REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Consolidation of the City's Design Guidelines (Information Only)
Report
BACKGROUND
Over the years, City Council has adopted numerous design guidelines that set goals and policies for promoting development that is compatible and consistent with Sunnyvale's community character and desired architectural outcomes. These design guidelines supplement the development standards in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code and goals and policies in the Sunnyvale General Plan.
The City currently has ten adopted design guideline documents that set standards for various types of development, or that are specific to areas of the City. Additionally, individual Specific and Area Plans may contain their own unique set of design guidelines that are generalized for those locations. The following is a list of the various design guidelines that the City has adopted excluding those contained in Specific or Area Plans:
* Citywide Design Guidelines - Originally adopted in 1992 and last updated in 2014, includes general goals and policies that are applicable to a wide range of developments.
* Single-Family Home Design Techniques - Adopted in 2003, provides specific design techniques for single-family home developments in Sunnyvale including policies particularly sensitive to our residents (e.g., privacy and second-story additions).
* Taaffe-Frances Heritage Neighborhood Design Guidelines - Adopted in 2009, includes design recommendations for preserving this historic residential neighborhood. The policies in this document are specific to the single-family homes in this neighborhood and may be used in conjunction with the Single-Family Home Design Techniques.
* Eichler Design Guidelines - Adopted in 2009, contains various design suggestions and policies to maintain the unique architectural style of Eichler and Eichler-like homes and their neighborhoods.
* Bird Safe Design Guidelines - Adopted in 2014, provides specific design guidelines to promote a safe environme...
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