Project Description
The proposed project is a redevelopment of the Sunnyvale Business Park at 840 California Avenue. The site is located diagonally across the Caltrain right of way from the Sunnyvale Caltrain station, and offers one of the few large parcels in the city within walking distance of regional rail transit. Development on the 29.3 acre site currently consists of 1,609 surface parking spaces surrounding nine two-story and one three-story office buildings with a total of 623,456gsf. At the corner at California Avenue and Mathilda Avenue the site is adjacent to an existing fire station, which is not part of the property or project.
The site is part of the Peery Park Specific Plan, but very little buildable area became available for additional office development on this site as part of that plan. Although there have been significant economic challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the project sponsor believes the long term scarcity of housing and high housing costs will continue in the Sunnyvale area, and in response to feedback over several years from the City the project now proposes a mixed-use redevelopment of this centrally located site including office space and housing. At the conclusion of multiple phases of development, all of the existing buildings would be demolished to allow for the construction of up to fourteen residential buildings and five office buildings. In total, 1,027 new residential units and a net increase of 487,678gsf of office space are proposed. The new residential buildings are grouped on 13.1 acres at the west end of the site, away from the Moffett Field safety zones, while the five new office buildings are located at the east end of the site, adjacent to Mathilda Avenue, the CalTrain ROW, and an existing new office development. The project sponsor recognizes that there are significant parking pressures in the neighborhood. A primary goal of the project is to alleviate these concerns by increasing parking capacity and making more efficient use of each space. Through intelligent management of the parking structures and taking advantage of the shifted demand periods for residential and office parking, the available peak-hour office parking ratios on the site will be increased from the present 2.59:1000 to 3.0:1000, providing significant relief of parking pressure on adjacent public streets. One and a half spaces will be provided for each unit at residential peak hours. The majority of the new parking spaces will be below grade. All vehicular access to the site is from California Avenue in a series of curb cuts which are aligned with the existing street grid to the north.
Building heights have been carefully considered relative to adjacent uses, in particular the smaller scaled residential neighborhoods. Residential building heights step up from frontages of no more than three stories at the west and northwest edges of the site to a maximum of 8 stories or 85’ at the center. The office buildings step from a maximum of four stories along California Avenue to six stories at the center of the site and at the southern edge adjacent to the CalTrain ROW. Most importantly, the project increases pedestrian and cycle friendliness by relocating parking below grade, bringing buildings closer to the street edge, significantly enhancing the diagonal connection through the site to the CalTrain station, adding more open space, and adding more active ground floor uses. The site contains one landmark structure, the Libby Water Tower, which will be relocated within the site to a more celebrated location relative to the new pattern of open spaces.
840 WEST CALIFORNIA AVE GENERAL PLAN INITIATION REQUEST PAGE 1 OF 3 STEELWAVE | SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL JAN 08 2021
Attachment 3
Project Area and Parking Summary
Existing and Proposed
840 WEST CALIFORNIA AVE GENERAL PLAN INITIATION REQUEST PAGE 2 OF 3 STEELWAVE | SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL JAN 08 2021
Attachment 3
SUNNYVALE BUSINESS PARK
SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL LLP
W. CALIFORNIA AVENUE
N. MATHILDA AVENUE
W. EVELYN AVENUE
CALTRAIN RAIL
BLDG R11
BLDG R01
BLDG R12 BLDG R04
BLDG R9
BLDG R10
BLDG R07
BLDG R08
BLDG R02
BLDG R03
BLDG R13
BLDG R14
BLDG R06 BLDG R05
BLDG R15
BLDG 05 BLDG 06 BLDG 01
BLDG 02
BLDG 03
GARAGE
NEW WATER TOWER LOCATION
4 to 7 story
multi-family apartments
3 story
townhouses
7 to 8 story
multi-family apartments
6 to 8 story
multi-family apartments
Attachment 3
Site Plan Diagram
PROPOSED SITE PLAN
EXISTING SITE PLAN
840 WEST CALIFORNIA AVE GENERAL PLAN INITIATION REQUEST PAGE 3 OF 3 STEELWAVE | SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL JAN 08 2021
Attachment 3