REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project: Related projects on a 12.1-acre site:
MAJOR MOFFETT PARK DESIGN REVIEW: to demolish existing buildings and construct a new five-story, 182,500-square foot office building on a merged parcel (1265 Borregas Avenue and 160 Gibraltar Court) resulting in 60.5% floor area ratio (FAR) with use of the green building incentive,
MINOR MOFFETT PARK SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT: to allow surface parking and open space on 1190 and 1196 Borregas Avenue to serve parking requirements for 1265 Borregas Avenue.
Location: 1265 Borregas Avenue (APN: 110-35-006)
160 Gibraltar Court (APN: 110-35-005)
1190 Borregas Avenue (APN: 110-34-007)
1196 Borregas Avenue (APN: 110-34-008)
File #: 2019-7269
Zoning: MP-TOD - Moffett Park Transit Oriented Development (1265 Borregas Avenue and 160 Gibraltar Court), MP-I - Moffett Park Industrial (1190 and 1196 Borregas Avenue)
Applicant / Owner: Google LLC
Environmental Review: The project is consistent with the City’s General Plan and no additional environmental review is required pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15183 and Public Resources Code Section 21083.3.
Project Planner: Momoko Ishijima, (408) 730-7532, mishijima@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
General Plan: Moffett Park Specific Plan
Existing Site Conditions: Industrial and Office and Research & Development Buildings
Surrounding Land Uses
North: Office and industrial uses
South: Office and industrial uses
East: Office and industrial uses
West: Office and industrial uses
Issues: Floor area ratio (FAR) and offsite parking
Staff Recommendation: Alternative 1: Make the required Findings to approve the CEQA determination that the project is consistent with the City’s General Plan and no additional environmental review is required as noted in the checklist in Attachment 5, and Approve the Major Moffett Park Design Review and Minor Moffett Park Special Development Permit subject to the recommended findings in Attachment 3, and recommended conditions of approval in Attachment 4.
BACKGROUND
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices and Attachment 2 for the Data Table of the project.
Description of Proposed Project
The project proposes a Major Moffett Park Design Review (DR) to redevelop four industrial parcels in the Moffett Park Specific Plan area. Two parcels (1265 Borregas Avenue and 160 Gibraltar Court) are coterminous and zoned MP-TOD. The lots are approximately 6.9 acres combined and located on the southwest corner of Gibraltar Court and Borregas Avenue. A lot line adjustment is proposed to merge the two lots into one lot. The two existing buildings would be demolished and a new five-story, 182,500-square foot office/R&D building would be constructed on the east side of the parcel and a green space would be provided on the west side of the parcel. New solid waste and mechanical enclosures and a courtyard space will be constructed adjacent on the west side of the proposed office building. The project will be utilizing the City’s Green Building Incentive Program to gain up to 20% additional floor area ratio (FAR) above the baseline of 50% FAR. The total proposed FAR is 60.5%. Under the City’s Green Building Incentive Program, to exceed 50% FAR, the project is required to be minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Level with United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Certification achieving at least 75 total points with Design Phase Credits reviewed and approved by USGBC, and installation of all electric appliances and fixtures in the building.
The other two parcels are also coterminous to each other and are located across Borregas Avenue and approximately 150 feet southeast of the property with the proposed building (1265 Borregas Avenue). 1196 Borregas Avenue is approximately 2.7 acres and located on the southeast corner of Borregas Avenue and Humboldt Court. 1190 Borregas Avenue is located adjacent to the south and is approximately 2.5 acres. The project proposes a Minor Moffett Park Special Development Permit (SDP) to allow the existing buildings to be demolished, and 239 surface parking spaces to be provided on 1196 Borregas Avenue to serve the parking requirement for the proposed office building at 1265 Borregas Avenue. 1190 Borregas Avenue will provide 123 surface parking spaces, also to serve parking requirements of the proposed office building at 1265 Borregas Avenue, and a raised planter garden will be constructed in the center of the parcel.
The total parking spaces provided for the project is 424 parking spaces and the project is requesting a reduction from the required 603 parking spaces which is allowed under the SDP by integrating measures to reduce reliance on automobiles and car-based commuting, including a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) trip reduction plan, and secured bicycle parking and facilities.
The project will be split into two phases with the demolition of all structures except 160 Gibraltar Court and the construction of the new office building as part of Phase I. Phase II would include the demolition of the building at 160 Gibraltar Court and creation of the green space. Occupancy for the new building shall not be granted until the termination of occupancy at the 160 Gibraltar Court building and pending demolition.
Previous Actions on the Site
Moffett Field Business Park has consisted of defense technology and industrial businesses since the 1960’s. With the subsequent growth of high technology industries in Sunnyvale and the surrounding areas, industrial office developments have continued in Moffett Park. The two-story, 60,430-square foot building at 1265 Borregas Avenue (APN: 110-35-006) was constructed in 1976. The one-story, 50,677-square foot building at 160 Gibraltar Court (APN: 110-35-005) was constructed in 1984. The two-story, 46,400-square foot building at 1196 Borregas Avenue (APN: 110-34-008) was constructed in 1981. The one-story, 34,687-square foot building at 1190 Borregas Avenue (APN: 110-34-007) was constructed in 1978. The Moffett Park Specific Plan was adopted in 2006. Various permits have been issued over the years on all parcels to modify the exteriors of buildings, allow site and parking changes, and tree removals.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan and Moffett Park Specific Plan Goals and Policies: Key goals and policies from the General Plan and Moffett Park Specific Plan applicable to the project are found with the project findings in Attachment 3. Additionally, the proposed project is requesting access to the Moffett Park Development Reserve to exceed the standard FAR allowed through the implementation of the Green Building Incentive Program.
Applicable Design Guidelines: The Moffett Park Specific Plan includes design guidelines which provide recommendations for site layout, architecture, and design. These guidelines are referenced in the discussion and analysis below as well as in Attachment 3.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project is consistent with the City’s General Plan and no additional environmental review is required pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 and Public Resources Code Section 21083.3 (see Attachment 5). Under Section 15183 of the CEQA Guidelines, projects that are consistent with the development density established by existing zoning or general plan policies for which an environmental impact report (EIR) was certified do not require additional environmental review, except as might be necessary to examine whether there are project-specific significant effects which are peculiar to the project or its site. The consistency checklist prepared for the project (Attachment 5) demonstrates that all the project’s significant impacts were either studied in the EIR that was adopted for the City’s Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) or can be substantially mitigated by uniformly applied development policies or standards.
DISCUSSION
Present Site Conditions
The existing parcels are generally developed with one- and two-story concrete tilt-up industrial and office and R&D buildings with surface parking and site landscaping. The sites are auto oriented with no designated pedestrian pathways or sidewalks at the frontages of most of the existing parcels. Two buildings are currently vacant (1265 and 1196 Borregas Avenue).
Development Standards
Floor Area Ratio: As noted above, the proposed office project includes demolition four existing industrial buildings on four separate parcels and redevelopment with one Class A, 5-story, 182,500-square foot office building, surface parking, and a green space and raised planter garden. The project proposes a floor area ratio (FAR) of 60.5% which can be achieved by implementing the Green Building Incentive Program which allows an increase of up to 20% FAR above the baseline of 50% in the MP-TOD - Moffett Park Transit Oriented Development zoning. The project is designed to achieve LEED Platinum designation with an all-electric/photovoltaic (PV) strategy, and the utilization of sustainable timber materials for structural posts and beams (mass timber). Attachment 11 includes information regarding the calculation of the project FAR and Development Reserve.
The proposed 182,500 square foot office building would require using 31,598.5 square feet of the existing development reserve. For the 46,400-square foot building to be demolished at 1196 Borregas Avenue, the project will be returning 5,782.85 square feet of floor area above the baseline of 35% FAR to the development reserve. With the approval of this project the Development Reserve balance would 141,516 square feet.
Architecture and Site Layout: The proposed architectural design of the mass timber office building is contemporary with simple forms that highlight the natural wood materials both internal to and on the exterior of the building. The project design further enhances and upgrades the existing visual character of the street frontages with variations in planes, projections, and materials. The project’s building features include window glazing and architectural treatments designed to address glare and bird safety, as well as an automated accoya wood blind system integrated into the glazing to minimize unwanted solar gain and contribute to the building’s energy efficiency. The building is designed to have double height floors on the second and fourth floors on the north side and single height floors on the south side. A central skylight on the roof, open to the floors below, will allow natural light into the interior office spaces. The proposed architectural design of the building would be consistent with the developed conditions along Borregas Avenue and the design guidelines included in the Moffett Park Specific Plan.
A green space would be provided on the west side of the parcel, new solid waste and mechanical enclosures and a courtyard space will be constructed adjacent on the west side of the proposed office building. Access to the site would be served by three driveways on Gibraltar Court, and a driveway on Borregas Avenue with surface parking where the main entrance to the building is proposed. The existing driveways and circulation will be maintained on the west side around the green space area.
The other two parcels are located across Borregas Avenue and approximately 150 feet southeast of the proposed office building. The project proposes surface parking spaces to be provided with a raised planter garden to be constructed in the center of the 1190 Borregas Avenue parcel. Access to the sites would be served by a driveway on Borregas Avenue and a driveway on Humboldt Court for 1196 Borregas Avenue; and two driveways on Borregas Avenue for 1190 Borregas Avenue, where the existing driveways and circulation will be maintained.
Setbacks: The proposed office building site has two frontages. SMC Section 19.29.140 requires a 15-foot minimum setback along Borregas Avenue and Gibraltar Court. The side setback is 20 feet total and the project meets the required setbacks.
Building Height/Stories: The MPSP zoning district allows development heights up to 130 feet if the project is accessing floor area from the development reserve. The proposed 5-story office building is proposed to be 94 feet 2 inches to the top of the mechanical screening and meets the required height limits.
Parking: The MPSP establishes minimum and maximum parking levels for office and industrial uses. The minimum is 1 space per 300 square feet of floor area and the maximum is 1 per 250 square feet of floor area. The SDP allows deviations from the parking standards established in the MPSP. In addition, the MPSP requires a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program to limit the number of total daily and peak hour trips due to limited access into Moffett Park. The total parking spaces provided for the project is 424 parking spaces and the project is requesting a reduction from the required 603 parking spaces. In addition, of the 424 total parking spaces, 62 spaces would be provided on the merged parcel of 1265 Borregas Avenue and 160 Gibraltar Court where the office building will be located. 362 parking spaces would be provided offsite 150-feet across Borregas Avenue and to the south, at 1190 Borregas Avenue (123 parking spaces) and 1196 Borregas Avenue (239 parking spaces). The City’s Zoning Ordinance allows reductions in required parking based on several factors
including a TDM and proximity to light rail. The applicant has provided a draft TDM, which provides measures to reduce the total daily trips by 25 percent and peak hour trips by 30 percent (see Attachment 10). The Final TDM plan will be required prior to occupancy of the first office building and will require ongoing monitoring. The proposed reduction in the amount of parking can be supported considering the applicant’s current shuttle services, proximity to light rail and other on-site amenities such as cafeteria, showers and secured bicycle (and other personal vehicle) parking. The TDM measures would be required regardless of the user or tenant in the building. A condition of approval has been included in Attachment 4 for the recordation of a Shared Parking Use and Maintenance Agreement. A draft copy of this agreement has been included as Attachment 9.
The MPSP establishes a minimum bicycle parking requirement of 31 spaces, with 24 as Class I secured bicycle parking spaces and 7 as Class II bicycle parking spaces. The project proposes a total of 198 sparking spaces with a bicycle parking room in the interior of the ground floor of the office building, providing 154 parking spaces with locker and shower room amenities adjacent to the bicycle room. 44 Class II bicycle spaces would be provided outside and approximately 50 Google bicycles would be provided as part of the existing corporate bicycle share program.
Green Building: As discussed in the Floor Area Ratio section above, the proposed project has been designed to exceed the Green Building Incentive Program requiring LEED Gold with USGBC certification. The project is designed to achieve LEED Platinum designation with an all-electric/photovoltaic (PV) strategy, a mass timber primary structure utilizing sustainable timber materials for structural posts and beams, an integral daylighting and shading, energy efficiency, and extensive use of healthy materials throughout.
Landscaping and Tree Preservation: The project is required to provide a minimum of 20% landscaping per SMC Section 19.28.110. The project proposes 33% or 98,953 square feet of landscaping where 20% is required on the merged 1265 Borregas Avenue and 160 Gibraltar Court parcel. Of the 207 trees over the four parcels, 91 trees are proposed for removal; 54 of which are considered protected per Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) Chapter 19.94. Most of the tree removals are due to conflict with the proposed building construction and associated improvements, or due to poor health of the trees. The trees to be preserved are on the parcels providing surface parking. A total of 328 new trees are proposed and eight (8) Canary Island Pine street trees on Borregas Avenue will be protected offsite and replanted after street improvements are completed. The proposed landscape palate for the site includes more native species, such as Fremont Cottonwood and Coast Live Oak. The proposed landscaping and tree preservation comply with the City requirements.
Easements and Utilities: A Lot Line Adjustment shall be recorded to merge the 1265 Borregas Avenue and 160 Gibraltar Court parcels so the office building is on one lot. Prior to the issuance of the building permit, the existing private easements (PG&E Easements, Nitrogen Pipeline Easement, Ingress Egress Easements, and "Utility Easement Agreement”) shall be quit claimed because these are no longer needed, and the existing 10-foot wide public utility easement shall be vacated. A 26-foot wide emergency vehicle ingress-egress easement over the drive aisles and surface parking area for fire apparatus access is required. Additionally, the existing 12-inch Storm Drain Main at 1196 Borregas Avenue shall be abandoned.
Offsite Improvements: There are no existing public sidewalks on the project frontages, except for on the east side of 1265 Borregas Avenue. As such, the project is required to
install new curbs, gutters, and sidewalks along the Borregas Avenue, Gibraltar Court, and Humboldt Court frontages. New street lighting and street trees will be provided as needed along the new sidewalks. Existing street trees would be replanted on the existing Borregas Avenue landscape strip and a new sidewalk will be installed to meander around existing protected Sycamore trees on the Gibraltar Court frontage. A new high visibility crosswalk will be installed on Borregas Avenue south of Humboldt Court with a solar powered Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons in order to provide a safer crossing of Borregas Avenue for all pedestrians, including those that park on the new surface lot for this project. Bulb outs will be installed along Gibraltar Court and at the Borregas Avenue/Gibraltar Court intersection. The narrowing for both the northern and southern sides of Humboldt Court will be designed and the project will install the necessary improvements along the project frontage.
Solid Waste and Recycling Access: A new solid waste and recycling enclosure will be located to the west side of the new office building with access into the site from the east driveway on Gibraltar Court and egress out of the west driveway. The enclosure has been located so as not to conflict with employee, pedestrian, and bicycle access into the building, and setback 48-feet from the street. The enclosure has been designed to be compatible with the office building.
Public Art: The project applicant is proposing a public art to be located at the corner of Borregas Avenue and Gibraltar Court. The proposed design would be required to be reviewed and approved by the Arts Commission. If the applicant decides not to pursue or the Art Commission does not approve the artwork, the applicant has the option of paying a fee in-lieu of providing the artwork on site.
Fiscal Impact
Normal fees and taxes are expected. A direct economic benefit of the proposed project will be the fees the developer must pay as part of the permitting process which are required. School impact fees would be paid directly to the Sunnyvale School District and the Fremont Union High School District. The fees would be based on a fixed cost per net new square footage. The Developer has also agreed to require their large contractors to ensure all sales tax revenue related with this project is properly registered with the State so that the revenue is allocated to the City of Sunnyvale.
Public Contact
Planning Commission Study Session
On January 13, 2020, staff presented the proposed project to the Planning Commission for comments. Site and architectural plans were discussed. The Planning Commission generally supported the direction of the proposed project with the green building and sustainability features, and had comments on architectural details, landscaping, mature trees and public access to the open spaces.
Neighborhood Outreach Meeting
The applicant has facilitated a community outreach meeting on January 22, 2020. Property owners and residents within 2,000 feet of the site and neighborhood associations were notified. The meeting was held at one of the existing buildings (1190 Borregas Avenue) at the project site. Three community members attended and asked questions of the project construction timeline, mass timber technology, number of employees, lower parking count, and sea level rise. The community members expressed their support for the project and design, however, requested that the applicant keep community services in mind and give back to the community.
Public Comments
As of the date of staff report preparation, staff has not received any correspondences from the public regarding this project.
Notice of Public Hearing
• Published in the Sun newspaper
• Posted on the site
• 2,388 notices mailed to property owners and residents within 2,000 feet of the project site
• Notices were sent to the Morse Park Neighborhood Association and interested parties
Staff Report
• Posted on the City’s website
Agenda
• Posted on the City’s official notice bulletin board
• Posted on the City’s website
ALTERNATIVES
1. Make the findings required to approve the CEQA determination that the project is consistent with the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) of the City's General Plan and no additional environmental review is required as noted in the checklist in Attachment 5, and approve the Major Moffett Park Design Review and Minor Moffett Park Special Development Permit based on the findings in Attachment 3, and recommended conditions of approval in Attachment 4.
2. Make the findings required to approve the CEQA determination that the project is consistent with the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) of the City's General Plan and no additional environmental review is required as noted in the checklist in Attachment 5, and approve the Major Moffett Park Design Review and Minor Moffett Park Special Development Permit based on the findings in Attachment 3, and modified conditions of approval.
3. Do not make the required findings and direct staff where changes should be made.
4. Deny the project.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Make the findings required to approve the CEQA determination that the project is consistent with the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) of the City's General Plan and no additional environmental review is required as noted in the checklist in Attachment 5, and approve the Major Moffett Park Design Review and Minor Moffett Park Special Development Permit based on the findings in Attachment 3, and recommended Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4.
Staff was able to make the required Findings for the Major Moffett Park Design Review and Minor Moffett Park Special Development Permit shown in Attachment 3. The proposed project meets the intent of the MPSP by constructing additional Class A office space within proximity to light rail and sustainable green building features. The high-quality design and materials of the project as well as the preservation of street trees will enhance the Moffett Park business district aesthetics and contribute positively to the streetscape. The development also includes substantial site landscaping with more native plant materials and open space including a raised planter garden. Approval includes a reduction in the number of required parking spaces which will be offset by a thorough TDM plan.
Staff
Prepared by: Momoko Ishijima, Senior Planner
Reviewed by: Michelle King, Principal Planner
Approved by: Andrew Miner, Assistant Director of Community Development
ATTACHMENTS
1. Noticing and Vicinity Map
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings
4. Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. CEQA Consistency Checklist with the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) EIR
6. LUTE Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program
7. Project Site and Architectural Plans
8. Project Description Letter
9. Draft Parking Use and Maintenance Agreement
10. Project Transportation Demand Management Plan
11. Floor Area Ratio Calculations
12. Presentation to Planning Commission May 26, 2020