REPORT TO THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project:
DESIGN REVIEW to construct a first-story addition of 490 sq. ft. (434 sq. ft. garage and 56 sq. ft. front entry) to an existing one-story, single-family home, resulting in 2,720 sq. ft. (2,286 sq. ft. living area and 434 sq. ft. garage) and 35% floor area ratio (FAR). The existing 252 sq. ft. carport will be demolished.
VARIANCE to allow a 16’ 8” front setback for a two-car garage when Sunnyvale Municipal Code 19.34.030 requires a 20’ front setback.
Location: 1010 Valley Forge Drive (APN: 202-30-058)
File #: DR 2019-7272 and VAR 2019-7430
Zoning: R-1 (Low Density Residential)
Applicant / Owner: Michael Radu (applicant) / Dr. Prince and Ancy Nechikat (owner)
Environmental Review: Class 1(e) Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
Project Planner: Teresa Zarrin, 408-730-7429, tzarrin@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
BACKGROUND
Description of Proposed Project
The proposal is for a 490 sq. ft. addition (434 sq. ft. garage and 56 sq. ft. front entry) to an existing one-story, single family home. The front entry addition necessitated the requirement for a two covered parking spaces, since additional living area is further exceeds the maximum 1,800 square feet threshold that allows for one covered parking space (SMC 19.46.050 (b)(1)B). The existing one-car carport will be demolished and replaced by the new two-car garage.
The proposed project includes a Variance to allow 16’ 8” front setback for the two-car garage, when Sunnyvale Municipal Code 19.34.030 requires a 20’ front setback.
See Attachment 1 (Vicinity Map and Noticing Maps) and Attachment 2 (Project Data Table).
Previous Actions on the Site
DR #2018-7003 requested a similar proposal to construct a two-car garage, but the application was withdrawn after the applicant was informed that a Variance was required for the two-car garage.
A Variance 1964-0068 was approved for a 5’ right side setback in the rear of the property (6’ minimum required).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A Class 1 Categorical Exemption (minor alterations/additions to existing structures) relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
DISCUSSION
Site Layout and Architecture
Existing
The existing site is developed with a one-story, single-family home that is situated at an angle, instead of parallel, to the side property lines. A 252 sq. ft. (single-car) carport lies on the right side of the house which meets the 20’ front setback requirement. The current driveway is wide enough to provide two uncovered parking spaces in front of the carport.
The existing front door is roughly perpendicular (instead of parallel) to the street as with many of the existing homes that have not been remodeled in the neighborhood.
All the homes that have been remodeled have front doors that face the street.
There is an existing unpermitted second front entry door five feet to the left of the existing front entry (on the same wall plane) that is used an entry to the home business located on the property. On a site visit on 6/28/2019, staff observed two real-estate signs displayed in the windows advertising the home business that do not meet the requirements for home business signs in SMC 19.44.040 and 19.44.050(k).
The site has an approximately 3’ high white picket fence along the front property line that needs repair.
Proposed
The proposal includes a 434 sq. ft. garage in front of the right side of the house. The left portion of the garage (10’ wide) is setback 16’8” from the front property line while the remaining a 10’7” wide portion of the garage is recessed to meet the 20’ front setback requirement. Recessing the right side of the garage to meet the setback allows for parking of a vehicle in front of the right of the garage and another space to the right of that space so that two uncovered parking spaces (17’ x 20’) are provided. If the right side of the garage was not recessed, there would be no legal uncovered parking spaces provided in the driveway because the 20’ length requirement is not met.
The new front entry door will more directly face (be parallel to) the street than the existing front entry door, which is consistent the other remodeled houses in the neighborhood.
The unpermitted front entry to the home business will be eliminated in this proposal.
On 6/28/2019, City staff informed the property owner that the real estate signs in the window do not meet the SMC requirements for signs for home businesses. On a site visit on 7/2/2019, staff observed that the real estate signs had been removed from the windows. A Standard Requirement will be that the signs comply in perpetuity with the SMC Sign Code.
Condition of Approval # PS-3 requires that the fence be repaired by repainting it and straightening the askew pickets.
Development Standards
A Variance from Sunnyvale Municipal Code Section 19.34.030 is required, due to a 10’ wide portion of the proposed garage that creates a 16’ 8” front setback where a 20’ is required. All other proposed setbacks meet the development standards of the zoning district. The project complies with other applicable development standards set forth in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code such as lot coverage, parking, and height. See Attachment 2 - Project Data Table.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACTS/COMPATIBILITY:
Two-Car Garage and Setbacks - All 16 properties between Lime and Westchester Drives have two-car garages except 1010 Valley Forge Drive. Five properties of the 16 homes on Valley Forge Drive between Lime and Westchester Drives have a similar site layout with the house at an angle, instead of parallel to the side property lines. Each of the five houses has a two-car garage or carport that does not meet the required 20’ front setback with legal non-conforming front setbacks between approximately 13’ and 16’ from the front property line. Three of the five houses have side-loading garages with a sufficient driveway that meets the uncovered parking requirement. The remaining two houses (at 1037 and 1018 Valley Forge Drive) have front-loading garages with driveways do not meet the 20’ length requirement for providing the two uncovered parking spaces. See Attachment 5 (Valley Forge Drive - Neighborhood Site Layout Pattern).
Staff finds that the requested front yard 2’4” deep and 10’ wide encroachment into the 20’ front yard setback requirement is reasonable, due to the unique angled site layout of the home. The proposal would be consistent with the neighborhood pattern because there are similarly-approved setback deviations in the neighborhood. There would be negligible privacy impacts to the adjacent neighbors. See Attachment 3 (Variance Findings).
Proposed Design of the Addition: Staff finds the design of the two-car garage and front entry addition are consistent with the Sunnyvale Single-Family Home Design Techniques. The arched openings of the two single-car garage doors are compatible with the arch design of the front entry. The two other newly-remodeled homes in the neighborhood on Valley Forge Drive also have arched features: 1007 Valley Forge Drive (arched entry) and 1037 Valley Forge Drive (arched garage door, entry and windows). The roof pitch and exterior materials of the front entry and new garage match the existing house.
The staggered garage design provides the required two-car garage and the 17’ wide by 20’ uncovered parking space required for parking two vehicles, and reduces the mass of the garage in the setback and on the streetscape.
Front Entry/Door Orientation: Due to the angled orientation of the house on the property, the front entry/door cannot be parallel to the street, unless the front entry is angled outward from the house to directly face Valley Forge Drive. Staff does not think it’s necessary to angle the orientation of the house for the door to be exactly parallel to the street.
PUBLIC CONTACT
53 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 at the time of writing this report.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Variance and Design Review based on the Recommended Findings in and Justifications in Attachment 3 and the Standard Requirements and Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4.
2. Approve the Variance and Design Review with modifications.
3. Deny the Variance and Design Review and provide direction to staff and the applicant where changes should be made.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve the Variance and Design Review based on the Recommended Findings in and Justifications in Attachment 3 and the Standard Requirements and Recommended Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4.
Staff
Prepared by: Teresa Zarrin, Associate Planner
Approved by: Ryan Kuchenig, Senior Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Map
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings and Justifications
4. Standard Development Requirements and Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. Neighborhood Site Layout Pattern
6. Variance Justifications - Applicant
7. Site and Architectural Plans