REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
File #: 2016-7999
Location: 592 Dawn Drive (APN: 201-31-046)
Zoning: R-0
Proposed Project: Design Review for a 408 square feet first-floor addition and 817 square feet second-floor addition to an existing one-story single family home resulting in 3,946 square feet floor area (3,462 square feet living area and 484 square feet garage) and 45 percent Floor Area Ratio (FAR).
Applicant / Owner: DG Design (applicant) / Scott Stein (owner)
Environmental Review: Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions that include minor additions to an existing single-family residence (CEQA Section 15301).
Project Planner: Aastha Vashist, (408) 730-7458, avashist@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
General Plan: Residential low density
Existing Site Conditions: One-story single family residence
Surrounding Land Uses
North: Single- family residence
South: Single- family residence
East: Single- family residence
West: Single- family residence
Issues: Neighborhood compatibility, compliance with Single Family Home Design Techniques
Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions
BACKGROUND
Description of Proposed Project
The applicant proposes a first story addition of 408 square feet and second floor addition of 817 square feet at the rear of an existing 2,721 square foot, one-story single-family home, resulting in a total of 3,946 square feet and 45% Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The lot size is 8,775 square feet, which is similar to other surrounding lots of over 8,500 square feet. A Design Review is required for the construction of an addition to evaluate compliance with development standards and with the Single-Family Home Design Techniques. Planning Commission review is required for homes exceeding 3,600 square feet floor area.
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
A staff-level design review for a first-floor addition of 583 square feet to the rear side of the garage was approved by the Community Development Department on July 8, 2011 (project # 2011-7476).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Class 1 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act provisions. Class 1 Categorical Exemptions include minor additions to an existing single-family residence.
DISCUSSION
Architecture and Site Layout
The existing neighborhood is comprised of one and two-story single-family residences, with simple rectilinear forms. The house is in a neighborhood of single-family homes built from the 1940s to 1960s with a mix of ranch and modern style homes. The neighborhood is located north of the Fairbrae Eichler neighborhood. Most of the homes in the immediate neighborhood are non-Eichler except for a few located along West Remington Drive near Spinosa Drive intersection.
The existing house located in an interior lot has modern-style characteristics with flat roofs, exposed roof beams, low height and simple detailing. The proposed first and second addition would match the colors and materials of the existing house and will be consistent with its existing roof form and pitch.
The first floor would be expanded 339 square feet to the rear and would include a new master bedroom with attached bathroom and a walk-in closet and laundry. In addition, the applicant proposes to expand the living room by covering the existing covered entry porch. The second floor, consisting of three bedrooms and one bathroom, is proposed to be located at a 59 feet setback from the front property line. No tree removals are proposed as part of this application.
The house is part of the Sunnymount Garden District (Tract 452) which was one of the two housing tracts developed by Joseph Eichler in year 1948 and 1949. The district consisting of 60 Ranch and modern style single-family homes was annexed to the City of Sunnyvale in 1949. In year 1997, the City as part of a Grant by the State of California evaluated the historic significance of its older Eichler neighborhood that included Sunnymount Garden District. Attachment 7 includes the Department of Park and Recreation form for Sunnymount Garden District that suggested that although the district includes excellent surviving examples of various modern housing types, the district that had a mix of modern and conventional style homes lacked integrity.
Subsequently, in year 2009 after an intensive public review and input, the City decided not to place historic designation on the Eichler neighborhoods and instead adopt Eichler Design Guidelines for all homes within the identified Eichler Neighborhoods. The City did not designate Sunnymount Garden District as an Eichler neighborhood subject to the design guidelines.
Even though the subject property is not subject to Eichler design guidelines, the proposed addition is sympathetic to its existing modern-style architecture by maintaining and utilizing the traditional Eichler home characteristics. Similar to the original modern-style of the subject property, the proposed second floor addition uses a flat roof form, retains the post and beam construction and maintains the horizontal emphasis of the composition by matching the original house materials and details that includes the use of the wide roof overhangs.
Floor Area and Floor Area Ratio
A single-family residential project with a gross floor area greater than 3,600 square feet requires review by the Planning Commission. The existing gross floor area of the homes in the neighborhood ranges from 1,620 to 3,633 square feet with an average of 2,496 square feet. See Attachment 6 for a gross floor area comparison. The proposed gross floor area would make the home the largest in the neighborhood by about 300 square feet.
The gross floor area includes 282 square feet of the existing attached covered patios located in the side and rear of the property. Per SMC, floor area includes both living area and garage area (except for ground floor porches and basements which are no more than 2 ft. above grade), and attached covered patios. Excluding the attached covered porches, the gross floor area will be 3,664 square feet.
Although the proposed gross floor area exceeds the 3,600 square feet threshold, the proposed second-floor addition with modest plate height of 8 feet, setbacks that exceed the minimum required and small footprint (26 percent of the ground floor area) helps in minimizing the visual impact. The design of the addition further respects the existing architectural style of the home and its mass and bulk are similar to those in the neighborhood.
Neighborhood Impact and Compatibility
The neighborhood has a mix of original one and two-story homes. The two-story homes are similar in scale and height as the proposed two-story home that addresses neighbor privacy, solar access requirements, scale and architectural design compatibility.
The proposed second story addition is in the rear portion of the residence and significantly exceeds the minimum required setbacks from all four sides. The proposed design and location of the second floor helps in minimizing the privacy impacts on the neighboring properties. Most of the second story windows facing the side yards have high sill heights except the window above the stairwell, which has high sill level from the landing level. The use of horizontal projecting trim on the side elevations help in breaking up two story wall surfaces and give the home more of a horizontal composition to reduce its visual height.
Development Standards
The proposed project complies with the applicable development standards as set forth in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code, such as lot coverage, parking, height, and setbacks. The Project Data Table is in the Attachment 2.
Solar Access
SMC 19.56.020 states that no permit may be issued for any construction which would interfere with solar access by shading more than 10 percent of the roof of any structure on a nearby property. The project plans demonstrate that the shading would comply with this requirement (shades 7% of the roof area of the adjacent property two-story home on the west side).
Applicable Design Guidelines
The proposed home is consistent with the adopted Single-Family Design Techniques since the proposed design maintains the existing form and materials of the house. Staff has included findings for the Single-Family Design Techniques in Attachment 3.
Conclusion
Staff has provided Findings in support of the project and recommended Conditions of Approval (Attachment 4).
Fiscal Impact
No fiscal impacts other than normal fees and taxes are expected.
Public Contact
Notice of Public Hearing
• Published in the Sun newspaper
• Posted on the site
• 54 notices mailed to property owners and residents within 300 feet of the project site
Staff Report
• Posted on the City’s website
• Provided at the Reference Section of the City’s Public Library
Agenda
• Posted on the City’s official notice bulletin board
• Posted on the City’s website
Public Contact: Staff has not received any correspondence or phone calls from neighbors at the time of writing of this report.
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Design Review with the Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4.
2. Approve the Design Review with modified conditions.
3. Deny the Design Review and provide direction to staff and the applicant where changes should be made.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Recommend Alternative 1 to approve the Design Review based on the Findings in Attachment 3 and with the recommended Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4.
Staff
Prepared by: Aastha Vashist, Assistant Planner
Approved by: Gerri Caruso, Principal Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Map
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings
4. Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. Architectural and Site Plans
6. Neighborhood Square Footage Comparison
7. Department of Parks and Recreation Evaluation Form