Zoning Administrator Hearing

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes Zoning Administrator Hearing Wednesday, July 12, 2023 3:00 PM Teleconference: City Web Stream Public Participation Accessibility/Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Notice CALL TO ORDER George Schroeder, Zoning Administrator, called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. Mr. Schroeder proceeded with the second item on the agenda in order for applicants from the first item’s party to arrive to the hearing. PUBLIC HEARINGS Proposed Project: Use Permit to allow a 7-foot 2-inch tall fence in the front yard of a single-family home. Location: 1666 Swallow Drive (APN: 313-41-028) File #: PLNG-2023-0180 Zoning: R-0 (Low Density Residential) Applicant / Owner: Nicholas Felton Environmental Review: A Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions. Project Planner: Drew Taplin, 408-730-7407, dtaplin@sunnyvale.ca.gov Mr. Schroeder inquired with Drew Taplin, Project Planner, if there were any additions to the staff report. Mr. Taplin had no updates to the staff report. Mr. Taplin provided a brief overview of the dimensions of the fence relative to the property line and curb. He also showed that the proposed design of the fence was fairly solid, thus staff’s recommendation was to change the design of the top in order to improve transparency and to be consistent with the rest of the neighborhood’s designs. Ms. Schroeder inquired with the applicant if there were any additions or comments. Nicholas Felton, applicant, provided a brief presentation. Mr. Felton showed an City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Zoning Administrator Hearing Meeting Minutes July 12, 2023 updated design with more transparency at the top in order to follow staff’s recommendations. He expressed he hoped the design meets the feedback expressed by staff and hoped the design would be able to provide privacy to both his family and neighbors. Mr. Schroeder clarified that two of the options provided by staff were to lower the fence by one-foot or to change the top design for transparency and that Mr. Felton elected to change the design. Mr. Schroeder opened the hearing to public comments. Ed Johnson, identified as a neighbor, expressed approval of the fence and the modified designs. Mr. Schroeder closed the hearing the public comments. ACTION: Alternative 2. Approve the Use Permit with modifications. Modify condition PS-1 to state: Prior to Building Permit issuance, the applicant shall revise the plans to show the front yard fence with at least a 1-foot partially transparent design at the top of the proposed fence, not to exceed 7’-2” in total height from top of street curb, with the final details to be approved by staff. Proposed Project: USE PERMIT to allow the demolition of two hotel buildings and construction of a surface parking lot with associated site improvements. Location: 331 and 385 East Weddell Drive (APN 110-13-074 and 076) File #: PLNG-2022-7728 Zoning: M-S/POA - Industrial and Service/ Places of Assembly Applicant / Owner: Prologis Environmental Review: A Class 3 Categorical Exemption relieves this project from the California Environmental Quality Act provisions. Project Planner: Cindy Hom, 408-730-7411, chom@sunnyvale.ca.gov Mr. Schroeder inquired with Cindy Hom, Project Planner, if there were any additions to the staff report. Ms. Hom requested for this item to be continued to a date uncertain. Revised language to two of the conditions of approval were needed (PS-1 and PS-2). Mr. Schroeder noted that it is unclear what is being proposed on site. City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Zoning Administrator Hearing Meeting Minutes July 12, 2023 Mr. Schroeder inquired with the applicant if there were any additions or comments. Samidha Thakral, applicant, stated that they were applying for a use permit for fleet parking. The uses could range from parking to delivery vehicle loading or autonomous car charging. Ms. Thrakral acknowledged that staff requested clarification and to be more specific on what type of vehicle would be permitted for use and stated it would be auto parking. She would continue to work with staff on the two conditions of approval. Mr. Schroeder asked if Ms. Thakral if the use would be for autonomous vehicles or fleet parking. Ms. Thakral stated the application is for fleet parking use because the exact use is not currently described in Sunnyvale’s code. The public transportation use definition was the closest and used as a reference for the application. Ms. Thakral said that autonomous parking would be a possibility, but the use would primarily be private fleet parking. Mr. Schroeder opened the hearing to public comments. No members of the public wished to speak. Mr. Schroeder closed the hearing to public comments. Mr. Schroeder asked Ms. Thakral for any closing statements. Ms. Thakral expressed gratitude in working with staff and hoped to conclude the process soon as there were security concerns on the property due to vandalism on the vacant lots. ACTION: Continuance to date uncertain granted. Applicant is to work with staff clarify the specifics of the exact proposed use in the project description letter. The project description in the notice and the staff report is to be updated to accurately reflect the specific use requested by the applicant. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Schroeder adjourned the hearing at 3:17 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 3