REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project:
DESIGN REVIEW to allow a first and second-story addition of 1,200 square feet to an existing one-story single-family home, resulting in 3,367 square feet (2,908 square feet living area and 459 square feet garage) and 53% floor area ratio (FAR).
Location: 884 Tartarian Way (201-33-005)
File #: 2018-8009
Zoning: Low Density Residential (R-0)
Applicant / Owner: Richard Haro Drafting and Planning / John Kwong and Katrina A Pagonis
Environmental Review: A Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
Project Planner: Cindy Hom, (408) 730-7411, chom@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
General Plan: Low Density Residential (RLO)
Existing Site Conditions: One-story single-family home
Surrounding Land Uses
North: One-story single-family home
South: Two-story single-family home
East: One-story single-family home
West: One-story single-family home
Issues: Neighborhood Compatibility
Staff Recommendation: Approve the Design Review with the Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4.
BACKGROUND
Description of Proposed Project
The project site is a 6,311-square feet residential lot and is currently developed with a one-story single-family home. The applicant proposes a 1,200-square foot first and second-story addition resulting in a 3,367-square foot two-story home and 53% floor area ratio (FAR).
A Design Review is required for construction of a new home 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 gross floor area or to exceed 45% FAR. The proposed project will exceed the 45% FAR threshold. See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices and Attachment 2 for the Project Data Table.
Previous Actions on the Site
There are no previous Planning approvals and are no active neighborhood preservation cases on this property.
EXISTING POLICY
Applicable Design Guidelines:
The proposed home is consistent with the adopted Single-Family Home Design Techniques since the proposed design maintains the existing form of houses, materials, and design elements of the neighborhood. It would have minimal visual impact to the neighborhood. Findings for the Single-Family Design Techniques are included in Attachment 3.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from California Environmental Quality Act provisions. Class 3(a) Categorical exemptions includes construction of a single-family residence in a residential zoning district.
DISCUSSION
Present Site Conditions
The neighborhood is comprised of one and two-story single-family homes. The subject property is a corner lot and interfaces with other two-story homes on all sides of the subject property. The existing home was built in the late 1960s with traditional Ranch-style architectural features. The general neighborhood is a blend of traditional and modern Ranch, and Mediterranean-style homes that feature stucco, siding, stone or brick accents, hip and gable roof forms, and varying window patterns. The subject property is currently developed with a 2,167-square foot one-story single-family home on a rectangular-shaped corner lot. The existing layout of the home is u-shaped, with an enclosed front courtyard.
Architecture and Site Layout
The applicant proposes to construct a 77-square foot front addition at the first floor and a new 1,123-square foot second floor. The project will result in a 3,367-square foot home with five bedrooms and one den and four bathrooms. The existing 459-square foot attached garage will be maintained.
The proposed project retains most of the existing Ranch elements of the existing home including the hip and gable roof forms, u-shape layout of the building, and enclosed front courtyard. All exterior finishes, colors and materials will be consistent throughout the house including a variegated gray dimensional asphalt composition shingle roofing and tan stucco walls. The existing garage door will be repainted brown and the front door will re-stained to a natural wood color. Stone with varying sizes (2 to 4 inches in height) will be applied along the front elevation and courtyard wall at a height of 6 feet, which will wrap along the side elevations to the fence lines. As proposed, staff feels that the stone application over-emphasizes the height and massing of the front wall and appears heavy. To help alleviate this visual impact, staff recommends a condition to lower the height of the height of the wall and stone to 4-foot 6-inches (see Condition of Approval PS-3 in Attachment 4). As conditioned, the wall will be in keeping with the design guidelines that encourage front yard fences to be low and open in character, and will be similar to the courtyard wall located at 874 Spinosa Drive. All existing windows will be replaced with side-sliding windows with interior grids, which is a common window type found among Ranch-styles homes in this neighborhood. Window treatments include 4-inch wide trim that projects out 2 inches, with an enhanced thicker bottom sill. The existing gate along the front courtyard will be replaced with a new wooden gate to help identify and articulate the front entry from the street. No protected trees are proposed to be removed.
Staff finds that the proposed new home is compatible with the neighborhood, includes high quality colors and materials, and is consistent with recently approved Ranch-style home additions.
Development Standards
The proposed project complies with the applicable development standards as set forth in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC). The Project Data Table for the proposed project can be found in Attachment 2.
Floor Area and Floor Area Ratio: A single-family home proposing a gross floor area greater than 45% Floor Area Ratio (FAR) requires Planning Commission Review. The proposed project has a gross floor area of 3,367 square feet on a 6,311-square foot lot, which results in 53% FAR.
Homes in the neighborhood range in size from 2,145 square feet to 3,998 square feet with an average of 2,814 square feet. The existing FARs in the vicinity range from 30% to 55%, with an average of 43%. The proposed 53% FAR would not be appear to be out of character considering the surrounding homes are already two-story and have similar FARs. To minimize the perception of bulk and mass, the new home is design to:
• Utilize 9-foot wall plate on the first floor and an 8-foot plate height on the second so that the proposed home does not appear tall or disproportionate in scale,
• Provide second floor setbacks so that there is adequate transition from neighbors and the public street, and
• Use similar roof forms, materials and finishes so that there is design compatibility with the neighborhood.
Staff finds that the resulting mass and bulk of the proposed home will not have a significant impact as the project exceeds all minimum setback requirements. The second story has a generous front setback of 51-feet and 4-inches and provides a setback 12-feet and 10-inches from Middleberry Street on the left side. The second-floor addition also provides the minimum 7-feet side yard setback on the right side. In addition, height is minimized by incorporating plate heights of 9 feet on the first floor and 8 feet on the second floor, with a building height of 24-feet where 30-feet is the maximum allowed. The well-articulated building façade, and high-quality materials also help minimize bulk and massing while providing visual interest to enhance the appearance of the home.
Solar Access: SMC Section 19.56.020 states that no permit may be issued for any construction that would interfere with solar access by shading more than 10% of the roof of any structure on a nearby property. The solar analyses illustrate that the proposed second story will shade 8.2% of the adjacent roof of the property at 880 Tartarian Way based on a solar cycle (365 days) (See Sheets S1 and 2 of Attachment 5).
Neighborhood Impacts and Compatibility
The proposed home design addresses neighbor privacy, solar access requirements, scale and architectural design compatibility. The proposed first and second floors exceeds the minimum required setbacks from all the sides. The applicant has also minimized the size of the second-floor windows along the side yards. The new second floor windows facing the side yard consist of non-egress windows and do not interface with any second-floor windows on the neighboring property. Staff recommends a condition of approval to require second-floor windows on the left elevation to be made opaque or high sill. (Recommended Condition PS-2)
Based on the setbacks and location of addition, staff finds privacy impacts to be minimized. The proposed remodel utilizes high-quality materials that will complement the architectural style found in the neighborhood and will enhance the existing streetscape.
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
• 114 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.
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.
STAFF Recommendation
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve the Design Review with the Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4.
staff
Prepared by: Cindy Hom, Associate Planner
Approved by: Noren Caliva-Lepe, Principal Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Site, Vicinity and Public Notice Mailing Map
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings
4. Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. Architectural and Site Plans
6. FAR Study
7. Colors and Materials Board