REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
File #: 2014-7236
Location: 863 San Pablo Ave. (APN: 205-04-040)
Zoning: R0
Proposed Project:
DESIGN REVIEW: To allow a two-story addition of 497 sq. ft. to an existing 1,968 sq. ft. one-story home for a total of 2,465 sq. ft. and 48.7% F.A.R
Applicant / Owner: Messier Benitez / Gursharanjit (Jit) Jagait
Environmental Review: Categorical Exemption, CEQA Section 15301(e).
Project Planner: Teresa Zarrin, (408) 730-7429, tzarrin@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
General Plan: Residential Low Density
Existing Site Conditions: Single-Family Residence
Surrounding Land Uses
North: Single-Family Residence
South: Single-Family Residence
East: Single-Family Residence
West: Single-Family Residence
Issues: Floor Area Ratio, Neighborhood Compatibility
Staff Recommendation: Approve the Design Review permit with conditions
BACKGROUND
Description of Proposed Project: The applicant proposes to add a two-story addition of 497 square feet to an existing 1,968 square feet one-story home built in 1956 on a 5,054 sq. ft. lot. The proposed building size would total of 2,465 square feet, including a 360 square foot garage with a resulting 48.7% floor area ratio (FAR). A Design Review permit is required for second story additions to evaluate compliance with development standards and with the Single Family Home Design Techniques. Planning Commission review is required for homes that exceed 45% FAR.
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices and Attachment 2 for the Data Table of the project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act provisions. Class 1 Categorical Exemptions, Section 15301(e) include additions to existing structures resulting in no more than a 50% increase in floor area.
DISCUSSION
Architecture: The existing neighborhood is comprised mostly of one-story, single-family residences, which are Postwar Minimal with simple rectilinear forms. The existing neighborhood was developed in the mid-1950s and the majority of the homes on San Pablo Avenue have two-car garages, some of which are below the current 400 sq. ft. code requirement and two have been converted (with permits) to living space. The project site is located on the west side of San Pablo Ave near East Ahwanee Ave and US Hwy 101. The second story addition is situated on the south and rear side of the existing home to minimize the solar impact on the neighbor and the visual impact to the streetscape. The proposed design of the second story addition matches the stucco exterior of and color of the existing first story.
The 1,968 square-foot first floor consists of a 360 sq. ft. two-car garage, three bedrooms, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a kitchen, and living, and dining rooms. The 497 square foot second floor consists of two bedrooms and one bathroom.
Floor Area Ratio: The proposed 48.7% FAR requires Planning Commission review since it is in excess of the 45% FAR threshold. The neighborhood contains mostly one-story homes with four, two-story residences on San Pablo Ave and five additional two-story homes nearby. (See Attachment 3)
The gross floor area of the homes on San Pablo Avenue ranges from 1,424 to 2,637 square feet, with the average being 1,718 square feet. The FARs on San Pablo Avenue range from 28% to 52% FAR (33% average). (See Attachment 5) The proposed gross floor area of 2,465 sq. ft. would make the home the second largest on the block, behind the 2,637 square-foot, 52% FAR, two-story home next door at 869 San Pablo (second story built in 1975).
FAR and Second Floor to First Floor Ratio (%) of
Existing Two-story Homes in the Neighborhood
|
Address |
FAR (%) |
Floor Area (sq. ft.) |
2nd Floor to 1st Floor Ratio (%) |
Year Addition Built |
|
869 San Pablo Ave. |
52 |
2,637 |
N/A |
1975 |
|
863 San Pablo Ave |
49 |
2,465 |
25 |
Proposed |
|
785 San Pablo Ave. |
38 |
1,933 |
N/A |
N//A |
|
868 San Pablo Ave. |
34 |
2,386 |
43 |
1992 |
|
756 San Pablo Ave. |
34 |
1,784 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
881 San Mateo Ct. |
39 |
1,958 |
25 |
1967 |
|
850 San Mateo Ct. |
42 |
2,101 |
27 |
1964 |
|
839 San Mateo Ct. |
43 |
2,180 |
53 |
1982 |
|
850 Santa Paula Ave. |
40 |
2,044 |
23 |
1979 |
|
786 Santa Paula Ave. |
40 |
2,014 |
N/A |
N/A |
Second Floor Area: The City's Single Family Design Techniques suggest a second floor massing of up to 35% of the first floor when a neighborhood is predominantly single-story. The proportion of the second story to the first story of the home is a modest 25% making it similar in massing percentage to many of the other less intrusive two-story homes in the neighborhood.
Garage: The legal non-conforming, 360 sq. ft. garage does not meet the 400 sq. ft. minimum but has functioned as a two-car garage since it was built in the mid-1950s. Of the 33 homes on San Pablo Avenue, 10 of the homes have garages with 360 sq. ft. and two have no garages (converted with permits). The applicant is adding a 50 sq. ft. shed in the rear yard for extra storage space.
Lot Coverage: The existing lot coverage is 44% which exceeds the maximum allowable lot coverage of 40%. The applicant proposes to remove a 100 sq. ft. shed in the rear yard and a 160 sq. ft. shed in the side yard. Doing this, in combination with adding the 50 sq. ft. shed in the rear yard will to reduce the lot coverage to the maximum allowable of 40%.
Height: The house is 20’2 5/8” in height, with 8 foot plate heights on both the first and second stories. The height of the house matches the height of the two-story house next door on the right.
Roof: The addition includes a 40-year “Presidential Shake” composite shingle roof with a 4:12 pitch hip roof that matches the roof material pitch of the existing home and other homes in the neighborhood.
Solar: The Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) Section 19.56.020 states that no permit may be issued for any construction which would interfere with solar access by shading more than 10% of the roof of any structure on a nearby property. The bulk of the addition is on the south side of the house which reduces shading of the neighbor to 3.6%, which is less than the 10% maximum allowed.
Front Yard Paving: The Zoning Code requires that not more than fifty percent of the required front yard of any lot within an R-0 or R-1 zoning district be paved. The required front yard in this property has 66% paving, similar to approximately 10 of the 33 front yards on San Pablo Ave. A site visit revealed that the paving of all these homes is consistent in design which leads staff to believe that the driveway design is original. Since the paving is common in the neighborhood and appears to be part of the original design of the neighborhood, and the driveway is not being modified as part of this project, staff feels that the driveway can be left as is.
Privacy, Second-Story Windows:
• Left (south) Elevation (setback 8’2”) - Front and rear bedroom - The windows facing the side yard are high-sill windows to provide privacy to the neighbor.
• Rear (west) Elevation - The rear bedroom has two windows but neither meets egress requirements. The Building Safety Division will require there to be at least one egress window in the rear bedroom. Planning recommends that the egress window be the window that faces the rear yard since there is a larger setback on the side. This means that the window on the west elevation will be larger than currently shown on the elevations.
• Front Elevation: Since the front setback is 40’ and faces the street, there are no privacy issues on this elevation.
• Right (north) Elevation - The one window on the north side is on the stairwell and is setback 30 feet from the side property line so there are no privacy issues.
Applicable Design Guidelines and Policy Documents: Staff considers the proposed home to be consistent with the adopted Single-Family Home Design Techniques with regard to second story additions. It would be consistent with the overall size and second story floor area of other two-story homes, and positively adds to the streetscape. Staff has included findings for the Single-Family Home Design Techniques in Attachment 6.
Development Standards: The proposed project complies with the applicable Development Standards as set forth in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code, such as lot coverage, parking, height, solar access, and setbacks.
Fiscal Impact: No fiscal impacts other than normal fees and taxes are expected.
Notice of Public Hearing, Staff Report and Agenda
• Published in the Sun newspaper
• Posted on the site
• 72 notices mailed to property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project site
• Posted on the City of Sunnyvale's Website
• Provided at the Reference Section of the City of Sunnyvale's Public Library
• Agenda Posted on the City's official notice bulletin board
Public Contact: There were no neighbor comments on the project at the time of the writing of this report.
Conclusion
Staff was able to make the required Findings for the Design Review. The recommended Conditions of Approval are located in Attachment 7. Recommended Findings are located in Attachment 6.
Alternatives
1. Approve the Design Review with the Conditions of Approval in Attachment 7.
2. Approve the Design Review with modified conditions.
3. Deny the Design Review and provide direction to staff and the applicant where changes should be made.
Recommendation
Recommendation
Recommend Alternative 1 in accordance with the Findings in Attachment 6 and Conditions of Approval in Attachment 7.
Prepared by: Teresa Zarrin, Associate Planner
Approved by: Gerri Caruso, Principal Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity Map
2. Project Data Table
3. Two-Story Homes in the Vicinity
4. Letter from Applicant to the Planning Commission
5. Gross Floor Area/FAR Comparison
6. Recommended Findings
7. Recommended Conditions of Approval
8. Site and Architectural Plans