display and associated activities which will further enhance Sunnyvale’s Heritage program. This program is developed in partnership with the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association.

Community Design Sub-Element

Goal D – Provide public facilities which are accessible, attractive and add to the enjoyment of the physical environment

The proposed Orchard Heritage Park Interpretive Exhibit will be accessible, attractive and the educative aspect of the program will allow for greater understanding and appreciation for orchards that was an integral part of Sunnyvale’s heritage.

Land Use and Transportation Element

Goal C1 – Preserve and enhance an attractive community, with a positive image and a sense of place, that consists of distinctive neighborhoods, pockets of interest, and human-scale development

The proposal will create a sense of place for the community and will provide a destination point of heritage interest with a human scaled development.

2. Ensures that the general appearance of the proposed structure or the uses to be made of the property will not impair either the orderly development of, or the existing uses being made of, adjacent properties

Staff believes that the proposed site plan utilizes space efficiently and does not require removal of any orchard trees. The replacement of the chain link fence with the wood and rail fence is consistent with the agrarian theme and improves a portion of the boundary and enhances the entrance to Heritage Orchard. Staff will work with the applicant to review appropriate signage for the site.

Based on the above findings, staff has approved the Miscellaneous Plan Permit for the proposed project. There is a 15 day appeal period (February 22 - March 8, 2000) for this project.

None.

This project was presented to the Planning Commission at its Study Session on February 28, 2000.

Prepared by:

Shétal Divatia
Project Planner

Reviewed by:

Gail Price
Principal Planner

Reviewed by:

Trudi Ryan
Planning Officer

Reviewed by:

David S. Boesch Jr.
Director, Community Development

Approved by:

Robert S. LaSala
City Manager