PROJECT DATA TABLE

ANALYSIS

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

A Planning Commission study session was held on February 24, 2003. At that time, Planning Commissioners expressed interest in ensuring that the density of the site was applied to all overall development for the life of the project. Another Commissioner had questions regarding the existing non-conforming parking condition for the overall development. The following sections discuss each of those elements.

The proposed project consists of the construction of 66 affordable apartment rental units and associated community facilities at the Homestead Park site located west of Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road on Tenaka Place. The project is located within the existing Homestead Park apartment complex development, 222 unit affordable housing development in 27 buildings on 10.16 acres. The existing development is made up of four different parcels located in a Medium-Density Residential/Planned Development Zoning District. The project will require demolition of three existing buildings on site, a loss of 11 units. The project net gain will be 55 affordable apartment units.

The proposed apartment development is to be four different 2 and 3-1/2 stories tall buildings located on a partially submerged parking garage. The proposed apartment units are studio, one, two, and three bedrooms. The site will have driveway access off of Tenaka Place.

The application also includes the construction of a 1,477 square foot freestanding one-story maintenance building within the Homestead Park development.

A 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 (see Attachment 3, Initial Study).

The adjacent uses to the north, east and west are multi-family residential, which include both apartments and duplexes. There are single family houses located to the south of Homestead Park on La Conner Drive.

The project proposes a 66 unit affordable apartment building, which results in a total of 277 affordable apartment units for the overall Homestead Park development. The project is located on one of the four parcels that make up the Homestead Park development, a 1.65-acre parcel. The 1.65 parcel was approved by the Administrative Hearing Officer in 2001 and was created for financing purposes. The project will remove 11 existing apartment units resulting in a net gain of 55 units for the overall development. Similar to the existing development, the proposed project will provide affordable housing for low-income families and seniors.

Three existing buildings are proposed to be removed which include the 11 apartment units, an associated maintenance facility, day care facility and community room. The apartment units that are to be demolished are completely vacant, so relocation of residents is not necessary.

The proposed apartment building will be a grouping of four- 2 and 3-1/2 story buildings atop a partially-submerged parking garage. All of the one-bedroom units will be in the three-story eastern building that faces Tenaka Place. On this building’s first floor will be approximately 4,500 square feet of community space to serve both the proposed apartment building and the overall Homestead Park development, including offices for building management and the services coordinator, a multipurpose meeting room, an exercise room and a classroom for computer instruction and crafts. The north and south buildings will be three stories in their central sections, with three bedroom units over two bedroom flats, with two story (flat over flat) sections at each end. The west building will have two stories of stacked flats.

The proposed use consists of medium-density apartment units. This portion of Homestead Park would cluster a relatively large number of units; however, when the proposed project density is applied to the entire 10.16 acre Homestead Park the total project density is 27.3 dwelling units per acre. The allowable density in the R-3 Zoning District plus the 15% density bonus for affordable housing allows for a maximum density of 27.6 dwelling units per acre.

The Housing and Community Revitalization Sub-element has a policy that "all new residential developments should build at least 75% of the permitted zoning density." (Policy A.2.) The proposed project would meet and exceed the housing policy by building 115% of the permitted zoning density.

There are 30 one-bedroom units proposed, ranging in size from approximately 660-740 square feet. There are 26 two-bedroom units proposed at 783 square feet in size. There are 10 three-bedroom units proposed, ranging in size from approximately 1,200 to 1,335 square feet. (See Attachment 6, Floor Plans: Apartment Buildings)

To replace the loss of the existing on-site Homestead Park maintenance facility that will be demolished to provide room for the apartment building, a 1,477 square foot one-story maintenance building is proposed to be located east of Tenaka Place. The building would be located in an existing landscaped courtyard adjacent to existing three-story apartment buildings and a play structure.

The one story building would accommodate locked storage for maintenance equipment, a small maintenance shop and a garage to accommodate parking for maintenance golf carts.

The apartment project site is located at the northern side of the Homestead Park development in the center along the western side of Tenaka Place. Access is provided at one driveway off of Tenaka Place into a small surface parking lot and then down a ramp into a partially below grade parking garage. A 20-foot wide Emergency Vehicle Access easement is located to the north of the project at the edge of the Homestead Park development. (See Attachment 4, Site Plan Apartment Buildings)

The applicant has proposed decorative interlocking paving to be installed near the entrance of the site and at strategic points along the driveway to add visual interest to the development as well as provide path of travel for pedestrians. Common landscaping, open space and pedestrian pathways are proposed around the apartment building, integrating with the existing landscaping areas of the overall development. A main common open space will be located on the podium deck. The areas provide recreational opportunities for the residents. A 5-foot standard public sidewalk is provided on the project site along Tenaka Place.

The project meets lot coverage standards. The project meets all setback requirements with the exception of the front yard set back requirements. The front yard setback is required to be 20 feet where the proposed minimum front yard setback is 10 feet 3 inches. The front yard setback range along Tenaka Place is approximately 10 to 30 feet. The curve in the street layout creates a unique shaped lot for development. Staff finds the reduced setback along Tenaka to be appropriate for this site and compatible with adjacent development setbacks. The project proposes a rear setback of 14 feet to the parcel line where a minimum of 20 feet is required. The rear setback and distance between buildings is 24 feet when the total development is considered therefore meeting the required rear yard setback requirements.

Sunnyvale Municipal Code Section 19.48.030 requires the distance between detached buildings to be 20 feet at ground level. Between the buildings located on the first floor on the podium a minimum distance of 9 feet is provided between the stairwell projections and the adjacent building walls therefore not meeting the zoning standard. A 20-foot distance is provided throughout the project between apartment building wall to apartment building wall distance. The average of distance between buildings on site is 20 feet. The project meets building and fire safety separation requirements.

Deviations from front yard setback, rear yard setback and building distance are common for infill development. The PD Combining District enables the consideration of deviations from the Code and/or imposition of more restrictive requirements. The PD Combining District provides flexibility in designing a project that is consistent with the character of the surrounding apartment development and in allowing medium-density apartment housing.

The proposed maintenance building is situated 19 and 20 feet from the adjacent residential buildings. Pedestrian circulation is maintained around the building and the surrounding recreational open space. A landscape buffer is located between the building and the adjacent tot lot. (See Attachment 8, Site Plan Maintenance Building)

The following Guidelines were considered in analysis of the project site design.

The proposed 2 and 3 story apartment building architecture is a contemporary California style, updating the style of the surrounding Homestead Park while complementing the existing buildings. The combination of wood siding on the lower floors with board-and-batten siding on the third story will provide visual interest, as will the brackets around the third-floor windows and the awnings on the first floor. The roof will be a 50-year dimensional composition shingle to match the surrounding building roof material (See Attachment 8, Color Site Plans & Elevations). The building’s massing will be broken up by varied articulation, stemming from the use of projecting balcony enclosures and a reduced floor area on the upper floor of the apartments. Hip roofs will further assist to limit the perceived building height, and at the eastern building facing the street, the entry stairs and the two-story central lobby create a focal point and a strong identity for the building’s entry (See Attachment 5, Architectural Plans: Apartment Buildings).

The existing 2 and 3 story Homestead Park apartment buildings on site are undergoing a three-phase architectural rehabilitation. The three phased improvement project will be completed over 10 years. The improvements required design review under a Special Development Permit, which was approved in March of 2002. Improvements include new gable roofs, eaves, wood siding, new stairs, guard rails, private patio enclosures, replacement of windows and doors. The proposed architecture, colors and materials of the apartment buildings complement the surrounding apartment buildings. The color scheme is proposed to be earth tones with cool color accents at the building pop-outs. Staff believes that the color scheme modifications the applicant has suggested will enhance the overall proposed project. Staff recommends Condition of Approval #8 requiring final approval of colors and materials by the Director of Community Development.

The proposed 2 and 3 story apartment buildings are located on a partially submerged parking structure, which creates an overall 2 to 3-1/2 story project.

The buildings range in height from approximately 37 feet in height to 51 feet. Buildings in the R-3 Zoning District are limited to a maximum height of 2 stories, 30 feet in height; however, in 2002 a Special Development Permit was approved allowing a maximum height of 34 feet to accommodate the rehabilitated roof lines.

The average proposed project building height is approximately 43 feet due to the varying number of stories on each building, due to the overall site grade and the partially submerged parking structure. Adjacent apartment buildings to the southwest and northwest are 2 and 3-stories (also zoned R-3). The adjacent buildings to the north are two stories in height and are set approximately 25.6 feet from the property line and 81 feet away from the proposed building. Page 6 and 8 of Attachment 5 illustrates the height and massing relationship between the proposed building and adjacent existing buildings. The cross sections illustrate the maximum height difference between adjacent buildings. The height will be noticeably taller when comparing the elevations of the northern apartment building. The perception of this height will be reduced through the uses of architectural features and roof slope. The grade change will further minimize the perceived height. The project does not achieve building mass compatibility with all adjacent buildings. Development projects often have competing goals. Building height and scale have to be balanced against achieving the addition of 55 new affordable housing units.

The applicant has proposed a floor plan and window layout in which privacy is preserved between buildings. An attached site plan diagram illustrates the typical window layout between proposed apartment units (See Attachment 5, Architectural Plans: Apartment Buildings). The bedroom windows are staggered from each other, therefore preventing a direct line of sight. Many building windows are set approximate 80 feet away from each other adding to privacy.

With the increase in roof height a solar study was required. The solar study demonstrated that less than 10% of any adjacent roofs would be shaded in the morning and afternoon on the shortest day of the year.

Maintenance Building

The proposed maintenance building is one story, L-shaped and has a hipped roof. The materials are wood siding and composition shingles to match the surrounding apartment building structures. The garage door will be decorative metal. Staff finds that the proposed architecture to be compatible and complementary to the surrounding buildings. (See Attachment 7, Site, Floor and Landscape Plans: Maintenance Bldg.)

The following Guidelines were considered in the analysis of the project architecture.

Residential uses in the R-3 Zoning District are required to provide a minimum of 425 square feet of landscaping and 400 square feet of usable open space per unit. The propose project meets and exceeds the minimum landscape area for each unit and the project provides a minimum of 419 square feet of usable open space per unit including private balconies. The project provides approximately 653 square feet of landscaping area per unit. Staff finds that the proposed landscape plan and site layout provides sufficient and quality landscaping areas for each of the units (See Attachment 4, Site and Landscape Plans: Apartment Buildings).

The Homestead Park project meets and exceeds the overall landscaping requirements by providing a total of 180,856 square feet where 117,725 square feet of landscaping area is required.

The proposed 10 foot 3 inch front yard setback prevents the project from meeting the required 15-foot landscape frontage width; however, the range of landscape frontage for the site is approximately 10 feet to 30 feet.

The Homestead Park site is connected through a series of open spaces, green ways and meandering paths. The proposed apartment buildings will create a decorative paved open space plaza located on the podium deck. Planters with trees and decorative plantings are located on the podium, which define a central seating area in the main courtyard. Landscaping around the building perimeter will mask the parking structure from public view.

The applicant has prepared a conceptual landscape plan to surround the proposed maintenance building. The design incorporates trees, ground cover, and decorative shrubs around the building providing a complementary transition between the open recreational space and the building. Staff recommends Condition of Approval #9 requiring that the landscape plans for the project be submitted for review and approval by the Director of Community Development prior to the issuance of a Building Permit.

The following Guidelines were considered in analysis of the project landscaping.

The proposed 66 apartment units require at total of 98 parking spaces. The proposed project creates 119 covered parking spaces in the below grade-parking garage and an additional 5 surface parking spaces; therefore, creating a total of 124 spaces. This project meets and exceeds the required minimum parking standards by providing an additional 26 parking spaces. The 26 spaces can be used to off-set the existing non-conforming parking condition on the surrounding project site.

The proposed overall project (combing both existing and proposed parking) will provide a total of 405 parking spaces. The overall project by today’s standards would require a total of 520 parking spaces.

The existing Homestead Park development provides 8 Class II bicycle rack spaces. The proposed apartment building will provide 5 Class II bicycle racks per VTA guidelines. Staff recommends Condition of Approval #13 that 5 Class II bicycle racks shall be provided on site. The location of the racks shall be approved by the Director of Community Development prior to issuance of a building permit.

One centralized solid waste enclosure will be located at the southern side of the proposed apartment building. The applicant worked with the Solid Waste Division to ensure proper access for the trash trucks to make pickups.

The proposed maintenance building does not require parking spaces. Secured maintenance golf cart parking will be provided within a garage enclosure.

A solid waste enclosure will be located inside the maintenance building. Staff recommends Condition of Approval #14 requiring a detailed recycling and solid waste disposal plan be provided for the total project to the Director of Community Development for review and approval.

Easements: The project provides adequate access for emergency vehicles on the northern edge of the site with a dedicated 20-foot wide Emergency Vehicle Access (E.V.A.) easement. The E.V.A. will be designed with turf block in order to provide a stabilized driving surface while maintaining permeability.

Staff recommends as Condition of Approval #16 requiring a rolled curb to be provided at the entrance to the E.V.A along Tenaka Place and that the E.V.A. shall be properly signed to state "Emergency Vehicle Access Only and general parking is prohibited."

There are no significant traffic impacts expected with this project. Staff finds the architectural style suitable for the neighborhood. With the suggested Conditions of Approval, the proposed project will be beneficial to the surrounding neighborhood.

Normal fees and taxes are expected. The City of Sunnyvale’s Department of Community Development’s Housing Division has been working with the applicant’s non-profit organization to assist in a portion of the funding for this affordable housing project expansion. $800,000 of Home Funds was awarded in Program Year 02/03 towards the proposed development of this project.

On March 3, 2003 an adjacent resident from Hope Terrace contacted staff expressing opposition to the proposed project. The resident expressed concern regarding the existing traffic, parking, noise and overcrowding conditions at Homestead Park. The resident is concerned that further development will increase congestion, potentially increase crime and decrease natural light between buildings.

1. Adopt the Negative Declaration and approve the Special Development Permit with attached conditions.
2. Adopt the Negative Declaration and approve the Special Development Permit with modified conditions.
3. Adopt the Negative Declaration and deny the Special Development Permit.
4. Do not adopt the Negative Declaration and direct staff as to where additional environmental analysis is required.

Alternative 1.

1. The proposed use attains the objectives and purposes of the General Plan of the City of Sunnyvale as discussed below:

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In addition to complying with all applicable City, County, State and Federal Statutes, Codes, Ordinances, Resolutions, the Permittee expressly accepts and agrees to comply with the following Conditions of Approval for this Permit.

GENERAL

1. Front Setback to be 10 ft. 3 in.
2. Rear Setback to be 14 feet
3. Minimum distance between buildings to be 11 ft.
4. Landscape Frontage to be 10 ft 3in.
5. Maximum building height to be 51 feet
6. Maximum building stories to be 3 ½

9. Landscape and irrigation plans shall be submitted for review and approval by the Director of Community Development prior to the issuance of a Building Permit. Landscaping and irrigation shall be installed prior to occupancy. The landscape plan shall include the following elements:

11. Unenclosed storage of any vehicle longer than 18 feet intended for recreation purposes shall be prohibited on the premises.
12. Parking striping plans for all of Homestead Park shall be submitted for review and approval by the Director of Community Development prior to the issuance of a Building Permit.
13. Five Class II bicycle racks shall be provided on site. The location of the racks shall be approved by the Director of Community Development prior to issuance of a building permit.

14. All recycling and solid waste shall be confined to approved receptacles and enclosures. Submit a detailed recycling and solid waste disposal plan to the Director of Community Development for review and approval.

15. Curbs, gutters, sidewalk, streets, and utilities shall be designed, constructed and/or installed in accordance with City standards prior to occupancy. Plans shall be approved by the Department of Public Works.
16. A rolled curb shall be provided at the entrance to the Emergency Vehicle Access (E.V.A.) easement along Tenaka Place. The E.V.A. shall be properly signed to state "Emergency Vehicle Access Only and General Parking Prohibited."
17. Obtain Public Works approval of plans for utility line extensions, utility connections, meter locations, driveways, sidewalks, etc.
18. Construct all public improvements prior to occupancy.
19. Existing and proposed on-site and street frontage electrical, telephone and cable TV services shall be placed underground or removed prior to occupancy (MC 19.46.060).
20. Post labor/material bond and faithful performance bond for the full cost of all off-site public improvements (MCS 12.08.020).
21. Installation of the water system shall conform to City standards and shall be part of the City (or franchised utility) system up to the master water meter serving the project. The water system shall be privately owned and maintained beyond the meters.
22. Surface runoff pollution control measures shall be provided for parking areas, driveways, roofs and other impervious areas. This may include but not be limited to:

1. Direct rainwater from impervious surfaces to landscape areas or infiltration devices.
2. Reduce impervious areas with pervious areas.
3. Engineer structural treatment controls or landscape controls.
4. Regular scheduled pavement sweeping and catch basin cleaning.

23. Stencil all on-site catch basins with NPS "No Dumping" message.