August 23, 2005
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SUBJECT: |
2005-0353: Application(s) on a 5,482 square foot lot located at 694 Conway Road in an R-2 Zoning District (APN: 202-06-015). |
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Motion: |
Appeal of a decision by the Planning Commission to approve a Design Review to allow a new two-story home and an attached accessory living unit resulting in a 59.5% Floor Area Ratio where 45% may be allowed without Planning Commission review |
REPORT IN BRIEF
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Existing Site Conditions
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Single-Family Residential
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Surrounding Land Uses |
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North |
Single-Family Residential |
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South |
Single-Family Residential |
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East |
Single-Family Residential |
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West |
Single-Family Residential
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Issues
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Design compatibility with neighborhood including FAR
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Environmental Status |
A Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from California Environmental Quality Act provisions.
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Planning Commission Action |
Approved with Conditions |
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Staff Recommendation |
Uphold Planning Commission decision and Approve with Conditions |
Click here for map. (.jpg)
PROJECT DATA TABLE
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EXISTING |
PROPOSED |
REQUIRED/
PERMITTED |
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General Plan |
Single-Family Residential |
Single-Family Residential |
Single-Family Residential |
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Zoning District |
R-2 |
R-2 |
R-2 |
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Lot Size (s.f.) |
5,482 |
5,482 |
8,000 s.f. min. |
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Gross Floor Area (s.f.) |
650 |
3,266 including living area, garage and covered porches |
2,466 max.
Without Planning Commission review |
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Lot Coverage (%) |
12% |
37.7% |
40% max. |
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Floor Area Ratio (FAR) |
12% |
59.5% |
45 % max. without PC review |
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No. of Units |
1 |
1 primary residence
1 accessory living unit |
1 primary residence
1 accessory dwelling unit |
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Bedrooms/Unit |
2 |
4 primary residence
1 accessory living unit |
N/A |
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Unit Sizes (s.f.)
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650 |
2,574 primary
692 accessory
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N/A |
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No. of Buildings On-Site |
1 |
1 |
N/A |
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Building Height (ft.) |
15 |
27’ 7” |
30 max. |
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No. of Stories |
1 |
2 |
2 max. |
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Setbacks (First/Second Facing Property) |
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Front (ft) |
20 |
21’ 2”/25’ 2” |
20’ /25’ |
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Left Side (ft) |
7 |
5’/7’ |
5’/7’ |
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Right Side (ft) |
8 |
8’/11’ |
8’/11’ |
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Rear (ft) |
38 |
20’/25’ |
20’/20’ |
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Landscaping (sq. ft.) |
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Total Landscaping |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
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Usable Open Space/Unit |
N/A |
1,491 |
1,000 min.
500 per unit |
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Parking |
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Total Spaces |
4 |
5 |
5 min. |
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Covered Spaces |
2 |
3 |
2 min. |
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Stormwater |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Description of Proposed Project
The applicant proposes to construct a new single-family home with an attached accessory living unit. The total size of the proposed structure is 3,266 square feet (2,024 living area in primary residence, 692 accessory unit, 502 garage, 48 covered porches). The proposed structure would be two stories, with the first story totaling 2,002 square feet including space in both living units and the garage. The second story would be 1,216. There would be an additional 48 square feet of covered porch area. Planning Commission review is required for this project, because the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is proposed at 59.5% where 45% is allowed without Planning Commission review.
This application was heard by the Planning Commission on June 27, 2005. The Commission took public testimony and approved the Design Review as recommended by staff. An appeal was filed by a neighboring property owner over concern with the size of the proposed house and its potential negative effect on on-street parking and emergency access on Conway Road. The appeal letter is located in Attachment D.
Background
Previous Actions on the Site: In 2000 an assessment district was approved by the City Council in the Conway Road neighborhood for purposes of maintaining the private road and utilities. As part of this action, an 11 foot easement across the front of the northern parcels was required for the expansion of the street. This easement is for utility purposes only and the individual property owners still own title to the land. The project site is located on the south side of Conway Road.
Conway Road is a private street maintained solely by the property owners. No redevelopment or expansion of homes had occurred on Conway Road for approximately 20 years since a building moratorium was placed on the properties. The new private road and utilities enabled this restriction to be lifted in 2003.
The following table summarizes previous planning applications related to the subject site.
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File Number |
Brief Description |
Hearing/Decision |
Date |
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2004-0018 |
Design Review for single family home with 56% FAR (home was not built) |
Planning Commission/
Approved |
02/23/2004 |
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2004-0277 |
Tree Removal Permit for 30” Walnut tree (tree has since been removed without permits) |
Staff/Denied |
10/25/2004 |
Environmental Review
A Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from California Environmental Quality Act provisions and City Guidelines. Class 3 Categorical Exemption includes construction of single-family homes.
Site Layout: The site has typical dimensions for the neighborhood with a width of 45 feet and a depth of 121 feet. The proposed structure would face the front of the lot with garages and driveways off of Conway Road and the rear usable open space located behind the structure.
Easements and Undergrounding: Easements and undergrounding of utilities occurred as part of the assessment district that was established in 2000.
The following Guidelines were considered in analysis of the project site design.
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Design Policy or Guideline
Sunnyvale Single-Family Home Design Techniques |
Comments |
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3.1 Respect neighborhood home orientation and setback patterns. |
The orientation of the new home is consistent with that of other homes in the neighborhood. Setbacks of other homes in the neighborhood vary. The setbacks proposed for the new home are in compliance with the Zoning Code and will blend in the neighborhood. |
Architecture: The proposed architecture is contemporary with Spanish elements such as stucco siding and tile roof material. The proposed structure meets all required setbacks including additional second story setbacks. The front of the house is dominated by garage doors. The front entry is set back behind the paved court yard entrance that is also the parking space for the accessory living unit.
There is no prevailing architectural design in the neighborhood, although many of the homes have similar features such as front porches with front-gabled roofs. Roof materials and exterior colors vary, and exterior materials are either stucco or wood siding. Most of the homes in the neighborhood, including those adjacent to the subject site, are one story but the area is in transition and new two story homes are approved or being constructed in the immediate neighborhood.
Privacy: The applicant has minimized the privacy impact caused by second story windows. Almost all are either bathroom windows or are set back 14 feet from the property line (master bedroom and stairwell). Only one window on each side is an actual full-sized bedroom window and both meet the required additional second story setback. To the west of the project site (right side when facing the property) the adjacent homes are oriented towards Hollenbeck Avenue with their rear yards towards the project site, so the bedroom window on the west side of the project has minimal impact to privacy. The home on the east (left) is a one-story home. Staff is recommending that the one accessory living unit bedroom window on the project’s second story that faces that home be modified to be a clerestory window.
Floor Area Ratio: The applicant proposes a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 59.5%. There is no Zoning Code limit for FAR in the R-2 Zoning District; however, Planning Commission review is required for single-family homes with FAR over 45%. The following table shows square footages, numbers of stories and FAR for homes on Conway Road and part of Hollenbeck Avenue.
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Property Address |
Square Footage of Structure |
Number of Stories |
FAR |
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1204 #1 Hollenbeck |
1,956 s.f. |
2 |
56% |
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1204 #2 Hollenbeck |
1,954s.f. |
2 |
57% |
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1204 #3 Hollenbeck |
2,473 s.f. |
2 |
51% |
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691 Conway |
2,117 s.f. |
1 |
19% |
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687 Conway |
3,061 s.f. |
2 |
51% |
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683 Conway |
852 s.f. |
1 |
13% |
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679 Conway |
520 s.f. |
1 |
8% |
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1,006 s.f. |
1 |
15% |
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680 Conway |
968 s.f. |
1 |