REPORT TO THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project:
VARIANCE: to allow deviation from Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) Section 19.34.030 for a 74-square foot front addition to encroach five feet into the required 20-foot front yard setback; a new gable roof to encroach two and one half feet into the required front yard setback; and, increase the height of the existing front façade wall for a new gable roof form five feet into the front yard setback.
Location: 448 Vine Avenue (APN: 209-23-031)
File #: PLNG-2023-0842
Zoning: R-0 (Low Density Residential)
Applicant / Owner: Anais Schenk (applicant) / Tracy Tripp Trustee (owner)
Environmental Review: Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
Project Planner: Momo Ishijima, 408-730-7532, mishijima@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
BACKGROUND
Description of Proposed Project
The project proposes to enclose an existing 74 square foot front porch, construct a new front porch and modify an existing front-facing roof from a hipped to a gabled roof. The existing house was built at a 15-foot front setback, where 20 feet minimum is required. Therefore, a Variance is required to consider the following:
• 15-foot front setback associated with front porch conversion to living area and increased roof height, where 20 feet minimum is required; and
• 12.5-foot front porch overhang, where 18 feet minimum is required.
The project also includes a 614-square foot addition and the conversion of a sunroom space to living area in the rear.
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices and Attachment 2 for the Data Table of the project.
Previous Actions on the Site
There are no previous planning applications and no active Neighborhood Preservation complaints for the subject site. The conversion of the detached garage to habitable space was approved with building permits in 1988.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from CEQA provisions. Class 1 consists of minor alterations to existing structures, including additions that will not result in an increase of more than 50 percent of the existing floor area, or 2,500 square feet, whichever is less. The proposed additions are less than 50 percent of the existing floor area, and 2,500 square feet.
DISCUSSION
Site Layout and Architecture
The project site is located on the south side of Vine Avenue between Southwood Avenue and Central Avenue. The property is within a housing tract that was developed
during World War II, including the south side of East McKinley Avenue, Southwood and Vine Avenues. The project site is surrounded by single-family residences all around and zoned R-0 (Low Density Residential). The majority of the original homes in this neighborhood were constructed with less than a 20-foot front yard setback. Several of these homes include front porches that encroach further into the required setback, as noted by the applicant’s research of the neighborhood in Attachment 7.
The project is similar to the Variances granted for 462 East McKinley Avenue (#2016-7412) and 474 East McKinley Avenue (#2019-7111), both. Both Variances included a 72 square foot front yard addition to encroach five feet and a new front yard porch to encroach eight feet into the required 20-foot front yard setback. The lots in this neighborhood are typically 50 feet wide, which are considered substandard for lot width by Sunnyvale Municipal Code (57 feet is the standard). Most homes in the original tract have detached garages in the rear with driveway access on the side of the house.
The subject property is 7,841 square feet in size and is currently developed with a 1,232 square foot one-story, single-family home and a 407 square foot detached accessory structure. The home was originally built in 1943 in the Minimal Traditional style. The addition areas are designed to retain the existing architectural style and massing of the home. The front porch roof features a simple gable design, not unlike others in the neighborhood, and is cantilevered from the house wall plane, without ground structural supports. The addition in the rear maintains the plate height and exterior materials are consistent throughout with horizontal siding.
Applicant’s Variance Justifications
The applicant has provided justifications to support the Variance requests (see Attachment 6). The following is a summary of the justifications:
• The home and the neighborhood were built before the current front setback standards became effective.
• The original home has existing non-conforming front yard setbacks, and the living area addition would not further encroach beyond the existing wall line.
• The Variance request does not harm or negatively impact the public or neighbors and will not grant the owners special privileges - the project would result in a home that is similar to others in the neighborhood.
The applicant also notes that the City approved a similar Variance in 2016 at 462 East McKinley (#2016-7412) to allow a covered front porch to encroach into the required 20-foot front yard setback.
Development Standards
The proposed project, including the rear addition, complies with the applicable development standards as set forth in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code, except for the front yard setback.
Staff finds that the requested front yard deviation is reasonable, due to the existing configuration of the lot, negligible privacy and visual impacts to the adjacent neighbors, and consistency with similarly approved setback deviations in the neighborhood.
See Attachment 3 for required Variance findings and Attachment 2 for Project Data Table.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACTS/COMPATIBILITY:
The extension of the front porch would not have adverse impact on the neighborhood, since it is similar to existing homes in the neighborhood with less than 15-foot setbacks. The structure would not obstruct the required driveway vision triangles. The addition of a street facing front door and new gabled roof further adds visual interest to the front façade and will improve the existing streetscape. The first-floor addition in the front yard will also not have any privacy impacts on the adjacent neighbors.
PUBLIC CONTACT
140 notices were sent to surrounding property owners and residents adjacent to the subject site. Staff has received no comments on the item. In addition, the notice of the Public Hearing was published in the Sun newspaper.
Public contact was made by posting the agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board at City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Public Library and in the Department of Public Safety Lobby. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, NOVA Workforce Services reception desk on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours) and on the City’s website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Variance with recommended Finding in Attachment 3 and recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
2. Approve the Variance with modifications.
3. Deny the Variance Permit.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1. Approve the Variance with the recommended Findings in Attachment 3 and recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
Staff
Prepared by: Momo Ishijima, Senior Planner
Approved by: Noren Caliva-Lepe, Principal Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Maps
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings
4. Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. Site and Architectural Plans
6. Variance Justifications by the Applicant
7. Neighborhood Research and Photos by the Applicant