REPORT TO THE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Title
File #: 2015-8046
Location: 175 North Sunnyvale Avenue (APN: 204-49-007)
Applicant / Owner: Robert Devaney
Proposed Project:
RESOURCE ALTERATION PERMIT to allow a 275 square foot addition to a heritage resource. The total proposed floor area is 2,107 square feet (30 percent Floor Area Ratio).
Reason for Permit: A Resource Alteration Permit is required to allow changes to the exterior appearance of a heritage resource through alteration, construction and demolition.
Project Planner: Aastha Vashist, (408) 730-7458, avashist@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Issues: Changes to Historic Resource
Recommendation: Approve with conditions
Report
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The proposed project is a 275 square-foot addition located in the rear of an existing single-family home. The single-family home is located in the 100 block of North Sunnyvale Avenue, the streetscape of which is a part of the Sunnyvale Heritage Resource Inventory. The City of Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) requires review of any project that proposes construction, demolition, relocation, or material change to any historic resource. The applicant proposes to demolish 127 square feet of the existing residence to accommodate the proposed addition. See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices and Attachment 2 for the Data Table of the project.
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Previous Planning Projects related to Subject Application: |
No |
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Neighborhood Preservation Complaint |
No |
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Deviations from Standard Zoning Requirements |
No |
Background
The project site is located mid-block on the west side of North Sunnyvale Avenue between West California Avenue and East Hendy Avenue. The surrounding uses are single-family residences to the north, and south. A mortuary is located across the street towards the east and apartments are located towards the west of the property.
The 1,832 square foot residence is a single story vernacular residence constructed in 1915. The existing garage is 322 square feet in area. The structure is located within the boundaries of a recorded historical resource on the City’s Heritage Resource Inventory, identified as a collection of existing homes in the 100 block of Sunnyvale Avenue. However, the property is not listed in the California Register of Historic Resources (CRHR), or National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (See Attachment 3, Historic Evaluation Report). Executives from the canneries, Hendy Iron Works, and other industries built their homes along North Sunnyvale Avenue, close to their businesses. Bungalow and Colonial Revival architecture are predominant styles along the block. However, a majority of the properties within the 100 block of North Sunnyvale Avenue have been demolished and are no longer a part of the City’s Heritage Resource Inventory. Residential infill developments have replaced most of the original properties and only a section of the mid-block remains intact. For example, the City Council approved the development of 10 new townhomes at 127 North Sunnyvale in 2004 (Project number 2004-0257). Similarly, the single-family home at 199 North Sunnyvale Avenue was determined to have no historical significance and was removed from the City Heritage Resource Inventory by the Heritage Preservation Commission in 2005. Although the original home was not demolished, a design review allowing additions and modifications to the existing residence was approved by the Planning Staff in 2013. Single-family homes that are still a part of the Heritage Resource Inventory include 185,183,175,167,161 and 155 North Sunnyvale Avenue.
Architecture
The existing home is a single-story structure with a detached garage. The house has a cross-gabled roof surfaced with wooden shingles and narrow and boxed eaves. The front façade has a narrow secondary gable, adjacent to the covered porch. The porch is enclosed by a low wall and supported by sets of wooden posts. The building façade along the driveway to the detached garage has a bay window. The structure is surfaced by wooden shingles and has double hung windows. The two-door garage has a front gable roof and narrow wooden siding. See Attachment 6, Site and Architectural Plans.
The proposed addition would extend 10 feet from the rear facade of the existing home and contain 275 square feet gross floor area including a new bedroom, bathroom, laundry area and porch. The pitch of the addition would match that of the existing home, with the southerly roof plane serving as a continuation of the existing roof.
Also, exterior modifications are proposed to existing building facades that include the addition of basement windows, repainting of the building façade, replacement of the existing metal railing with wooden railing on the front façade, replacement of wood sash windows with double hung vinyl insert windows and replacement of roofing material on portions of front and side façade. The proposed overall color scheme includes green tones for the wall siding materials, white for the trim and red for the door (See Attachment 6, Site and Architectural Plans). The proposed modifications and building materials are compatible with the character of the existing building and adjacent buildings.
The applicant has expressed interest in maintaining the historical value and appearance of the property, intending to propose a design sensitive to that of the existing home while adding floor space to improve livability. The material and style of the proposed rear elevation will match the existing residence. Similar to the front elevation, the rear addition will have a gable roof and a narrow secondary gable over the proposed bedroom. Although the addition utilizes the distinctive details and features of the existing front portion of the property such as, patio enclosed with low walls, wood railing, wood columns and wood fascia, the proposed addition is distinguishable from the main structure of the home by simplified design that references, but does not copy the historic front facade. The proposed addition is a harmonious addition to the existing building that is traditional in style, yet sufficiently restrained in design to distinguish it from the existing historic building facade.
The proposed project supports the following U.S. Department of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation of historic structures or landmarks. The Department of Interior defines rehabilitation as the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.
Design Standards
1. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.
2. Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.
Neighborhood Compatibility
The 100 block of North Sunnyvale Avenue has Bungalow and Colonial Revival style homes with detached garages located in the rear of the properties. No substantial changes are proposed to the front façade along the North Sunnyvale Avenue. The proposed modifications to the front facade include repainting, replacement of the existing metal railing with wooden railing on the front façade, replacement of wood sash windows with vinyl insert windows and modifications to roofing material on portions of front and side façade. The applicant proposes to utilize high-quality material for exterior modification that will complement the architectural style found in the existing residence and within the existing neighborhood.
The addition is proposed to be located at the rear of the existing home. It is not expected to have detrimental visual or privacy impacts to the surrounding properties, as the design is compatible with the existing residence and the addition is one story and located at approximately 69 feet setback from the rear property line.
Parking
The existing one-car, two-door garage is located in the rear of the property with a rear setback of approximately 30 feet and a side setback of 3 inches from the nearest property line. The common site layout of the properties in the neighborhood is the location of detached garages in the back of the property with a driveway along the side property line. The current Municipal Code requirement for parking for a single family residence is two covered parking spaces and two uncovered parking spaces. The proposed addition to the residence does not trigger an upgrade of the one-car garage to a two-car garage because the resulting residence would be less than 1,800 square feet and less than four bedrooms. The applicant does not propose any modification to the existing garage as part of this application.
Public Contact
171 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.
Environmental Determination
A Categorical Exemption Class 3 (minor alterations to existing structure) relieves this project from CEQA provisions.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Resource Alteration Permit, with recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
2. Approve the Resource Alteration Permit with modifications.
3. Deny the Resource Alteration Permit.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1. Approve the Resource Alteration Permit with recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
Staff
Prepared by: Aastha Vashist, Assistant Planner
Approved by: Gerri Caruso, Principal Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Maps
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings
4. Standard Requirements and Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. Historic Evaluation Report
6. Site and Architectural Plans
7. Site Photographs