December 20, 2005
SUBJECT: 2005-0911 – KB Home South Bay Inc.: Request to Initiate a General Plan Amendment Study to change the Land Use Designation for 690 E. Arques Avenue from Industrial to Medium Density Residential (APN: 205-31-005)
REPORT IN BRIEF
The City received a joint letter from ARQ Investments, LP and KB Home South Bay Inc. (See Attachment A), requesting consideration of a General Plan Amendment Study to allow for a General Plan Land Use designation change from Industrial to “Industrial to Residential” for an existing 3.2 acre lot.
The subject site is zoned MS (Industrial and Service) and is currently developed with an industrial building. KB Home South Bay Inc. proposes to redevelop the site with multi-family residential units. The proposed conversion of the property would require a Rezone from MS (Industrial and Service) to MS/ITR (Industrial to Residential) or a specific residential zoning district.
Staff finds that there is adequate justification to study a modification of the General Plan land use designation to residential, since the site is across from an existing ITR (Industrial to Residential) site and adjacent to an existing high density residential project. In addition, the area has been experiencing a turnover of industrial to various non-industrial uses. Staff recommends initiation of a General Plan Amendment Study of a range of densities (Medium to High).
Click here for map. (.pdf)
BACKGROUND
As part of the 1993 Futures Study the subject site was evaluated for possible conversion to residential. The Council did not change the industrial designation at that time due to the fact that it did not appear that the site was a likely candidate for residential conversion and would provide a buffer for the medium density residential to the north of Arques Avenue from the Central Expressway.
The 138,608 square foot subject site currently has a General Plan designation of Industrial and is zoned MS (Industrial and Service). The adjacent property to the west of the site is designated High Density Residential. The property to the east is designated Industrial. The properties across the street to the north are industrial and office uses. To the south is the Central Expressway. Properties further east include industrial buildings and uses; however, the area is starting to have more non-industrial uses. The subject site is currently developed with a single industrial building with mature landscaping and is surrounded by surface parking.
The applicant has submitted a preliminary plan with a project that has a density of approximately 21 units per acre. The applicant desires to develop townhomes, similar to that found elsewhere in the City.
Environmental Status
This action is not considered to be a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) since the initiation of a General Plan Amendment study has no possibility of creating a significant environmental impact. (See CEQA Guidelines Article 5, Section 15061(b)(3)). Appropriate environmental review will be conducted for subsequent development applications should the General Plan Amendment study be initiated.
EXISTING POLICY
Sunnyvale Municipal Code Section 19.92.020 authorizes only the City Council to initiate an amendment to the General Plan. City Code requires the City Council to first review a request to initiate a General Plan Amendment in order to determine if the request warrants further study. The approval of this initiation would allow a formal application to be submitted to further review the merits of the proposed General Plan Amendment request; approval of initiation does not commit the City Council to approve a General Plan Amendment, nor any specific project proposal. Submittal of General Plan Amendment and Rezoning applications require payment of fees totaling over $9,000 and subsequent hearing by the Planning Commission and City Council.
The following General Plan goals, policies, and action statements in the following Sub-elements relate to this proposed General Plan Amendment request:
Land Use and Transportation Sub-element
Policy N1.1
Protect the integrity of the City’s neighborhoods; whether residential, industrial or commercial.
Action Statement N1.1.1
Limit the intrusion of incompatible uses and inappropriate development into city neighborhoods.
Policy N1.2
Require new development to be compatible with the neighborhood, adjacent land uses, and the transportation system.
Action Statement N1.3.1
Review development proposals for compatibility within neighborhoods.
Policy N1.6
Safeguard industry’s ability to operate effectively, by limiting the establishment of incompatible uses in industrial areas.
Policy C2.2
Encourage the development of ownership housing to maintain a majority of housing in the city for ownership choice.
Community Design Sub-Element
Policy A.2
Ensure that new development is compatible with the character of special districts and residential neighborhoods.
Housing and Community Revitalization Sub-element
Goal A
Foster the expansion of housing supply to provide greater opportunities for current and future residents within limits imposed by environmental, social, fiscal, and land use constraints.
In 1993 the City established an Industrial to Residential Combining District to implement the “Futures Study”. This zoning combining district allows eventual conversion to residential uses, while maintaining all rights of the industrial zone until redevelopment to a residential use. The ITR combining district has no residential density associated with it; therefore all sites zoned ITR also have a companion residential zone (e.g. R-1.7, R-3).
DISCUSSION
KB Home South Bay Inc. is requesting that the City initiate a General Plan Amendment Study to consider changing the existing Land Use designation from Industrial to Industrial to Residential. Details of future construction would be examined through the standard development review process.
The applicant has prepared a preliminary concept to illustrate how the site could accommodate residential use. The plan has a loop driveway with multi-family (attached homes) buildings. A row of parking is proposed to be located on the east side of the property with open spaces through the middle of the site and a recreation room within this area.
A change to residential use could result in higher peak hour vehicle trips; this issue would be evaluated as part of a General Plan Amendment study along with other potential environmental impacts. The project site is located between an expressway, a major thoroughfare (Arques Avenue) and next to a high density residential project and industrial uses.
The site is adjacent to a high density residential zoning and across the street from medium density residential zoning. Three General Plan Land Use designations are discussed below, together with the potential results of having each density at the site:
Medium Density
This land use classification would yield a product type that is similar to many projects recently approved by the City. As an example, this would typically consist of a townhouse or rowhouse (attached single-family) style project that would have tuck-under parking and would rise two to three levels above grade. At the higher range of the density, there could potentially be garden style condominiums with surface parking. The majority of the multi-family residential projects that have recently come before the City have been within this density range.
Compared to Low and Low-Medium density, this classification tends to result in projects that have more building mass. Compared to high density, homes in this range tend to be more expensive, with larger unit sizes. This land use classification is typically a good transition or buffer between lower and higher density classifications.
High Density
This land use classification would tend to yield a condominium or apartment type of project that is typified by stacked flats. Due to the limited amount of R-4 zoned land, the City has received a proportionately smaller number of applications for these types of projects. The number of floors could range anywhere from two to four levels, with underground or podium parking, and possibly limited surface parking. Currently the property directly to the west is developed at the high density level with three floors of stacked flats over underground parking and additional surface parking surrounding the buildings.
Residential units within the high density category tend to be more affordable than units at the lower density, in part because units tend to be smaller and because most units have common walls above and below and to the left and right. Units within this density range tend to appeal to young professionals (single and families) or aging empty-nesters because they do not need to actively maintain the property or building and because both groups do not have as great a need for living area.
Industrial to Residential
Industrial to Residential allows property to maintain industrial designation. Property can be added onto or rebuilt with uses permitted in the underlying industrial zoning district. Once property is developed as residential it can no longer be used for industrial type uses. The ITR would require a companion density such as medium or high (discussed above).
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City to initiate a General Plan Amendment Initiation study. If the Council initiates the study, the applicant will be required to pay appropriate fees to cover the staff costs of preparing the study.
Conclusion
The applicant is requesting consideration of a General Plan Amendment Study to allow for a General Plan Land Use change from Industrial to Industrial to Residential. The site is located in an area that is currently experiencing a turnover of uses from industrial and office to residential. Three land use designations were reviewed; Medium Density, High Density, and Industrial to Residential as options for the City Council to consider. The Medium Density designation will more than likely result in a residential project similar to those that have recently been proposed and approved by the City. These include multi-family residential townhome style projects. The High Density designation will likely result in a stacked flat condition where the entire unit is on one floor within a multiple level building. The higher density project will result in lower home prices and smaller units.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Notification of the City Council meeting for this item is part of the standard agenda publication. A copy of the agenda and staff report have been provided to the applicant as well as posted on the City of Sunnyvale website and provided at the reference section of the Sunnyvale Library.
ALTERNATIVES
- Authorize the initiation of a General Plan Amendment study for a range of Residential densities from Medium to High.
- Authorize the initiation of the General Plan Amendment study for the subject site from Industrial to Industrial to Residential (Medium to High Density).
- Authorize the initiation of the General Plan Amendment study for the subject site from Industrial to either Medium or High Density.
- Do not authorize the initiation of further study on the subject site.
RECOMMENDATION
Alternative 1. Staff recommends that a range of residential densities should be further analyzed for appropriateness to the site. The site is appropriate for residential uses since it is located within an area of the City that is currently experiencing a turnover from industrial and office uses to residential. In addition, the adjacent property to the west is currently high density residential, thus, the uses will be complementary to each other. All of these uses tend to be more compatible with a higher density project.
A range of densities is recommended for review because both densities offer positives and negatives that cannot be fully understood and analyzed at this time. A high density designation could result in a project with a lower price, allowing more first time homebuyers the opportunity to own a home. It would add increased housing types into the overall City housing mix and is similar to the property to the west; however, it may also involve increased traffic and utility impacts. A medium density designation will likely result in a townhome project with potentially lower traffic and utility impacts; however, it will result in fewer units, which will do less to address the housing shortage and to achieve a better balanced housing to job ratio. More detailed information and analysis will provide guidance for a density recommendation.
Staff does not recommend examining an ITR designation because the subject site is only one property. Normally, ITR’s are designated when multiple properties are involved. An ITR allows properties to maintain its industrial character, even when nearby properties are developing to residential. Since this involves only one property with a residential project likely to follow, there is no need to have an underlying industrial designation.
Reviewed by:
Trudi Ryan, Planning Officer, Planning Division
Prepared by: Troy Fujimoto, Associate Planner
Reviewed by:
Robert Paternoster, Director, Community Development
Approved by:
Amy Chan
City Manager
Attachments
A. Letter from the Applicant (.pdf)
B. Preliminary Site Plan (.pdf)
C. General Plan Designations & Land Uses (.pdf)