REPORT TO THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project:
SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT (SDP) to allow on-sale general alcoholic beverage service including on-site consumption at a restaurant with an outdoor covered patio.
Location: 240 S. Taaffe Street Suite J134 (APN: 209-35-032)
File #: PLNG-2024-0584
Zoning: DSP-18 (Downtown Specific Plan Block 18)
Applicant / Owner: Sunny Tam (applicant) / STC Venture Block 3RWS LLC (owner)
Environmental Review: Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
Project Planner: Wendy Lao, 408-730-7408, wlao@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
BACKGROUND
The project site is located on the northeast corner of West McKinley Avenue and South Taaffe Street in the Downtown Specific Plan Area Block 18 - Sub-block 3. The existing building, The Martin, Building 1 (West Tower on Taaffe Street) at CityLine, completed construction on February 5, 2025. The ground floor is currently awaiting tenant improvement, including the proposed restaurant in Suite J134.
Description of Proposed Project
The proposed project includes an application for alcoholic beverage sale and services at a planned 2,364 square-foot full-service restaurant, Senro Sushi. The restaurant would be located at the ground floor of an existing 12-story residential and commercial mixed-use building known as The Martin in Cityline Sunnyvale. The restaurant would consist of a dining area, a complete kitchen, a sushi bar, a full liquor bar with general alcohol service, and restroom facilities. The proposed use requires Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) License Type 47 for on-site consumption of alcoholic beverage sale and service associated with food establishments.
The proposed project also includes a new 870 square-foot outdoor covered patio in the building’s courtyard. The patio consists of a predominantly flat roof made of opaque glass panels and light gauge metal frame, with a total height of 13 feet 10 inches, supported by metal columns. The outdoor patio would be surrounded on all four sides by a row of decorative plants, which are enclosed with a concrete base that is one foot six inches in height.
The restaurant’s hours of operation would be Sundays through Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The restaurant would offer 70 seats in total, with 46 seats indoors and 24 seats outdoors.
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices.
Previous Actions on the Site
The Sunnyvale Town Center redevelopment (SDP #2007-0030) was approved by City Council on February 7, 2006. Subsequently, the City approved three Special Development Permits (2016-7290, 2016-7968, and 2017-7527) for amendments to the Town Center development and conditions of approval. On January 11, 2021, the City’s Planning Commission approved a Special Development Permit (SDP #2020-7262) to allow the current development of the 12-story mixed-use building comprised of two structures, Building 1 (West Tower on Taaffe Street) where the proposed project is located, and Building 2 (East Tower on Murphy Avenue). The approval included approximately 30,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space on the ground floor, 479 residential units and amenities above, and two levels of underground parking below for 470 parking spaces. On September 20, 2021, the City’s Planning Division approved a Miscellaneous Plan Permit (MPP #2021-7391) to allow exterior changes to the building, as required through a SDP #2020-7262 condition of approval. Currently, there are no open Neighborhood Preservation cases on the property.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Class 1 Categorical Exemption (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301, Existing Facilities) relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions. The project proposes an addition of 870 square feet for an outdoor covered patio, which is a minor expansion to the existing 818,436 square foot building.
DISCUSSION
The proposed restaurant requests full alcoholic beverage service and an outdoor covered patio area totaling 70 seats. The project proposes employing 20 staff members. Approval of a SDP is required for a restaurant that has on-sale general alcoholic beverage service in the Downtown Specific Plan Block 18 (DSP-18) zoning district.
It is not uncommon to have full alcoholic beverage sale and service with food establishments like restaurants, especially in the Commercial Core District of the Downtown Specific Plan area, which is designated to have a high concentration of services and restaurants. Therefore, staff finds that the requested service expansion meets the required SDP findings, as the use complies with the General Plan and Downtown Specific Plan goals and policies that encourage offering of a region and citywide commercial and entertainment destination. See Attachment 2 for the required Special Development Permit findings.
Parking
The project proposes to add an 870 square-foot outdoor covered dining area, which would accommodate 24 seats. Because the site is located approximately 0.3 miles away from the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station in downtown, no additional parking spaces are required, per Assembly Bill (A.B.) 2097. Nonetheless, the site is within the CityLine development of the Commercial Core District, which has access to available parking spaces in the parking structure directly below the building and other parking spaces available for public use in the Downtown Specific Plan area. In a parking study prepared by Walker Consultants in 2019 for the Downtown Specific Plan Update, over 50% of the parking spaces were available during the peak use hours. Although there have been more businesses and residents that have moved into the downtown area since 2019, staff concludes that the available parking capacity is more than sufficient to allow for the proposed use.
Neighborhood Impacts / Compatibility: The proposed restaurant is located on the northeast corner of West McKinley Avenue and South Taaffe Street in the Downtown Specific Plan area. The area is designated as the Commercial Core District with a variety of other retail, restaurants, amenities, and residents. Staff believes this use will not have a negative impact to the surrounding uses with the incorporation of the recommended conditions of approval (Attachment 4). The conditions provide guidance to the applicant, as well as future business owners, and grant the City the right to modify or revoke the permit if the business operations begin to have negative impacts to the area. The Department of Public Safety reviewed the proposed application and found no concerns as well, and required standard conditions of approval as part of the project. Therefore, the neighborhood impact from the requested full alcoholic beverage service would be minimal.
PUBLIC CONTACT
27 notices were sent to surrounding property owners and residents adjacent to the subject site in addition to standard noticing practices, including advertisement in the Sunnyvale Sun Newspaper and on-site posting. No letters or calls were received from the public by staff.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Special Development Permit with recommended findings in Attachment 2 and Conditions in Attachment 3.
2. Approve the Special Development Permit with modifications.
3. Deny the Special Development Permit.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1. Approve the Special Development Permit with recommended Conditions in Attachment 3.
Staff
Prepared by: Wendy Lao, Associate Planner
Approved by: Momoko Ishijima, Senior Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Maps
2. Recommended Findings
3. Recommended Conditions of Approval
4. Site and Architectural Plans
5. Applicant Project Description Letter
6. Special Development Permit #2020-7262 Conditions of Approval
7. Miscellaneous Plan Permit # #2021-7391 Conditions of Approval