Heritage Preservation Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Heritage Preservation Commission Wednesday, September 1, 2021 7:00 PM Teleconference Meeting: City Web Stream Regular Meeting - 7PM SPECIAL TELECONFERENCE NOTICE CALL TO ORDER Chair Hopkins called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Present: 6 - Chair Dawn Hopkins Vice Chair Shanna Gaudenti Commissioner Jenny Bratton Commissioner Steve Caroompas Commissioner Pamela Sharma Commissioner David Wu ROLL CALL Pursuant to Section 3 of Executive Order N-29-20 (March 17, 2020) and Section 42 of Executive Order N-08-21 (June 11, 2021), issued by Governor Newsom, the meeting was conducted telephonically. Chair Hopkins called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Present: 6 - Chair Dawn Hopkins Vice Chair Shanna Gaudenti Commissioner Jenny Bratton Commissioner Steve Caroompas Commissioner Pamela Sharma Commissioner David Wu ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. 21-0869 Approve the Draft Special Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes of July 7, 2021 City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final September 1, 2021 Commissioner Bratton moved and Commissioner Sharma seconded the motion to approve the Draft Special Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes of July 7, 2021, as submitted. Commissioner Wu was not available during this motion. Motion carried as follows: Yes: 5 - Chair Hopkins Vice Chair Gaudenti Commissioner Bratton Commissioner Caroompas Commissioner Sharma No: 0 Absent: 2 - Cadouri Commissioner Wu PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS Commissioner Wu arrived at 7:04 p.m. 2. 21-0799 Proposed Project: RESOURCE ALTERATION PERMIT to allow a 250 square foot covered patio attached to an existing two-story single-family home, resulting in 5,594 square feet (4,768 square feet living area and 576 square feet garage unchanged) and 38% floor area ratio (FAR). The project includes a 14 square foot bay window, exterior stairs, a 393 square feet exterior deck, and replacement of doors and windows. Location: 1029 Ranere Ct. (APN: 201-03-044) File #: 2021-7340 Zoning: R-0 (Low Density Residential) Applicant / Owner: Kohlsaat and Associates Architecture (applicant) / Derek F Iwamoto and Tracia Chan (owner) Environmental Review: A Class 3 categorical exemption relieves this project from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions. Project Planner: Mary Jeyaprakash, (408) 730-7637, mjeyaprakash@sunnyvale.ca.gov Senior Planner George Schroeder provided a brief summary and Project Planner Mary Jeyaprakash continued to present the report. She noted that there were no public comments after the public noticing was mailed. City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final September 1, 2021 Chair Hopkins asked the Commissioners if they had any questions for staff. Commissioner Sharma asked staff to clarify the approval and construction timeline and Ms. Jeyaprakash responded that it could take six months until construction. Commissioner Caroompas asked staff to clarify the proposed changes to the front elevation and Ms. Jeyaprakash replied that Page 5 of Attachment 5 shows a proposal to the front entry including a trellis, bay window, a new exterior stairway, and a stucco wall replacing the wood fence. Commissioner Sharma asked to clarify the location of the front door and Ms. Jeyaprakash replied that the door is in the same location however the stairs are facing the street with the proposed modifications. Commissioner Caroompas noted that he likes the proposal. Applicant Gary Kohlsaat described the proposal with the Site and Architectural Plans (Attachment 5 of the report). Commissioner Caroompas would like to see the inside of the house from a usability standpoint as he likes the exterior design but noted the bay window does not match the architectural design. Mr. Kohlsaat responded that bay windows are common during the era of the original design and adds to the character. He also noted that the historical evaluation report provided by Leslie A. G. Dill, Historic Architect supports the addition of the bay window. Ms. Jeyaprakash added that the historical evaluation report notes that the bay window is compatible yet different. Commissioner Bratton and Commissioner Sharma also agreed that the bay window is compatible in the architectural style as noted in the historical evaluation report. Chair Hopkins opened the public hearing. No members of the public were present to speak. Commissioner Caroompas asked if the Commission can comment on the interior of the home and Senior Planner Schroeder noted the HPC’s review is limited to the exterior of the home. Commissioner Sharma noted her admiration of the design. City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final September 1, 2021 Chair Hopkins closed the public hearing. MOTION: Commissioner Caroompas moved and Commissioner Bratton seconded to approve alternative 1: Approve the Resource Alteration Permit based on the Findings in Attachment 3 and subject to the Conditions of Approval in Attachment 4. The motion carried with the following vote: Yes: 6 - Chair Hopkins Vice Chair Gaudenti Commissioner Bratton Commissioner Caroompas Commissioner Sharma Commissioner Wu No: 0 Absent: 1 - Cadouri 3. 21-0865 CEQA and Historical Resources Training Commissioner Bratton moved and Commissioner Caroompas seconded to continue the CEQA and Historical Resources Training to a date uncertain. Motion carried as follows: Yes: 6 - Chair Hopkins Vice Chair Gaudenti Commissioner Bratton Commissioner Caroompas Commissioner Sharma Commissioner Wu No: 0 Absent: 1 - Cadouri STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES Commissioner Sharma proposed a study issue to document the oral history of long time residents with over 25 years of residency. City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final September 1, 2021 Chair Hopkins asked staff to check if this has been created in the past. Commissioner Wu spoke about the Murphy Family and in their orchards were at least 10 percent Chinese farm workers. Commissioner Sharma noted that this proposal could include an interactive display at the Sunnyvale Historical Museum. Mr. Schroeder noted that a Board and Commissioner Study Issue form should be filled out and staff would draft a study issue proposal. Commissioner Wu provided his experience with Study Issue 19-04: Update to the Historical Context Statement to Include Historical Contributions Made by Asian Americans and Other Minority Groups. He noted that it may be a better idea to combine Commissioner Sharma's proposal. Commissioner Caroompas agreed with the idea to combine study issues. Commissioner Sharma noted the importance of her proposed study issue. Chair Hopkins noted that Commissioner Sharma's study issue and Commissioner Wu's study issue should be two separate study issues. Commissioner Caroompas noted that he would recommend combining the study issues and Commissioner Sharma agreed that the larger scope of the study issue may be beneficial to capture different cultural backgrounds. Commissioner Caroompas asked staff if its possible to outreach for sponsorship for funding from private companies and Mr. Schroeder responded that City Council would need to approve this and if its sponsored by City Council then the funding will be determined at that time. Chair Hopkins asked staff to clarify if approval and ranking is needed to an existing study issue (CDD 19-04) if it is amended and Mr. Schroeder recommended to keep the study issues separate as the prior study issue has been approved and ranked. Commissioner Sharma elaborated her proposal for a new study issue to capture an oral history of longtime Sunnyvale residents. Commissioner Bratton noted that this proposal is a good idea and that perhaps the City of Sunnyvale Page 5 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final September 1, 2021 museum or library may have a similar project or study. After further discussion by the commissioners, it was decided to keep the CDD 19-04 study issue and potential new study issue separate. Following the meeting, Commissioner Sharma noted that she would no longer propose an oral history study issue as this is already documented in the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum. Commissioner Caroompas noted that he is also a coach of Sunnyvale Little League, which has been around since 1958. He asked how he could nominate baseball fields at Serra Park and De Anza Park to be a Heritage Resources to commemorate Sunnyvale Little League. Commissioners discussed this as a possible study issue with staff. Mr. Schroeder noted that this idea may be in the Parks and Recreation Commission's purview since it is located within a public park and he noted that he is unaware of any public parks in Sunnyvale as a Heritage Resource. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioner Bratton brought up the possibility of conducting a walking tour of Heritage Resources such as the Historic Murphy District. She also noted that maybe another future meeting could be at the Sunnyvale Heritage Park. INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS Mr. Schroeder noted that Sarosh Patel was recently appointed as a Heritage Preservation Commissioner and will be joining the Commission soon. ADJOURNMENT Chair Hopkins adjourned the meeting at 8:38 PM. City of Sunnyvale Page 6