REPORT TO THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project:
USE PERMIT: to allow a preschool use in an existing religious building with a maximum of 45 children. The project also includes parking lot improvements.
Location: 125 East Arques Avenue (APN: 204-35-030)
File #: PLNG-2026-0168
Zoning: R-0 (Low Density Residential)
Applicant / Owner: Amal Bey (applicant) / ST. MARK LUTHERAN CHURCH OF SUNNYVALE (owner)
Environmental Review: Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
Project Planner: Christian Mendoza, 408-730-7429, cmendoza@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
BACKGROUND
The project site is an approximately 1.02-acre rectangular shaped lot. The lot was developed in the 1950s and has operated as a place of assembly - community serving (church) throughout this time. Currently, there are four separate congregations that use the existing facility regularly on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Description of Proposed Project
The proposed project is the inclusion of a preschool (Boberown Christian Preschool) within an existing religious institution. The new use proposes sharing the space with the existing congregations with no overlap of operational hours on the site proposed throughout the week (see Attachment 6).
The project includes minimal tenant improvements in addition to making site modifications to the existing parking to meet current (2026) municipal code standards and adopted non-residential design guidelines.
A Use Permit (UP) is required to review a child care center use within the R-0 zoning district per Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) Section 19.18.030.
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
The earliest Planning record (Use Permit # 1244) is from 1965, which included an approval for the expansion of the church for new facilities, and a Variance fo...
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