REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve a Land Use Option for the Preparation of Proposed Amendments to the Moffett Park Specific Plan and Analysis in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
Report
SUMMARY OF COMMISSION ACTION
The Planning Commission considered this item on April 26, 2021.
During the public hearing, twelve members of the public spoke, including Moffett Park property owners and businesses, and advocates for mixed use and environmental protection. Representatives of Lockheed Martin indicated that they are requesting a new site to study for potential housing and are no longer interested in pursuing residential on their northwestern site due to a better understanding of the environmental concerns. The former site was referred to as Lockheed 1 and the new site is referred to as Lockheed 2 during the Planning Commission deliberations.
The Planning Commission made several recommendations. They first voted to approve Alternative 1, “Recommend to City Council Land Use Option of: Office/R+D/Industrial of (an additional 10 million square feet over existing and approved) with Mixed-Use Residential east of Mathilda (up to 18,500 housing units and 500,000 square feet of commercial/retail).” The vote was 5-0, with 1 Commissioner absent and 1 Commissioner recused.
The Planning Commission moved and approved two additional areas to recommend to City Council to be studied as potential housing sites. With these additional study areas, there was no recommended change to the development program; number of housing units and additional square feet of office space remain as recommended by staff.
• The first additional recommendation was to include the Jay Paul-owned property at Mathilda and Innovation Way as a potential housing site to study. The vote was 3-2, with 1 Commissioner absent and 1 Commissioner recused.
• The second additional recommendation was to include the Lockheed Site 2 (between Lockheed Martin Way and First Street and east of E street) as a potential housing site to study. The vote was 3-2, with 1 Commissioner absent and 1 Commissioner recused.
The Planning Commission minutes are provided in Attachment 10 and the Planning Commission recommended Land Use Map is included as Attachment 11. Public comment letters received after the Planning Commission hearing are provided in Attachment 12 to the report.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact for the City Council meeting was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, Sunnyvale Public Library and Department of Public Safety. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website. Additional public contact is noted in the Report to Planning Commission (Attachment 1).
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve Land Use Option of Office/R+D/Industrial of (an additional 10 million square feet over existing and approved) with Mixed-Use Residential east of Mathilda (up to 18,500 housing units and 500,000 square feet of commercial/retail) for the Preparation of Proposed Amendments to the Moffett Park Specific Plan and Analysis in the Environmental Impact Report.
2. Approve Land Use Option in Alternative 1 with modifications to: adjust the total amount of housing units or office square footage; include study of housing west of Mathilda on the Lockheed (one or both), Navy, Jay Paul or Juniper site; or, other modifications desired by the City Council.
3. Approve Planning Commission Recommendation: Land Use Option in Alternative 1 plus inclusion of the Jay Paul and Lockheed 2 sites to study for potential residential use.
4. Do not select any of the land use options in consideration for the Moffett Park Specific Plan and provide further direction to staff.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve Land Use Option of Office/R+D/Industrial of (an additional 10 million square feet over existing and approved) with Mixed-Use Residential east of Mathilda (up to 18,500 housing units and 500,000 square feet of commercial/retail) for the Preparation of Proposed Amendments to the Moffett Park Specific Plan and Analysis in the Environmental Impact Report.
Staff recommendation has been refined since the March City Council Study Session. A slightly higher number of housing units and square footage of office/research and development space are recommended based on a growing interest from the community in providing additional housing opportunities as well as opportunities for business to grow in this successful business park area. Further, staff recommends that housing should be located only east of Mathilda Avenue which limits future conflict between residential and light industrial uses west of Mathilda and housing and retail would be positioned along transit to support future ridership. Concentrating the residential in the area east of Mathilda also provides a better opportunity for successful retail and services. Potential housing sites located east of Mathilda Avenue would also be located closer to Moffett Federal Airfield, resulting in greater exposure to aircraft noise.
The recommended action serves only to initiate a specific study of land use change in Moffett Park. This action does not commit the City to any future land use decisions at this time. It merely establishes the parameters of the study for the Plan preparation and Environmental Review. The ranges recommended are broad and may be greater than what is finally chosen as the desired land use ranges for the area. The broad range allows the greatest amount of review and study within the Environmental Impact Report. City staff will return several times in the near future to the Planning Commission for a recommendation and City Council for direction and specific action on items such as:
• Density
• Building heights
• Mix of uses
• Development standards
• Infrastructure needs and timing
• Community benefits
• Timing of build-out
If the City Council is interested in exploring residential/housing potential west of Mathilda, staff recommends it be limited to the Planning Commission recommendation, which includes two additional sites for study (Jay Paul and Lockheed 2).
Staff
Prepared by: Michelle King, Principal Planner
Reviewed by: Trudi Ryan, Director, Community Development Department
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Report to Planning Commission 21-0365, April 26, 2021 (without attachments)
2. Staff Recommended Land Use Map
3. Draft Vision Statement and Adopted Guiding Principles
4. MPSP Community Engagement Plan
5. Summary results of Public Workshops and Community Priorities Survey
6. Key Technical Study Summaries
7. Existing City Goals and Policies
8. Additional Residential Opportunity Sites
9. Public Comment Letters
Additional Attachments for Report to Council
10. Excerpt of Draft Minutes of the Planning Commission Meeting of April 26, 2021
11. Planning Commission Recommended Land Use Map
12. Public Comment Letters, Received After Planning Commission Hearing