In December 1999, the City Council combined two study issues: Design Guidelines for Large Homes and Design Guidelines for Non-Heritage Areas. After a yearlong study, the Council adopted changes to the Sunnyvale Municipal Code and directed staff to develop Single Family Design Techniques to more specifically address some of the issues raised regarding additions and reconstruction of homes.

The City hired an architectural consultant, the Cannon Design Group, to assist staff in developing appropriate techniques to guide single family development. In addition, staff held two public meetings to receive input on identifying issues and policies that should be included in the Design Techniques. Due to a very low turnout at these meetings (approximately 5 people at each meeting) the Planning Commission requested that staff schedule three more study sessions to provide additional direction and review of the document.

In order to clarify the community’s priorities for house design, six guiding principles were established. These include respecting the scale, bulk and character of homes in the adjacent neighborhood, designing homes to respect their immediate neighbors, and minimizing the visual impacts of parking.

The new policies are intended to provide more specific direction to homeowners regarding these key issues. The existing City-Wide Design Guidelines are characterized by broad policy statements on good design and neighborhood compatibility. The new policies contain more numeric standards and detailed direction regarding categories such as entry height, garage size, second story size, etc. In order to emphasize further the importance of the design techniques, significant numbers of photos and illustrations have been included to demonstrate the policies.

The Draft Single Family Design Guidelines (Attachment A) are near completion but are subject to minor format and content adjustment. Such updates will include: Relocation of the Table of Contents; revised introductory language further clarifying how the Guidelines will be implemented; miscellaneous text corrections; and, the completion of the Glossary. Staff will work with the consultant to finalize incorporating changes directed by the Planning Commission and City Council. Staff recommends adoption of the Single Family Design Techniques, as they are reflective of citizen concerns and community goals of promoting attractive and livable neighborhoods.

In December 1990, the City Council approved a Community Design Sub-Element for the purpose of establishing design policies to guide future growth and enhance existing public and private development. In 1992, the City Council adopted the City-Wide Design Guidelines to implement these goals and policies. Although the Design Guidelines offer more detailed direction on site and building design issues, they are essentially broad policy statements on appropriate residential, commercial and industrial design. Discretion is exercised to determine project consistency with the Design Guidelines.

In December 1999, the City Council combined two study issues: Design Guidelines for Large Homes and Design Guidelines for Non-Heritage Areas. After a yearlong study, the Council adopted changes to the Sunnyvale Municipal Code and directed staff to develop Single Family Design Techniques to more specifically address some of the issues raised regarding additions and reconstructions of homes.

Sunnyvale Municipal Code Section 19.80.020 – "The City Council has established criteria and guidelines for design review which shall be known as the Citywide Design Guidelines and "Industrial Design Guidelines".

Architectural Style

The City hired an architectural consultant, the Cannon Design Group, to assist staff in developing appropriate techniques to guide single family development. In addition, staff held two public meetings to receive input on identifying issues and policies that should be included in the Design Techniques. Due to a very low turnout at these meetings (approximately 5 people at each meeting) the Planning Commission requested that staff schedule three more Commission study sessions to provide additional direction and review of the document.

Staff, the consultant and the public wanted to ensure that the document contained more specific policies and illustrations than the existing City-Wide Design Guidelines. The organization of the document was envisioned to emphasize the issues raised during the original large home study and provide adequate detail and direction to homeowners and staff.

In order to clarify the community’s priorities for house design, six guiding principles were established. These include:

1. Reinforcing prevailing neighborhood home orientation and entry patterns
2. Respecting the scale, bulk and character of homes in the adjacent neighborhood
3. Designing homes to respect their immediate neighbors
4. Minimizing the visual impacts of parking
5. Respecting the predominant materials and character of front yard landscaping
6. Use high quality materials and craftsmanship

Additional time was spent to clarify expectations regarding privacy of both home and yard, and designing second story additions to be proportional with the existing house and surrounding homes.

In discussions with the Planning Commission, it was decided that flexibility should be allowed for architectural styles of homes. For example, as long as the home is compatible in scale and size with surrounding homes, different architectural treatments such as mission style, craftsman, or contemporary may be allowed in some neighborhoods. Some Eichler property owners have indicated a strong desire to maintain the existing modern architectural style of their neighborhoods. These guidelines seek to balance the desires of residents to add on or modify their home with those desiring minimal change to their neighborhood.

The new policies are intended to provide more specific direction to homeowners regarding these key issues. The existing City-Wide Design Guidelines are characterized by broad policy statements requiring compatibility. The new policies contain more numeric standards and detailed direction regarding categories such as entry height, garage size, second story size, etc. These more specific policies are intended to clarify staff and residents' expectations regarding neighborhood compatibility.

In some cases, the policies stipulate numeric standards that go above and beyond what the Sunnyvale Municipal Code requires. The numeric policies are intended to further illustrate examples of good design and appropriate house proportion (see Policies 3.4A and 3.3D regarding second story size and entry height).

In order to emphasize further the importance of the design techniques, significant numbers of photos and illustrations have been included to demonstrate the policies. Pictures are shown when possible of good design principles and sketches are shown of design examples to avoid.

On July 8, 2002, the Planning Commission reviewed these design techniques. One resident spoke, stating preference for creating measurable privacy standards in the language of the Municipal Code rather than in a separate policy document. The resident also expressed concerns with the fee structures for Single Story Combining District applications.

The Planning Commission recommended adoption of the Design Techniques (5-0) with the following modifications:

1. Change the language of Policy 5 on page 7 to allow a variety of different landscaping styles in the front yard, not just "informal" landscaping. The policy should emphasize the quality of the landscaping, not the style.
   
2. On page 9, Policy 3.4a, reword the language to allow setbacks that are average or greater than the minimum on the block.
   
3. On page 14, Policy 3.4a, clarify language to explain the different second-story standards depending on the predominant style in the surrounding neighborhood.
   
4. Review the City-Wide Design Guidelines to ensure that all policies relating to single family house design are represented in this new document.

Staff supports this recommendation.

Staff has evaluated a potential cost to publish 500 copies of the new single family design techniques. The cost would be about $13 per copy. The recently adopted fee resolution includes a nominal fee of $6.40 per copy for design guidelines. The remaining amount can be covered in the current operating budgets for Policy Planning and Development Services.

Two public meetings were held at the Sunnyvale Library for public input on Single Family Design Guidelines. Two members from Planning Staff and the consultant, Larry Cannon, attended. Four people attended each meeting for a total of eight residents. This was a lower turnout than expected, as over 200 residents were notified (see Comments on Outreach Meeting, Attachment B).

Alternative 1.