REPORT TO THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
Title
File #: 2016-7436
Location: 1212 Bordeaux Drive (APN: 110-25-040)
Applicant / Owner: Devcon Construction Inc. / M West Propco-1212
Proposed Project:
Minor Moffett Park Design Review to allow a new 100,091 square foot two-story office building with a partial mezzanine and a 50% Floor Area Ratio (FAR) on a 4.6 acre site within the Moffett Park Specific Plan (MPSP). The existing 79,091 sq. ft. one-story industrial building would be demolished.
Reason for Permit: A Minor Moffett Park Design Review is required for research and development office uses up to 50% FAR in the Moffett Park-Transit Oriented Development (MP-TOD) zoning district. A public hearing is required at the discretion of the City, since the project requires higher level environmental review.
Project Planner: Aastha Vashist, (408) 730-7458, avashist@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Issues: Parking
Recommendation: Approve with conditions
Report
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
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Previous Planning Projects related to Subject Application: |
No |
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Neighborhood Preservation Complaint |
No active complaints |
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Deviations from Standard Zoning Requirements: A parking adjustment per SMC 19.46.130 is requested for the proposed project. A total of 200 parking spaces are provided, where a minimum of 331 spaces are required at a rate of 3.3 spaces per 1,000 square feet gross floor area for office uses within Moffett Park Specific Plan (MPSP) area. |
Yes |
The project includes demolition of the existing one-story 71,901 square foot industrial building and the construction of a new 100,091 square foot two-story office building with a partial mezzanine and 50% FAR on a 4.6 acre site. The project also includes 200 surface parking spaces, a public plaza, a public bicycle/pedestrian path, courtyard, and associated on and off-site improvements. On-site vehicular circulation will be provided from two driveways- one at the northwest portion of the site and the other at the southwest portion of the site from Bordeaux Drive. Eight protected trees (as defined in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) Section 19.94.030) are proposed to be removed for the construction of the project, while 21 existing protected trees will be retained. A Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared in compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions and City guidelines (see Mitigated Negative Declaration Attachment 5).
The site is zoned Moffett Park-Transit Oriented Development (MP-TOD), which permits office, commercial and industrial developments by right at a standard FAR up to 50%. Per SMC 19.29.090, a Minor Moffett Park Design Review (MP-DR) is required for site and architectural review of all permitted uses within the standard FAR. A public hearing is required at the discretion of the City for higher level environmental review.
Present Site Condition
The site is developed with a one-story industrial building that is served by surface parking on all sides with two driveways along Bordeaux Drive. The existing building will be demolished.
DISCUSSION
Surrounding Uses and Setting
The project site is located mid-block on Bordeaux Drive between Moffett Park Drive and East Java Drive in the Moffett Park Specific Plan area. The site is bordered by an industrial use to the north, to the south by newly constructed Fire Station #5, on the west across Bordeaux Drive by an industrial use, and on the east by Sunnyvale West Channel.
The surrounding MPSP area is developed with office, technology, research and development, and corporate space. Several surrounding sites have recently redeveloped, including two new hotels at 1235 Bordeaux Drive to the north, the Moffett Place Campus (multiple addresses) to the southwest with six new eight-story office buildings, and the recently completed Fire Station #5 on the south-adjacent property at 1210 Bordeaux Drive. These properties are located within the MPSP and share the same zoning designation, MPT, or Moffett Park Transit-Oriented Development. The project site is located less than half mile away from the Borregas light rail station and bus stops, operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).
Site and Building Layout
The 4.6 acre site is rectangular in shape and located on Bordeaux Drive near the intersection with 5th Avenue. Consistent with the Moffett Park Design Plan, no parking is located between the street and building façade. The existing grove of mature Olive trees along the street frontage will form the foreground for the proposed new office building. Surface parking is provided on the north, south and east sides of the building. The project will have two one-way driveway approaches located at the northwest (exit) and southwest (enter) portion of the sites. The primary entrance to the building will be located along the southwestern portion of the building facing the street and connected to the public sidewalks through a direct and convenient walkway. The southern portion of the property serves as the focal point of the project with a public plaza with porous decorative paving, seating and signage, an enclosed courtyard garden with direct access to a second floor terrace, and a publicly accessible bicycle/pedestrian path connecting to the Sunnyvale West Chanel trail along the east side of the building.
Trash enclosure and service yards are located to the rear of the site and completely screened from street view. A landscaping strip is provided along the periphery of the proposed building that will serve as a buffer from the surface parking lot. Bicycle use is encouraged through the provision of ample indoor and outdoor bike parking spaces and amenities, including shower and changing rooms.
The proposed office building has an open floor plan with the primary entrance located in the southwest portion of the building. The entry is clearly defined by a projecting canopy with weathered steel finish and supporting cables. The service core including toilets, elevators and stairs are located adjacent to the entrance lobby and set back from the storefront glass. The 44,830 square foot first and 40,617 square foot second floors have areas open to above to allow natural light from the north-facing clerestory windows. Similarly, the 14,644 square foot partial mezzanine floor has areas open to below to allow natural light and roof views to the first and second floor level. The second floor terrace also provides direct access to the courtyard garden area.
Mechanical units and other equipment are proposed on the rooftop and will be completely screened by box-ribbed metal panels finished wall to match concrete wall panels of the building.
Architecture
The applicant notes the proposed architectural style can be classified as “contextual modernism” which includes modernist design principles with strong contextual responses. This modern architectural style typically has simplicity of form, inspired by function, linearity, basic building materials and open creative floor plans. The contextual design addresses the existing industrial neighborhood which has a mix of one and two-story industrial buildings. The proposed design seeks to establish its own identity in the neighborhood.
The proposed building utilizes precast board formed concrete panels, weathered steel, redwood, exterior metal shades, clear glazing and ribbed metal panels. The automated metal exterior shades are an innovative use intended to provide a visual fluidity to the buildings and as sun shade from direct sunlight. The new building has north-facing saw tooth clerestory windows to allow daylight and sky view to the interior of the office building. The metal-paneled mechanical roof screen has been integrated into the design.
Parking
The project proposes 200 parking spaces (2 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area) where a minimum of 331 total auto parking spaces (3.3 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area) are required per MPSP. It should be noted that the proposed parking ratio is consistent with that for Research & Development and Corporate office in the other areas of the City. Per SMC Section 19.46.130, parking adjustments may be granted from minimum parking ratios for nonresidential uses. The MPSP also allows consideration of reduced parking for uses that are required to provide a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan.
Electric vehicle charging spaces would be provided above the Municipal Code’s three percent requirement. The Moffett Park Specific Plan requires a minimum of one bicycle parking space per 6,000 square gross floor area (75 percent Class I and 25 percent Class II space). The project provides a total of 164 bicycle parking spaces (70 Class I and 94 Class II), where the minimum required is 17 spaces (13 Class I and 4 Class II). In addition, bicycle amenities will be provided onsite including shower and changing facilities.
In staff’s opinion, the project warrants a parking adjustment from minimum auto parking ratios due to the findings below:
a) There is a parking management plan that includes valet parking, off-site employee parking, parking agreements, or other demand management tools. Finding met.
A preliminary Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan (Attachment 8) has been prepared by the applicant with a goal for 20 percent total trip reduction and 30 percent reduction during the peak hours through a variety of programs and incentives. Examples of the programs that will be implemented include an onsite TDM coordinator, priority parking for carpools, vanpools and clean vehicles, on-site bike parking and amenities, Guaranteed Ride Home program for employees, Rideshare matching services, and pre-tax commuter benefits. A final TDM plan will be required prior to final occupancy.
b) The use is within one-half mile of a walk from a rail station, light rail station, or major bus stop. Finding met.
The project site is located less than half mile away from the Borregas light rail station and bus stops, operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). The existing bike lanes and unobstructed sidewalks provide access from the project site to the light rail station.
Landscaping and Tree Preservation
The project exceeds the minimum landscaped area requirement with approximately 93,935 square feet of landscaping (32 percent of the project site), where a minimum of 20 percent of the site is required to be landscaped. Trees are proposed throughout the surface parking lot to demonstrate compliance with the 50 percent parking lot shading requirement. The landscape design would also result in less impervious surface area than currently on the site. The project is designed to comply with water efficient landscaping requirements by providing 95 percent native, low water, or no water plantings.
The project provides a 47-foot landscape frontage strip along the Bordeaux Drive frontage, measured from the back of the new sidewalk. The project also proposes an 8-foot wide landscape buffer to the east and south of the property, and a 12-foot wide landscape buffer to the north with new and existing perimeter trees to screen the project site from adjoining properties.
An arborist report was provided, which evaluated the health and disposition of 122 trees on the project site, 29 of which are protected trees under the City’s Municipal Code. A quarter of the trees on the project site are London Plane, approximately a fifth of the trees are Olive and Callery Pear, and the remaining species consist of African Sumac, Brazillian Pepper, Lemon Bottlebrush, Lombardy Poplar and, Yew Pine. The project proposes to remove 52 trees (including 8 protected trees) due to conflict with the proposed site and off-site improvements and low suitability for preservation. The City’s Tree Replacement Standards require a minimum of seventeen 24-inch box trees to be planted to offset the loss of protected trees. The proposed project includes thirty-one 24-inch box trees, ninety-seven 36-inch box trees and nine 48-inch box trees, with a total of 127 replacement trees, which will mitigate the loss of the existing protected trees in accordance with the City’s Tree Replacement Standards.
Off-Site Improvements
A new sidewalk, curb, and gutter will be constructed along the entire property frontage. Two new driveways and curb cuts will be installed to allow for vehicular access to the site per City standards. With the exception of code-required off-site upgrades, no other off-site improvements are proposed by the applicant.
Development Standards
The project complies with all applicable development standards in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code and Moffett Park Specific Plan, such as lot coverage, setbacks, height, and landscaping. The Project Data Table in Attachment 2 summarizes the project’s compliance with code standards and the required findings are included in Attachment 3.
PUBLIC CONTACT
No letters or calls were received from the public by staff.
Community Outreach Meeting
The applicant held a community outreach meeting the afternoon of August 23, 2016 at the existing building. The applicant sent notices to property owners and tenants within 1,000 feet of the project site in advance of the meeting. There were no attendees at the meeting.
Notice of Mitigated Negative Declaration and Public Hearing
• Published in the Sun newspaper
• Posted on the site
• 37 notices were mailed to property owners and tenants within 1,000 feet of the project as shown in Attachment 1
Staff Report
• Posted on the City of Sunnyvale’s web site
• Provided at the Reference Section of the City of Sunnyvale’s Public Library
Agenda
• Posted on the City’s official notice bulletin board
• City of Sunnyvale’s web site
GREEN BUILDING
The City’s Municipal Code requires non-residential projects greater than 100,000 square feet to attain LEED Gold level with verification by a LEED AP. The applicant submitted a preliminary checklist demonstrating that the project can meet LEED Gold standards, and will provide refinements prior to the issuance of building permits and prior to final occupancy (BP-19 in Attachment 4).
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
A Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared in compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions and City guidelines (see Mitigated Negative Declaration Attachment 5). An Initial Study has determined that the proposed project would not create any significant environmental impacts with implementation of mitigation measures pertaining to noise, biological resources, cultural resources, transportation, and hazardous materials. The Mitigation Measures have been incorporated as Conditions of Approval (Attachment 4).
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Minor Moffett Park Design Review Permit with recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
2. Approve the Minor Moffett Park Design Review Permit with modifications.
3. Deny the Minor Moffett Park Design Review Permit.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1. Approve the Minor Moffett Park Design Review Permit with recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
Staff
Prepared by: Aastha Vashist, Assistant Planner
Reviewed by: George Schroeder, Associate Planner
Approved by: Ryan Kuchenig, Senior Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Map
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings
4. Standard Requirements and Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. Mitigated Negative Declaration and Initial Study
6. Site and Architectural Plans
7. Letter from the Applicant
8. Transportation Demand Management Plan (TDM)
9. Arborist Report