REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project: General Plan Amendment (GPA) Initiation to consider an amendment to the Peery Park Specific Plan (PPSP) to increase the office/industrial development capacity and allow housing on the 10 parcels in the PPSP-Industrial Edge (IE) zoning district totaling 29.3 acres.
Locations: 400-840 W. California Avenue (165-26-009, 010, 011, 012, 013, 014, 016, 018, 019, 020)
File #: 2018-7576
Applicant / Owner: Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill LLP (applicant) / Steelwave LLC (owner)
Environmental Review: The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 (a).
Project Planner: Amber Blizinski, 408-730-2723, ablizinski@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
SUMMARY OF COMMISSION ACTION
The Planning Commission considered this item on October 22, 2018. Six members of the public spoke on the item; the minutes can be found in Attachments 10 and 11.
At the hearing, staff provided the Planning Commission with the following PPSP-related information that was received after the completion of the report:
• A development application for 888 Ross Drive was received by the Planning Division that proposes to utilize 150,000 sq. ft. of the remaining 151,000 sq. ft. of the PPSP office development capacity.
• That applicant for Ross Drive also submitted a General Plan Amendment Initiation request to study an increase to the development capacity within the PPSP. The request is for an additional 102,968 sq. ft. in addition to the above-mentioned 150,000 sq. ft., of which 101,968 is not currently available in the PPSP development reserve.
The Planning Commission voted 5-0 (with one Commissioner absent and one Commissioner recused based on the project’s proximity to owned property) to recommend the following to the City Council: Initiate a General Plan Amendment study to consider an amendment of the Peery Park Specific Plan to study modified development capacity increases and/or modified properties to study when staff determines there is capacity to work on the study. The Planning Commission’s recommendation was not one of the Alternatives provided for the Commission’s consideration, but was a modification to the language of Alternative 3, including a modification that the initiation of the study was conditioned on staff’s determination that the capacity existed to work on the study.
The motion also included the following modifications/direction beyond the staff recommendation:
a. The study should focus on maximizing housing opportunities where allowed, and should promote community active uses and open space;
b. The study should include updates to the circulation and transportation aspects within the PPSP, with focus on shuttle stops, bike sharing, and exploring shared Caltrain/public parking on the subject site;
c. High standards in architectural design are expected within the PPSP; and
d. The PPSP bicycle and pedestrian plan should be coordinated with the larger city-wide plan to ensure continuous and consistent routes.
The Planning Commission understood the staff recommendation; the Commission thought that their review and recommendation should be based on the merits and benefits of the project (e.g., proximity to the Caltrain Station), and not operational concerns of the City. However, the Commissioners included a recommendation for delay on the GPA submittal until staff has the capacity to conduct the study. The Commissioners further recommended that it would be most appropriate to study overall changes to the PPSP area, instead of a project-specific GPA, with priority for maximizing housing on the two housing opportunity areas. The Commissioners acknowledged the study would include potential increases to the office/R&D development capacity also, and found that aspect as less of a priority for the study.
[If applicable: Public Comment letters are provided in Attachment X to the report.]
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Do not initiate a General Plan Amendment study to consider an amendment to the Peery Park Specific Plan to increase the office/industrial development capacity and allow housing on the 10 parcels in the PPSP-IE zoning district totaling 29.3 acres.
2. Initiate a General Plan Amendment study to consider an amendment to the Peery Park Specific Plan to increase the office/industrial development capacity and allow housing on the 10 parcels in the PPSP-IE zoning district totaling 29.3 acres.
3. Initiate a General Plan Amendment study to consider an amendment of the Peery Park Specific Plan to study modified development capacity increases and/or modified properties to study.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Do not initiate a General Plan Amendment study to consider an amendment to the Peery Park Specific Plan to increase the office/industrial development capacity and allow housing on the 10 parcels in the PPSP-IE zoning district totaling 29.3 acres.
Workloads in the Planning Division and other Development Services divisions are currently heavy, and significant plan updates are currently underway in four other plan areas (i.e., Moffett Park, El Camino Real, Lawrence Station, and Downtown). Proceeding with additional work in Peery Park at this time would divert resources away from these other planning efforts already underway. Additionally, the Peery Park Specific Plan, and related development capacities, were adopted relatively recently, a little over two years ago. Finally, although housing has been discussed as a potential amendment to the PPSP, increases in the industrial/office capacity have not been a part of that discussion and a substantial amount of office/industrial development is already underway within the plan area.
Staff
Prepared by: Amber Blizinski, Principal Planner
Reviewed by: Andrew Miner, Assistant Director of Community Development
Reviewed by: Trudi Ryan, Director of Community Development
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Report to Planning Commission 18-0787, October 22, 2018 (without attachments)
2. General Plan Initiation Request Information from Applicant
3. General Plan and Zoning Land Use Vicinity Maps
4. Map of the Moffett Federal Airfield Comprehensive Land Use Map Noise and Safety Contours over the PPSP Area
5. Land Use and Transportation Element Changing Conditions Map
6. Map of the Peery Park Housing Opportunity Areas
7. Applicant’s Conceptual Development Plans
8. Noticing Map
9. Public Comment Letter
Additional Attachments for Report to Council
10. Excerpt of Action Summary Minutes of the Planning Commission Meeting of October 22, 2018
11. Supplemental Materials (detailed Draft Minutes of the Planning Commission Meeting of October 22, 2018) to be added on November 9, 2018