May 17, 2005

REPORT IN BRIEF     

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PROJECT DATA TABLE

** Starred items indicate deviations from the Sunnyvale Municipal Code requirements.

Description of Proposed Project

The proposed plan calls for construction of a roof covered concrete pad (20 feet by 41 feet) to relocate a chemical treatment system and equipment currently located in the existing building.  The facilities are used for R&D and manufacturing.  The concrete pad will include a containment berm in case of chemical spills. 

According to the application materials, the purpose of relocating the treatment system is to allow for more manufacturing space inside the existing building and to create a safer work environment within the building.  At the Planning Commission public hearing, the applicant’s representative indicated that safety was not an issue.

The reason this project is before the City Council is based solely on the fact the exterior area will have a roof, resulting in an increase in Floor Area Ratio (FAR).  If the roof were not included in the proposed chemical storage/processing area, this application would only require staff level review.  The City’s Hazardous Materials Coordinator has reviewed and approved the proposed project.

Background

Previous Actions on the Site: The following table summarizes previous planning applications related to the subject site.

Planning Commission Hearing: The project was reviewed at the April 25, 2005 Planning Commission hearing.  The applicant had received prior approval to begin work on the concrete berm with the understanding that it would need to be removed if the chemical storage/processing relocation was not approved.  The Planning Commission discussed concerns with the Mitigated Negative Declaration, concerned that the chemicals did not receive adequate consideration.  Staff noted that the proposed relocation of existing chemicals had already been reviewed and approved by the Hazardous Materials Coordinator and that the only reason the application was required to go through a public hearing was the additional FAR due to the proposed roof.  The potential spillage of chemicals was mitigated by the berm.  The project would be expected to meet standard Code requirements, such as a maximum allowable noise level when measured at the neighboring property line.  The Planning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval to the City Council (see Attachment F for meeting minutes).  The one dissention was due to a concern with Mitigated Negative Declaration and an inability to make the Findings.

Environmental Review

A Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act provisions and City Guidelines. An initial study has determined that the proposed project would not create any significant environmental impacts with implementation of the recommended mitigation measures (see Attachment C for Initial Study and Attachment B for Condition of Approval #3).  The Mitigated Negative Declaration included a revised page 4 of 22, which clarified the surrounding uses as office as well as research and development (R&D).

Use Permit

Use: The existing use is R&D and manufacturing facility.  This proposal involves no change in the use, but simply a relocation of an existing treatment process from inside the building to a proposed covered enclosure just behind the existing building.

NeoConix, Inc. is the sole occupant of the site.  They produce interconnect device such as printed circuit boards.  The proposed relocation of the processing equipment is to allow for more interior space for wet processing and for an air compressor.  It will not result in additional office space.  No additional staffing is proposed.  The chemicals to be located in the proposed exterior enclosure are acids and bases and do not involve gases.  The chemical treatment is to remove heavy metals form the processed equipment.  The heavy metals are run through a press where the sludge is converted to a solid.  The solid waste is then hauled away using standard hazmat procedures.  Permitting and inspections of the hazardous processes are handled by City Public Safety staff.  They have been reviewed and approved by the Hazardous Materials Coordinator and are not up of consideration with this permit.

Site Layout: The site consists of an existing one-story industrial building which is attached to the neighboring building to the south with a zero-lot line.  The site includes a landscaped area in the front, an access drive aisle and parking on the northern boundary, with parking and solid waste receptacles and minimal landscaping in the rear of the site.

Stormwater Management:  The existing site has a landscaped area between the front of the building and the street, and a narrow landscaped area with small and large trees along the rear property line.

While the proposed project does not trigger a formal stormwater management plan requirement.  The project could benefit from for adequate impervious surface to be established on the site, and the applicant is strongly encouraged to institute simple stormwater management techniques, such as roof drainage down-spouts draining to open landscaping areas.  These are not requirements of this project.

Easements and Undergrounding: An overhead utility line is located along the rear property line with an overhead service drop to the existing building.

All existing and proposed utility service drops on the site shall be undergrounded (see Condition of Approval #10).  This is required for all newly developed or modified sites.  The proposed addition of the additional FAR qualifies as a modification to the site. 

Architecture:  The existing building is of the standard box-type industrial building.  The proposed addition in the rear of the building is surrounded by a 6 foot high chain link fence that exceeds the height of all equipment to be located inside the enclosure.  The fence shall have environmental green colored slats to shield visibility to the equipment.

Landscaping:  The site contains only 7% of the required 20% of landscape coverage and is deficit from the current landscaping requirements.  As the site provides more than the required parking space (30 provided where only 23 required), converting parking to landscaping will enable the site to meet landscaping requirements.  Converting select parking stalls to landscaping with trees will also allow for parking lot shading requirements to be met.  A landscaping plan shall be required prior to issuance of Building Permits (see Condition of Approval #4).

The site currently has 5 protected heritage trees.  Protected trees are those that measure 38 inches or greater in circumference when measured at four feet from the ground.  The plans for this project include preserving all 5 of the protected trees.

Parking/Circulation: The site currently has 30 parking spaces where only 25 are required with the proposed addition.  The proposed enclosure will not result in the loss of parking spaces.  All of the 30 existing spaces are standard size, where up to 50% are allowed to be compact.  As stated above, excess parking will be required to be turned into landscaping (see Condition of Approval #4).

Compliance with Development Standards/Guidelines: The site does not comply with current requirements for total landscaping, parking lot shading, guidelines for bicycle parking, and targeted impervious surface for stormwater runoff management.  The proposed 43% FAR calls for City Council review, though is not specifically prohibited by the City Municipal Code.  In addition, the Code calls for undergrounding of utility service drops for newly developed or modified sites.  Staff has addressed the additional findings for projects with FAR over 35%.  They are included in Attachment B.

Expected Impact on the Surroundings:  With standard use and maintenance, and permitting by City Public Safety staff, the chemicals are not anticipated to have an impact on the surrounding sites. The proposed chemicals are acids and bases and are not expected to result in discharge through the air.

No fiscal impacts other than normal fees and taxes are expected.