REPORT TO HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Receive and Provide Input on the Draft of the Update to the Historical Context Statement to Include Historical Contributions Made by Asian Americans and Other Minority Groups (Council Priority Project CO-1)
File #: PLNG-2024-0485
Environmental Review: The action is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15306.
Project Planner: Bonnie Filipovic, (408) 730-7462, bfilipovic@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
BACKGROUND
The City Council adopted the existing Historical Context Statement (Statement) in 2012, which provides a framework for setting goals, policies, and actions that guide the City’s heritage preservation program. The Statement documents key aspects of Sunnyvale’s historical development including land use patterns, major events, architecture, and notable impacts from prominent figures and groups such as Native Americans, Spanish-Mexican settlers, European farmers, and Chinese and Japanese laborers and farmworkers. A link to the adopted Statement is provided in Attachment 1.
In 2018 the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) sponsored Study Issue CDD 19-04 (now Council Priority Project CO-1) which seeks a significant update to the existing Statement to include more in-depth information on the historical influence of Asian Americans and other minority groups in Sunnyvale. The study issue paper is included in Attachment 3. At the 2023 Study Issues and Budget Proposals Workshop the City Council approved a $50,000 budget supplement to fund a consultant for this study. Through an Informal Request for Proposals solicitation process, staff selected Architectural Resources Group (ARG) to conduct the study.
On November 5, 2025, the HPC provided preliminary direction on the study’s focus before ARG began researching and drafting the update to the Statement. Staff and ARG also held a community outreach meeting on December 11, 2025, to gather additional feedback on the study’s scope and focus. The draft update, which incorporates the HPC and the public’s initial input, is included in Attachment 4. Staff is requesting feedback from HPC on the draft update. These comments will be incorporated into the final public draft which HPC will forward with a recommendation to City Council in early 2027.
EXISTING POLICY
The study aligns with the following goals and policies within the Community Vision and Community Character chapters of the General Plan:
COMMUNITY VISION GOALS
V. Diverse Population - To celebrate the diversity of the population and to provide equal opportunity for all residents to participate fully in community life.
XIII. Community Identity - To foster a strong sense of community which promotes participation in civic affairs, community pride, and a sense of place.
COMMUNITY CHARACTER - HERITAGE PRESERVATION
GOAL CC-5 PROTECTION OF SUNNYVALE’S HERITAGE - To enhance, preserve, and protect Sunnyvale’s heritage, including natural features, the built environment, and significant artifacts.
Policy CC-5.1 Preserve existing landmarks and cultural resources and their environmental settings.
Policy CC-5.4 Seek out, catalog, and evaluate heritage resources which may be significant.
GOAL CC-6 KNOWLEDGE OF SUNNYVALE’S HERITAGE - To promote knowledge of, and appreciation for Sunnyvale’s heritage, and to encourage broad community participation in heritage programs and projects.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Class 6 Categorical Exemption (Section 15306 - Information Collection) relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions. This exemption includes information gathering as part of a study leading to an action which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded.
DISCUSSION
Staff seeks the HPC’s general feedback and guidance on the draft update on the following topics:
Property Recognition
• Interest in formally nominating any of the recommended properties as heritage resources, with the acknowledgment that two of the four properties are part of the Murphy Station Heritage Landmark District (182 and 198 S. Murphy Ave.).
• Other ways to recognize these properties if heritage resource designation is not recommended.
Public Appreciation and Future Study
• How to promote the public’s appreciation for these properties and the contributions of members of these groups to Sunnyvale’s history and development.
• Ideas for expanding the Statement in the future to cover the time period after 1990.
Recommendation Ranking
HPC members should name three of their most important recommendations from the draft update for staff to execute and implement:
• Pursue formal adoption of the properties recommended above, pending further input from property owners, the HPC, and the City Council;
• Clarify the historic review requirements for heritage resources designated as “sites” that have reduced physical integrity;
• Develop project review requirements for properties associated with the historic contributions of Asian Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities that balance historic preservation with continued use;
• Develop strategies for interpretation and education about the historic presence and contributions of these groups, potentially through partnerships with existing cultural and educational institutions, online interpretive resources, and on-site historical displays and public art;
• Conduct a sustained effort of outreach to these community groups to identify additional properties meet the heritage resource evaluation criteria; and
• Expand this Statement in the future once sufficient historical perspective is available on demographic shifts after 1990.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the action requested in this report.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the meeting agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board at City Hall and posting notice of the HPC Study Session on the project webpage. In addition, the agenda and this report are available at the City Hall reception desk located on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours), and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Receive and provide input on the draft update to the Historical Context Statement.
Levine Act
LEVINE ACT
The Levine Act (Gov. Code Section 84308) prohibits city officials from participating in certain decisions regarding licenses, permits, and other entitlements for use if the official has received a campaign contribution of more than $500 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant in the previous 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to-play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
An “X” in the checklist below indicates that the action being considered falls under a Levine Act category or exemption:
SUBJECT TO THE LEVINE ACT
___ Land development entitlements
___ Other permit, license, or entitlement for use
___ Contract or franchise
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
___ Competitively bid contract*
___ Labor or personal employment contract
___ Contract under $50,000 or non-fiscal
___ Contract between public agencies
_X_ General policy and legislative actions
* "Competitively bid" means a contract that must be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.
Staff
Prepared by: Bonnie Filipovic, Administrative Aide-Confidential
Reviewed by: Cindy Hom, Senior Planner
Reviewed by: Aastha Vashist, Principal Planner
Approved by: Momo Ishijima, Senior Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Link to Adopted Historical Context Statement
2. Link to Historical Context Statement Update Project Webpage
3. Council Priority Project CO-1 (Study Issue CDD 19-04) Paper
4. Draft Update to the Historical Context Statement