REPORT TO THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
SUBJECT
Title
Proposed Project:
SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT: Demolish an existing 7,016 square feet auto repair/body shop buildings including a 399 square feet mezzanine, and construct a new 10,998 square feet auto repair shop building with a 2,231 square feet mezzanine for the Toyota Pre-owned Vehicle Reconditioning Center.
Location: 928 West El Camino Real (APN: 201-19-036)
File #: 2019-7404
Zoning: C-2/ECR - Highway Business/Precise Plan for El Camino Real
Applicant / Owner: TWM Architects + Planners (applicant) / Price-Simms Re, LLC (owner)
Environmental Review: Class 32 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions.
Project Planner: Momoko Ishijima, 408-730-7532, mishijima@sunnyvale.ca.gov
Report
BACKGROUND
The project site is located on a 0.52-acre parcel, mid-block on the south side of El Camino Real, near the intersection of El Camino Real and South Mary Avenue. The project site is within a developed, urban area of Sunnyvale and is immediately adjacent to other auto repair and auto dealership uses. The surrounding area also has a mix of commercial retail, restaurants, medical and office use, single-family homes, and apartments. The existing building was constructed in 1957 and has been occupied by various auto related businesses including a carwash, auto dealership, and auto body repair.
Description of Proposed Project
The proposed project is the demolition of the existing 7,016 square feet auto repair/body shop buildings including a 399 square feet mezzanine, and construction of a new 10,998 square feet auto repair shop building with a 2,231 square feet mezzanine for the Toyota Pre-owned Vehicle Reconditioning Center. The proposed net increase in building area is 3,982 square feet. The project also includes on-site improvements including landscaping and construction of a new solid waste enclosure, and off-site improvements including the widening of a frontage sidewalk. A Special Development Permit is required for new developments in the Precise Plan for El Camino Real area.
See Attachment 1 for a map of the vicinity and mailing area for notices and Attachment 2 for the Data Table of the project.
Previous Actions on the Site
Based on the permit history, the property and the existing building was constructed in 1957, with office additions permitted in the 1970’s. The following is a list of Use Permits approved at the site other than Miscellaneous Plan Permits and Sign Permits approved over the years for auto related businesses:
Use Permit (#2163) - Convert carwash facility into new and used car lot
Use Permit (#2252) - Convert building to car repair and car parts sales
Use Permit (#2253) - Covert existing building to store and swim center
Use Permit (#2005-0564) - Autobody repair and vehicle sales within an existing vacant building
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan Goals and Policies: Key goals and policies from the General Plan Land Use and Transportation Chapter, and Precise Plan for El Camino Real, which pertain to the proposed project, are provided in Attachment 3.
Applicable Design Guidelines: The Precise Plan for El Camino Real and the Citywide Design Guidelines include 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
Under the provisions of Section 15332, Class 32 (In-Fill Development) of the California Environmental Quality Act, the project is found to be exempt from further environmental review. The Section 15332 exemption applies to projects that are consistent with the applicable General Plan designation, and all applicable General Plan policies, as well as with the applicable zoning designation and regulations. The proposed use occurs within city limits on a project site of no more than five acres and is substantially surrounded by existing commercial and residential land uses. The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare, or threatened species; approval of the project will not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. Additionally, the site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public service. A detailed analysis is included in Attachment 5.
DISCUSSION
Proposed Use
The proposed project will demolish the existing 7,016-square foot auto repair and body shop buildings, including a 399-square foot mezzanine, and construct a new 10,998-square foot auto repair shop building with a 2,231-square foot mezzanine for the Toyota Pre-Owned Vehicle Reconditioning Service Center. The project would upgrade the existing buildings to a modern facility. The proposed auto repair business will refurbish pre-owned vehicles for sales at the two Toyota Sunnyvale dealerships on El Camino Real. The auto repair use has been a continuing use on the site since 1970.
There will be 9 employees on-site Monday through Friday, and 6 employees Saturday and Sunday, and the general hours of operation at the site are:
Monday through Saturday 7:30 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Saturday and Sunday 8:00 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Site Layout and Architecture
The project site is located on a 0.52-acre parcel, mid-block on the south side of El Camino Real, near the intersection of El Camino Real and South Mary Avenue. The site has a driveway access from El Camino Real and a 20-foot wide shared alley access in the rear across adjacent parcels out to South Mary Avenue. There are parking spaces in the front and rear of the building. The proposed building will span most of the lot with a five-foot pedestrian path to the rear on the west side. The building will be 30 feet in height in the front with a mezzanine area above the lobby for office and storage space. The rectangular building is simple in form with an entrance that projects out toward the street with storefront glazing, clear anodized aluminum framing, and silver square aluminum panels on the front façade. There will be a roll up door in the front and the back for access to the 12 service bays which occupy most of the building interior.
The proposed building will be located approximately 26 feet closer to the El Camino Real street frontage with a 44 feet 5 inch setback. The new building will be located approximately 65 feet further away from the rear property line and the adjacent single-family homes compared to the existing building with a proposed 93 feet 5 ½ inch rear setback. Staff believes that the proposed building is consistent in height and scale with the adjacent buildings and the modern architecture will enhance the streetscape. See Attachments 6~8 for the Site and Architectural Plans, Architectural Renderings, and Color Board.
Development Standards
The project complies with development standards of the C-2/ECR zoning except for deviations that can be approved through the Special Development Permit process, such as lot coverage, minimum landscape, and parking. The Project Data Table in Attachment 2 summarizes the project’s compliance with the SMC development standards.
Lot Coverage
The maximum lot coverage of the C-2/ECR zoning is 35%. The existing lot coverage is 29.4% and the proposed lot coverage is 38.9%, exceeding the maximum requirement by 3.9%. The project parcel is 22,525 square feet which is approximately half the minimum lot size requirement of the C-2/ECR zoning. The applicant has worked with staff to reduce the building size and the number of service bays, however, in order to meet operational requirements and to maintain architectural interest of the building design, the applicant is requesting a deviation of 3.9% from the SMC Section 19.32.020 requirements.
Landscaping
The minimum landscape requirement of SMC Section 19.37.040 is 20%. The existing landscaping is 6.4% and the proposed landscaping is 18.2%. The project improves the non-conforming landscaping by 11.8%. Furthermore, there will be 14 new trees planted and the project will exceed the minimum 20% landscaping of the parking lot area by 40.5%, and provide 51.7% parking lot shading where the requirement is 50%.
Parking
The minimum parking requirement of SMC Section 19.46.100(a) for an auto service use is 2.5 parking spaces for retail/office and 3 parking spaces per service bay. The minimum parking requirement for the proposed project is 39 parking spaces. The proposed parking proposes 7 parking spaces in the front and 12 parking spaces in the rear for a total of 19 parking spaces. SMC Section 19.46.130(d) allows for adjustments to minimum parking requirements for non-residential uses to be made under the following conditions:
(1) One or more of the following applicable characteristics are present:
(A) There are parking agreements with off-site properties; or
(B) There is a parking management plan that includes valet parking, off-site employee parking, parking agreements, or other demand management tools; or
(C) The uses on a site have complementary peak hours; or
(D) The use is commercial in nature and is intended to serve adjacent employment centers. The use provides adequate pedestrian connections to the site from nearby properties and businesses; or
(E) The use is within one-half mile of a walk from a rail station, light rail station, or major bus stop. A major bus stop is defined as a stop where six or more buses per hour from the same or different routes stop during the peak period in core, corridor or station areas; or
(F) The proposed use has an unusual characteristic that results in less parking demand. This characteristic shall be described and limited in applicable conditions of approval for a discretionary land use permit. Land uses that are permitted by right may not apply for adjustment because of this criterion of unusual characteristics.
The applicant intends the site to be a refurbishing center for pre-owned vehicles to be sold at the two Toyota dealerships on El Camino Real. There will be no customers dropping off or picking up vehicles at this site and only employees will be parking their personal vehicles in the parking lot. The applicant proposes 9 employees Monday through Friday, and 6 employees on Saturday and Sunday. Vehicles to be serviced and vehicles to be sold will be parked on the dealership sites. These conditions meet (B) and (F) of the above characteristics. Staff has included a condition of approval (Attachment 4) to require a parking management plan to be prepared and recorded against the property. This condition will be applied to future tenants and owners and a new parking management plan will need to be prepared should Toyota vacate the site.
Solar Shading
No new structures shall impair more than 10% of the rooftops of the sum of all permitted structures on an adjacent property or to any preexisting active solar collector on an adjacent property on December 21 (winter solstice) at 9:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. SMC Section 19.56.020 requires a 365 day solar cycle analysis if the structure shades more than 10%. The solar shading analysis found that at 3:00 P.M. on December 21, the proposed building would shade 30% of the adjacent building at 934 West El Camino Real. The 365 day solar cycle analysis found that less than 10% shading would occur on the adjacent building, which complies with the development regulation.
Off-site Improvements
The project will be required to widen the existing sidewalk to meet the Precise Plan for El Camino Real standards. The new sidewalk will be 13 feet wide with new tree wells. The 15-foot pedestrian realm will be implemented with a 2-foot dedication through a sidewalk easement.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACTS/COMPATIBILITY:
Auto related uses have been operating at the site since 1957 and the proposed use does not change the use. The adjacent uses on El Camino Real are a tire shop, auto repair, and the Toyota Dealership next to the tire shop. The proposed use supports an expanded business opportunity for Toyota. The new building will enhance the El Camino Real streetscape with a modern facility with new landscaping and trees. The new building increases the setback away from the single-family residences. Conditions are included to address noise and parking, such as compliance with the City Noise Ordinance (GC-8), construction noise management (BP-15 & BP-23), and the requirement of a Parking Management Plan (BP-14) in Attachment 4. As conditioned, staff finds no adverse impact of the project to the surrounding neighborhood.
PUBLIC CONTACT
90 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.
Community Outreach Meeting - December 9, 2020
The applicant conducted a teleconference outreach meeting on December 9, 2020. The meeting was attended by one interested party. The applicant team gave a presentation with an overview of the proposed project, and then opened the forum for question and answers. The member of the public expressed support for the project. A member of the public who did not attend the meeting also expressed support of the project primarily due to the increased setback proposed to the existing single-family homes along the rear property line.
CONCLUSION
Staff is supportive of the proposed project with the requested deviations. As previously noted, the project is constrained by a site that is approximately half the size of other properties in the same zoning district. No environmental impacts were identified and as conditioned, potential incompatibility with surrounding uses is expected to be less than significant. The building will support a significant business in Sunnyvale to expand business opportunities locally. Although the landscaping is slightly under the minimum requirement of 20%, the project increases the existing deficiency by 11.8%, adds much needed trees on the site, and creates a pedestrian realm on the El Camino Real frontage. The parking deficiency can be justified in that the vehicles to be refurbished at the project site will be sold at the two Sunnyvale Toyota dealerships on El Camino Real in close proximity to the project site and will not require long-term parking of vehicles onsite. No customers are expected to park on the site. The project can be accommodated without significant demands on the existing infrastructure and roadway system.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Special Development Permit with recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
2. Approve the Special Development Permit with modifications.
3. Deny the Special Development Permit.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1. Approve the Special Development Permit with recommended Conditions in Attachment 4.
Staff
Prepared by: Momoko Ishijima, Senior Planner
Approved by: Noren Caliva-Lepe, Principal Planner
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity and Noticing Maps
2. Project Data Table
3. Recommended Findings
4. Recommended Conditions of Approval
5. CEQA Class 32 Exemption Analysis
6. Site and Architectural Plans
7. Architectural Renderings
8. Color Board
9. Project Description Letter