SunnyvaleRTC

January 25, 2005

SUBJECT:	2004-0857 – Iraj Dehnow [Applicant] Iraj Dehnow [Owner]: Application for related proposals on a 12,120 square-foot site located at 1276 Poplar Avenue in an R-2 (Low Medium Density Residential) Zoning District. (APN: 213-44-034);
Introduction of an Ordinance	Rezone from R-2 (Low-Medium Density Residential) to R-2/PD (Low-Medium Residential/Planned Development) Zoning District ;
Motion	Special Development Permit to remove two homes and construct three new homes, and
Motion	Parcel Map to subdivide one lot into four lots.

REPORT IN BRIEF

Existing Site Conditions	Two one-story living units
Surrounding Land Uses
North	Mixture of 2-4 unit residential complexes
South	Triplex , Commercial Auto Dealer lot one lot south
East	Multiplexes
West	Condominiums
Issues	Open Space, Design Review
Environmental Status	A Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from California Environmental Quality Act provisions and City Guidelines.
Planning Commission Recommendation	Approve with modified conditions to eliminate front yard setback deviations, reduce the overall FAR from 60% to 50%, and include pervious pavers as practicable.
Staff Recommendation	Approve Planning Commission recommendation

	EXISTING	PROPOSED	REQUIRED/ PERMITTED
General Plan	Low Medium Density	Low Medium Density	Low Medium Density
Zoning District	R-2	R-2/PD	Rezone
Lot Size (s.f.)	12,120	Lot 1 3,465 Lot 2 3,195 Lot 3 3,120	8,000 min.
Gross Floor Area (s.f.)	2,600	7,236	Per SDP
Lot Coverage (%)	21.4	32	40 max.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR)	21.4%	60%	Small Lot Dev. Guideline of 50% overall
No. of Units	2	3	3 max.
Density (units/acre)	7.1	10.8	12 max.
Unit Sizes (s.f.) (Including garage)	Front Unit 1,000 Rear Unit 1,600	Unit 1 2,569 Unit 2 2,352 Unit 3 2,327	N/A
Building Height (ft.)	14	27	30 max.
No. of Stories	1	2	2 max.
Setbacks (First/Second Facing Property)
· Front	77	15/20	20/25 min.
· Left Side	9.5	4'/7'	4/7 min.(total 12/18)
· Right Side	4	4'/7'	4/7 min. (total 12/18)
· Rear	23	10'11"/20'	10/20 min.
· Rear Yard Percentage (%)	0	23	25% max
Landscaping (sq. ft.)
· Total Landscaping	Unknown	4,600	3,295 min.
· Landscaping/Unit	Unknown	1,533	850 min.
· Usable Open Space/Unit	Unknown	558	500 min.
· Frontage Width (ft.)	15	15	15 ft. min.
Parking
· Total Spaces	4	12	12min.
· Covered Spaces	0	6	6 min.
· Driveway Width (ft.)	20	12	10 min.

Starred items indicate deviations from Sunnyvale Municipal Code requirements.

ANALYSIS

Description of Proposed Project

The project proposes to demolish two existing structures for the purpose of developing three new four bedroom single-family detached homes on the site. The project includes one unit fronting on Poplar Avenue, a second unit in the middle of the site, and a third unit in the rear of the site; all of which are accessed by a common private drive.

Background

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on January 10, 2005 and recommended approval of the project with three modified conditions:

1. Reduce the overall floor area ratio of the site from the proposed 60% to small lot development guideline of 50%.

2. To eliminate the front yard setback deviation of 15 feet where 20 is required on the first floor and 20 where 25 is required for the second floor.

3. Include pervious paver treatments as practicable.

Also, the applicant originally requested a 6-inch deviation to second-story rear yard setback, but has agreed to remove that deviation from the plan and has no longer included the deviation in the design. As of writing this report the applicant has not revised the site plan to show this change, but it is included as a condition of approval.

There are no previous land use actions on the site prior to submittal of the subject application. The existing buildings are listed as being approximately 75 years old in the County Assessor's records. The site is surrounded by primarily existing two-story development, including multi-story condominiums across the street and a one story tri-plex to the south.

Environmental Review

A Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from California Environmental Quality Act provisions and City Guidelines. Class 3 Categorical Exemption includes new construction of up to three new single-family homes in an urban setting.

Rezoning

Discussion of Rezoning: The applicant is requesting a Planned Development Combining District (PD) in conjunction with the existing R-2 zoning for the site. The PD is a common tool utilized throughout Sunnyvale for the development of infill and small lot development projects. PD is intended to allow for flexibility in meeting the City's development standards and in some instances to place stricter controls on new development. With a PD the applicant may propose deviations to the zoning standards through the requested Special Development Permit. The most common deviation proposed in the PD is minimum lot size for the purpose of creating individual ownership units. Such is the case with the subject application.

Sunnyvale 1998 Guidelines for PD Zoning

To facilitate development or redevelopment of a site to improve the neighborhood. (Meets)
To allow for a proposed use that is compatible with the neighborhood but requires deviations from development standards for a successful project. (Meets)
To allow for the development and creations of lots that are less than the minimum size required in the base zoning district. (Meets)

Special Development Permit

Site Layout: The subject site is 60 feet in width and 202 feet in depth for a total area of 12,120 square feet. The site is the typical lot dimensions for the R-2 zoned properties along this immediate section of Poplar Avenue. A one-foot dedication for right of way is required of the project to allow for standard street improvements to Poplar Avenue. The three units would be accessed directly from the proposed private driveway which runs along the north boundary of the project.

Providing three units on an existing lot accessed by a private drive, makes defining individual front and rear yards an ineffectual exercise and instead, staff has defined individual unit setbacks by cardinal direction.

	West	East	South	North
Unit 1	15 (front)	17 (parking)	4 / 7	18 (3 from drive)
Unit 2	9	17 (parking)	12 / 8	18 (3 from drive)(front)
Unit 3	3 (front)	10-16/20	8 / 11	4/7

Staff recommends looking at the proposed layout two ways. The first method is for adjacent property compatibility. The site as a whole should meet standard R-2 front, rear, and side yard setback provisions. Secondly, the project should be looked at for internal setbacks to create landscaping and open space, the most discernable livability factors of small lot single-family homes. In regards to the site as a whole, the project complies with setback standards for both ground floor and second floor setbacks with the exception of the front setback near Poplar Avenue. Staff requested the applicant review options for increasing opens space including potentially a front yard setback deviation. As a result, the applicant has proposed the 15-foot front yard setback deviation to open up space around Unit 2 to provide more landscaping and separation. The Planning Commission considered the front yard deviation inappropriate due to the neighborhood pattern of 20-foot front yard setbacks and the overall size of the homes size. Planning Commission recommended requiring compliance with the front yard setback standard.

In regards to the internal "livability" setbacks, creating usable open space and landscaping are the primary goals along with creating adequate spacing for privacy. To review the usable open space design, there are adopted Small Lot Guidelines and defined zoning standards. The guidelines ask for a minimum of a 15-foot dimension for usable open space rather than the zoning standard of 12 feet. Total area required is the same at a minimum of 500 square feet. The applicant has proposed building setbacks for portions of each lot that allow the project to meet the small lot guideline of 15 feet for Unit 1 and Unit 3. Unit 2 provides the 15-foot guideline dimension for 50% of the open space and the remainder complies with the minimum zoning standard. Reducing the front yard setback deviation will change the configuration of open space and may impact attainment of the 15-foot dimension guideline. All units include a standard good neighbor fence to define the private space for each unit.

The most difficult unit to place within the project is Unit 2. Having homes on all four sides of the unit requires the most attention of the three proposed units. To address staff concerns of setbacks and usable space the applicant has modified the plan to provide for compliance with minimum usable open space standards as discussed above and increased the separation of the house from Unit 1 guest parking to the west. The setback is now 9 feet to allow for infill landscaping softening the look and feel of the unit. Unit 2 has a three-foot landscape strip between the drive and the house, with an additional three-foot landscape strip (to include trees) on the opposite side of the drive. Pavers are indicated to be used for the drive to soften its appearance. Staff recommends the applicant consider using an open paver system or potentially Hollywood driveway strips that allow grass to grow up in the guest parking spaces of the project to provide additional softening near the homes.

The project proposes three new two-story single-family homes ranging from 2,327 to 2,569 square feet. Each home includes a decorative craftsman column covered entry and a two-car garage. Elements of interest and articulation include bay windows, wood beams and corbels, inset second stories, pop outs, and variations in roof peaks and planes. On units 1 and 2, second-story facades facing east do not have windows in order to respect privacy of other homeowners. The proposed building materials include a 40-year dimensional composition roof, a stucco wall finish, and foam trim. Staff has included a recommended condition that the blank walls for privacy included either clerestory windows or other architectural feature for the wall, such as false windows with permanently closed shutters to provide additional interest. Staff has included a condition of approval for a 50-year warranty roofing material of a minimum aesthetic quality of dimensional composition shingles.

The project has an overall FAR of approximately 60% which exceeds the small lot guideline of 50%. The applicant contends that the quality of architectural design and the ability to comply with open space and landscaping standards with minimal setback deviations are in favor of the proposed project FAR. The applicant also contends that the proposed project is similar to a project located three lots north. The northern project was approved in 2001 at 55.7% FAR and included one single-family detached unit and two attached units. Compliance with the 50% guideline would require a reduction of 1,200 total square feet; the equivalent of 400 square feet per unit. The neighboring older developed properties have lower FAR; the sites are generally around 35-40% FAR. Although the total FAR is greater, the proposed height, bulk, and seatbacks (excepting the front setback) are similar to the existing neighborhood development, due to the pattern of three independent buildings on the subject site.

Unit 2 includes a second-story cantilevered pop-out of 48 inches to the south. This pop out complies with minimum setback requirements, but does encroach into potential usable open space area even though the ground floor is clear. Please note that the encroached space is not currently utilized in the open space calculation for Unit 2. By code, if a cantilevered structure exceeds 24 inches the area below the structure will count as gross floor area adding 53 feet to the gross floor area of Unit 2, increasing the overall FAR as well. Staff recommends that the pop-out be reduced to a maximum of 24 inches to create a somewhat greater sense of openness in the rear of the home.

The following Guidelines were used in review of the site design and Architecture: