DRAFT 6/19/23___________
T-CDD-230038/67708 1
Council Agenda:
Item No.:
RESOLUTION NO. ___-23
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SUNNYVALE TO ESTABLISH CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE
DESIGN STANDARDS FOR MULTI-FAMILY
RESIDENTIAL AND MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS;
REPEAL THE MIXED-USE TOOLKIT AND HIGH
DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES; AND
RENAME THE CITYWIDE DESIGN GUIDELINES TO
NON-RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES.
WHEREAS, Section 19.80.020 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code states that the City Council shall establish criteria and guidelines for site and architectural design review of development projects requiring discretionary land use permits; and WHEREAS, on June 23, 1992, the City Council adopted the “Citywide Design Guidelines,” subsequently amended on December 18, 2012, and April 8, 2014, which apply to all new development, including residential projects; and
WHEREAS, on November 25, 2014, the City Council adopted the “High Density Residential Design Guidelines,” which apply to projects with a zoning designation of R-4 and R- 5, and projects where multi-family residential is proposed in commercial districts; and WHEREAS, on July 28, 2015, the City Council adopted the “Toolkit for Mixed Use Development," which applies to projects that combine land uses such as residential, commercial, and office; and
WHEREAS, on July 28, 2015, the City Council adopted the “Parking Structure Design Guidelines,” which apply to projects, including residential projects, that include parking structures; and
WHEREAS, on September 19, 2017, the Governor signed legislation known as Senate Bill 35, which created a streamlined approval process for certain residential developments that comply with objective zoning and objective design review standards; and WHEREAS, on October 19, 2019, the Governor signed legislation known as Senate Bill 330 (SB 330) or the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, which, among other things, added provisions to state law that require local agencies to follow “objective” standards when reviewing housing development projects; and
WHEREAS, SB 35 and SB 330 define "objective” standards as those that “involve no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and is uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official before submittal of an application” (Government Code Section 66300); and
Attachment 3
T-CDD-230038/67708 2
Council Agenda:
Item No.:
WHEREAS, the City must adopt objective design standards in order to comply with state law and ensure that the City’s design standards for housing development projects are enforceable;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SUNNYVALE THAT:
1. The Residential Objective Design Standards attached hereto as Exhibit A, are hereby adopted;
2. The Mixed-Use Development Toolkit and High Density Residential Design Guidelines are hereby repealed;
3. The Citywide Design Guidelines are hereby renamed the Non-Residential Design Guidelines; and
4. The Director of Community Development is authorized to administratively update other adopted design guidelines to be aligned with the new Objective Design Standards.
5. The City Council finds that this resolution is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
Adopted by the City Council at a regular meeting held on ____________, 2023, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
RECUSAL:
ATTEST: APPROVED:
__________________________________ _________________________________
DAVID CARNAHAN
City Clerk
LARRY KLEIN
Mayor
(SEAL)
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________________
JOHN A. NAGEL
City Attorney
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale Citywide
Objective Design Standards
June 2023
EXHIBIT A
Attachment 3
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Attachment 3
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 1
1. Introduction 5
1.1 Applicable Projects 5
1.2 Citywide and Area-Specific Standar ds 5
1.3 Structure of Design Standar ds 6
1.4 Intent Statements 6
1.5 Building Types 6
1.6 Amendment Process 9
2. Site Design 11
2.1 Purpose and Goals 11
2.2 Site Design Standards 11
2.3 Multifamily Residential Transition Space 14
3. Building Form 15
3.1 Purpose and Goals 15
3.2 Street Stepback Standards 15
Table of Contents
City of Sunnyvale Citywide
Objective Design Standards
June 2023
Attachment 3
2 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS City of Sunnyvale Table of Contents
3.3 Side/Rear Context Standards 17
3.4 Building Form adjacent to Heritage Resources 17
3.5 Massing and Bulk 19
3.6 Elevation Articulation 20
3.7 Roof Form 22
4. Building Detail and Lighting 25
4.1 Purpose and Goals 25
4.2 Architectural Character and Detail 25
4.3 Windows and Glass 27
4.4 Building Materials and Finish 27
4.5 Color Rendering Requirements 29
4.6 Lighting 29
5. Parking and Service Area Design 31
5.1 Purpose and Goals 31
5.2 Access to Parking and Service Areas 31
5.3 Surface Parking Design Standards 32
5.4 Parking Garage Design Standards 33
5.5 Podium Parking Design Standards 36
5.6 Ground-Mounted Services and Utilities 36
6. Open Space Design 39
6.1 Purpose and Goals 39
6.2 Common Open Space 39
6.3 Rooftop Open Space 41
6.4 Required Common Open Space Amenities 42
6.5 Private Open Space 43
7. Landscape Design 45
7.1 Purpose and Goals 45
7.2 Protection of Natural Features 45
7.3 Sustainable Landscape Design 45
7.4 Planting Standards 47
7.5 General Landscape Design 47
7.6 Entry and Focal Point Landscaping 48
7.7 Surface Parking Landscaping 49
8. Bird Safe Design 51
8.1 Purpose and Goals 51
8.2 Bird Safe Glass and Lighting 51
8.3 Bird Safe Landscape Design 52
9. Glossary 53
Attachment 3
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 3 City of Sunnyvale Table of Contents
List of Figures
Figure 2-1 Orientation of building fronting primary street. 13 Figure 2-2 Orientation of building on corner lot. 13
Figure 2-3 Orientation exception 1: Pedestrian-accessible courtyard. 13 Figure 2-4 Orientation exception 2: Interior building. 13 Figure 2-5 Multifamily residential frontage standards. 13 Figure 2-6 Mixed-use commercial frontage standards. 13
Figure 3-1 Mid-rise multifamily or vertical mixed-use stepback. 17 Figure 3-2 High-rise multifamily or vertical mixed-use stepback. 17 Figure 3-3 Daylight plane. 17
Figure 3-4 Division of building length; low-rise buildings. 19 Figure 3-5 Division of building length; 50’ to 100’-wide mid- and high-rise buildings. 19 Figure 3-6 Division of building length; 100’ or wider mid- and high-rise buildings. 19 Figure 3-7 Approaches to corner architectural massing. 20 Figure 3-8 Extension of corner mass. 20
Figure 3-9 Corner recess or void. 20
Figure 3-10 Example of compliant balcony rail and wall design. 23 Figure 3-11 Pitched roof variation. 23
Figure 3-12 Flat roof variation. 23
Figure 5-1 Parking access standards: Parking structure. 31 Figure 5-2 Parking access standards: Interior surface lot. 32 Figure 5-3 Surface parking lot buffer along public street. 33 Figure 6-1 Internally accessible open space. 39
Figure 6-2 Externally accessible open space and pathway design. 40 Figure 7-1 Pathway landscape standards 48
Figure 7-2 Focal point landscaping. 49
Figure 7-3 Surface parking buffers and landscaping. 50
Attachment 3
4 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS City of Sunnyvale Table of Contents
List of Tables
Table 2A. Site Design Standards 12
Table 2B. Transition Space Design Approaches 14
Table 3A. Street Stepback Standards For Residential Development Projects 16 Table 3B. Division of Building Length Standards 18
Table 4A. Building Elevation Design Strategies 26
Table 5A. Minimum Illumination Levels for Parking Garages 34 Table 5B. Back Flow Preventer Screening Approaches 37
Table 6A. Pedestrian Pathway Design Approaches 40
Table 6B. Open Space Amenities 42
Attachment 3
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 5 City of Sunnyvale 1. Introduction
The City of Sunnyvale has a tradition of high-quality
design. Building and site design are historically
regulated in design guidelines, specific and area
plans and the zoning code. Compliance with these
documents is supported by a discretionary design
review process established in Chapter 19.80 of
the Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC)
“to improve
the design quality of developments; enhance and
protect existing neighborhoods; promote economic
development; [and] create a strong and positive
image for the city…” Per SMC Section 19.80.030,
“Any proposed use requiring a discretionary land
use permit that includes new construction…or
other site modification is subject to design review.”
Whether through the public hearing process or
individual translation of guidelines, the design
review process is informed by at least some degree
of subjective, or personal, interpretation.
This document includes new objective design
standards for multifamily and residential mixed-use
development. These standards were adopted in
response to housing streamlining legislation passed
by the State of California. Unlike design guidelines
and decisions made by design review bodies,
these standards are consistent with Government
Code Sections 65913.4 and 66300(a)(7) in that they
do not
“involve personal or subjective judgment
by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by
reference to an external and uniform benchmark
or criterion available and knowable by both the
development applicant and the public official prior
to submittal.”
1.1 Applicable Projects
The following objective design standards apply only
to a subset of housing development projects. These
include the following:
■ Residential-only projects with three or more
units;
■ Mixed-use residential projects with at least two-
thirds (2/3) of gross floor area square footage
dedicated to housing;
■ Supportive/transitional housing projects.
These design standards do not apply to single-
family homes, duplexes or accessory dwelling
units. These standards also do not apply to non-
residential development. Existing design guidelines
and design review processes remain in effect for all
commercial, industrial, office, institutional and other non-residential projects.
1.2 Citywide and Area-Specific
Standards
The City of Sunnyvale has adopted area plans
and specific plans. Examples are the Downtown
Specific Plan and El Camino Real Specific Plan.
Except for development projects within the Moffett
Park Specific Plan area, the design standards in
this document apply to multifamily and mixed-use
development projects where:
■ At least one type of housing development
project, as defined in Section 1.1, is an
allowable land use; and
■ Plan-specific objective design standards have
not been adopted.
1. Introduction
Attachment 3
6 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS City of Sunnyvale 1. Introduction
Project applicants should identify in what, if any,
specific or area plan boundary their project is
located and determine if the above criteria are
true. While only objective design standards can
be used to approve, deny or reduce the density of
applicable housing development projects, specific
and area plans should also be consulted as part of
any project development. The adopted documents
contain relevant land use policies, development
intensity standards, design objectives, circulation
plans and infrastructure improvements, all informed
by public input.
1.3 Structure of Design
Standards
The objective design standards in this document
have been created to facilitate new housing and
maintain Sunnyvale’s vision for local character. Goal
CC-3 of the General Plan is to ensure that private
development is well-designed and compatible with
surrounding properties and districts.
The structure of these objective design standards
is intended to support the City’s design goals. The
standards are divided into six primary topics, each
with its own subtopics. Subtopics are supported by
an opening design intent statement, followed by a
set of objective design standards.
1.4 Intent Statements
The intent statements communicate the desired
outcome of the design subtopic. They clarify the
purpose of the particular design standards under
that subtopic and provide design context. The
statements were developed in consultation with
local design and development stakeholders.
Intent statements include some language that is not
objective. They provide general design direction
for applicants. Although they are not intended to
be used by staff in the ministerial design approval
process described in Section 1.5 below, they may
be cited in documentation of staff decisions and/or
used in cases of appeals.
1.5 Building Types
The applicable projects identified in Section 1.1
are divided into four types of residential buildings
in this document. Some of the design standards
are calibrated to one or more specific building
type. The following is a guide to three multifamily
residential building types and two mixed-use
commercial frontage types, for reference when
using this document.
1. Low-Rise Multifamily Residential
Height: 2 to 3 Stories
Arrangement: Triplex, fourplex, townhomes,
courtyard, tuck-under and garden apartments.
Orientation: Entrances oriented towards public
street or right-of way. For townhomes, courtyard,
tuck-under and garden apartments, entrances
of internal units may be oriented towards private
courtyards or passages.
Attachment 3
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 7 City of Sunnyvale 1. Introduction
Open Space: For Triplex and Fourplex, upper
floor terraces and balconies; for townhomes,
ground-level front and/or rear yards; for courtyard,
tuck-under and garden apartments, ground
level courtyards or, in multi-building projects,
interconnected landscape areas.
Parking: Parking, other than accessible or disabled
spaces, is provided in surface parking lots behind
development, parked in individual garages to the
side of or underneath units or underneath the
residences in both open and closed configurations
or underground.
2. Mid-Rise Multifamily Residential
Height: 4 to 8 Stories
Arrangement: Multi-story apartments or
condominiums with common entries.
Orientation: Common entries oriented towards
public street or right-of way, often with associated
active common ground floor uses such as amenity
spaces, lobbies or ground floor units.
Open Space: Common-space courtyards above
parking podiums and at roof tops, private open
space in balconies or, in multi-building projects,
interconnected ground-level open space areas.
Parking: In a parking podium of one or more
stories underneath the building at ground level or
underground, or in a multi-story parking structure
surrounded by units.
Attachment 3
8 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS City of Sunnyvale 1. Introduction
3. High-Rise Multifamily Residential
Height: More than 8 stories
Arrangement: Multi-story apartments or
condominiums with common entries.
Orientation: Usually in a dense urban setting such
as a downtown or transit-oriented area, with active
frontage along a public street or right of way.
Open Space: Common-space courtyards above
parking podiums and at roof tops, private open
space in balconies or, in multi-building projects,
interconnected ground-level open space areas.
Parking: In a parking podium of one or more stories
underneath the building with units above, or in a
multi-story parking structure abutting the building.
4. Vertical Mixed-Use Commercial
Arrangement: Projects with ground floor
commercial spaces facing a public street or right-of-
way, with residential units above.
Orientation: Along active pedestrian corridors and
activity nodes.
Parking: Below-grade or above-grade parking
behind commercial frontages. Commercial parking
may be shared with or separated from residential
parking.
Attachment 3
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 9 City of Sunnyvale 1. Introduction
5. Horizontal Mixed-Use Commercial
Arrangement: Projects with a commercial building
or buildings with a separate residential building
or buildings on the same property. Typically,
commercial buildings are facing a public street or
right-of-way, with residential buildings behind.
Orientation: Along commercial corridors and
activity nodes.
Parking: Below-grade or above-grade parking
behind commercial frontages. Commercial parking
may be shared with or separated from residential
parking.
1.6 Amendment Process
This document may be amended to reflect and
accommodate design techniques, sustainable
materials development and other progressive,
beneficial approaches to residential construction.
All substantive amendments proposed after
adoption of this document shall require
consideration and approval by the Planning
Commission. The Community Development
Director shall retain the authority to implement
corrections and minor changes to the document.
Attachment 3
10 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS City of Sunnyvale 1. Introduction
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Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 2. Site Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 11
2. Site Design
2.1 Purpose and Goals
The site design standards in Table 2A are intended
to ensure that eligible multifamily and mixed-use
housing development projects are accessible and
attractive from the outside, as well as organized
and functional on the inside. The standards reflect
Sunnyvale’s prioritization of pedestrian experience
and commitment to quality of life for new and
existing residents.
2.2 Site Design Standards
Table 2A includes standards for multiple site design
topics, for Multifamily Residential and Mixed-Use
Commercial building types.
Attachment 3
12 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS Table 2A. Site Design Standards
Standard
Building Type
Multifamily Residential
(Low-, Mid- and High-Rise)
Mixed-Use Commercial
(Vertical and Horizontal)
Street Frontage and Building Orientation
INTENT: To ensure that new development promotes a pedestrian-friendly environment, responds to surrounding residential design, is welcoming to visitors and increases commercial activity.
Orientation and Access
(See Figures 2-1 through 2-4)
Buildings shall:
● Face the primary street.
● Include at least one entry that fronts the primary street and is directly accessible to pedestrians from the primary street.
Buildings on corner lots shall:
● Include at least one entry and direct pedestrian access from both street frontages.
Exception 1: Multifamily Residential entries may front a courtyard that is directly accessible from a primary street via a private pedestrian path.
Exception 2: Interior buildings of multi-building residential developments [beyond building(s) closest to the public street], may include off-street/interior access.
Exception 3: Interior buildings of horizontal mixed-use developments [beyond building(s) closest to the public street], may provide off-street/interior access.
Buildings shall provide a minimum 4’ wide
pedestrian pathway from sidewalk to building
entry (see Figure 2-5).
Buildings shall provide a minimum 6’ wide
pedestrian pathway from sidewalk to building
entry (see Figure 2-6).
Location of Parking
● Parking, other than accessible or underground parking spaces, is prohibited in front setback.
● Parking within 100’ of the public right-of-way shall be located behind or inside buildings or in an underground parking facility.
Exception: For buildings along the intersection of two streets, one single-loaded row of surface vehicle parking with a drive aisle is allowed between building frontage and secondary street. Requires a minimum 7’-wide landscaped frontage strip (measured from the inside edge of the public sidewalk) that may be crossed by private pedestrian paths and access drives.
Frontage and Floors (see Figures 2-5 and 2-6)
Required Building Frontage at
Minimum Front Yard Setback 65 - 85 percent building width Maximum Building Setback
from the Minimum Front Yard
Setback
10’; to be landscaped or design as entry court
Exception: Does not apply to interior buildings of multifamily residential projects with multiple buildings or horizontal mixed-use projects.
Ground Floor Finish Level
0’ – 5’
Exception: Subject to Cal. Code Regs., Title
24 and site-specific conditions
0’ at entries
Exception: Subject to Cal. Code Regs., Title
24 and site-specific conditions
Minimum Ground Floor Plate
Height 14’ 18’
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 2. Site Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 13 Figure 2-1 Orientation of building fronting primary street.
Figure 2-2 Orientation of building on corner lot.
Figure 2-3 Orientation exception 1: Pedestrian-accessible courtyard.
Figure 2-4 Orientation exception 2: Interior building.
Figure 2-6 Mixed-use commercial frontage standards.
Figure 2-5 Multifamily residential frontage standards.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 2. Site Design
14 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
2.3 Multifamily Residential
Transition Space
Intent: To promote a sense of privacy and
separation from the public/pedestrian realm for
residents of street-facing residential projects.
Table 2B. Transition Space Design Approaches
Category Approach Points
Entryway Design
Stoops or porches at every public and private residential entry, elevated at least 24 inches above the sidewalk elevation. 20 Entryways accented by a change in external building material or application of a non-structural façade accent. 20
Projecting Shade Features
Awnings or canopies located over all entries and commercial storefronts. 10
Integration of a continuous architectural shade feature spanning at least 50 percent of the building frontage. 20
Landscape Transitions
Planting beds with hedges of English Boxwood, Coyote Brush, Morning Glory, Rockrose, Lavender or other visually dense and water-efficient species, no more than 36 inches tall and occupying at least 25 percent of the overall horizontal building frontage 20 Extra Landscaped buffer in addition to planting beds (additional 4 feet minimum) for at least 50 percent of the overall horizontal building frontage
10 Building Materials to Articulate
Ground Surface
Use of paving stones, tile, masonry or patterned and colored concrete on the ground fronting all entryways. 10
Low-, Mid- and High-Rise Multifamily Residential
development shall include a street-facing transition
space that incorporates a combination of design
approaches from Table 2B to score at least 50
points. This standard also applies to residential
buildings that are part of a Horizontal Mixed-Use
project to provide a transition between commercial
spaces and residential buildings.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 15
3.1 Purpose and Goals
To allow for innovative and diverse building
forms that contribute to surrounding context and
ensure that projects are unified with surrounding
streetscapes and land uses, scaled to the
pedestrian visual experience and sensitive to the
design of nearby residential neighborhoods.
Standards are organized by the four building types
defined in Chapter 1, three of which are Low-Rise
Multifamily Residential, Mid-Rise Multifamily
Residential and High-Rise Multifamily Residential.
The fourth building type, Vertical Mixed-Use
Commercial, applies when a Low-, Mid- or High-Rise
Multifamily Residential development has a ground
floor commercial frontage.
3.2 Street Stepback Standards
Intent: To ensure that buildings and related site
improvements are compatible with the scale and
character of their street context. Stepbacks are
intended to reduce the apparent height of buildings
and allow additional daylight onto the street, as well
as complement building setbacks required by each
zoning district.
The street stepback standards summarized in
Table 3A apply to all frontages on a street or public
right-of-way. For stepbacks required at side and rear
yards, see Section 3.3 Side/Rear Context Standards.
3. Building Form
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
16 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 1 Shall only contribute to common or private open space requirements if no building element within the stepback is higher than 42.
Table 3A. Street Stepback Standards For Residential Development Projects Standard
Building Type
Low-Rise
Multifamily or
Vertical Mixed-Use
Mid-Rise Multi-
family or Vertical
Mixed-Use
(see Figure 3-1)
High-Rise Multi-
family or Vertical
Mixed-Use
(see Figure 3-2)
General requirement No stepbacks required Stepbacks required Maximum building base
height
N/A
No building base required 3 floors
Height to stepback Floor 3 (stepback applied to
floor 4 and above)
Top of building base
(stepback applied all floors
above building base)
Minimum stepback
distance
5’ from the public-street
facing wall of floor 3
Floors 4 – 8: 10’ from the
public-street facing wall of
floor 3
Floors 9 and above: 15’ from
the public-street facing wall
of floor 3
Alternative Standard:
Building shall be set back in
part or in whole to create an
average sidewalk width of
20’ (provided the minimum
sidewalk width is 11’) and
shall include a minimum
setback of 5’ above the
closest street-facing wall of
the building base. Sidewalks
on private rights-of-way
may require public access
easements.
Minimum stepback width 70% of the total building elevation along lot frontage Allowable stepback uses
Terraces
1 Balconies1
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 17
3.3 Side/Rear Context
Standards
Intent: To ensure that buildings and related site
improvements respect the scale and character
of surrounding residential neighborhoods.
3.3.1 Daylight Plane
3.3.1.1 Daylight Plane Angle
The minimum daylight plane angle from a
rear or side lot line shared with existing R-0,
R-1, R-1.5, R-1.7/PD and R-2 residential zoning
districts shall be 45 degrees as measured from
the ground level at the subject property line,
perpendicular to the property line (see Figure
3-3).
3.3.2 Wall Articulation
3.3.2.1 Residential-Facing Wall
Segmentation
Where proposed buildings are within 20 feet of
the side or rear property line of an existing R-0,
R-1, R-1.5, R-1.7/PD and R-2 l residential zoning
district, the facing wall shall be subdivided into
30 to 50-foot-wide segments. The building wall
in between these segments shall be recessed
for an area at least five feet wide by three feet
deep, repeated on each 30 to-50-foot interval.
3.4 Building Form adjacent
to Heritage Resources
Intent: To celebrate and preserve historic
resources in Sunnyvale with careful attention
to context. These standards apply to projects
on lots adjacent to a heritage resource or
local landmark listed in the City of Sunnyvale
Heritage Resources Inventory, or adjacent to
lots in a heritage resource district/heritage
housing combining district.
Figure 3-1 Mid-rise multifamily or vertical mixed-use stepback.
Figure 3-2 High-rise multifamily or vertical mixed-use stepback.
Figure 3-3 Daylight plane.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
18 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS Table 3B. Division of Building Length Standards
Standard
Building Width and Type
Low-Rise Multifamily or
Vertical Mixed-Use
(See Figure 3-4)
50’ to 100’ building
width
(see Figure 3-5)
100’ or more building
width
(see figure 3-6)
Mid-Rise
Multifamily
Or Vertical
Mixed-Use
High-Rise
Multifamily
Or Vertical
Mixed-Use
Mid-Rise
Multifamily
Or Vertical
Mixed-Use
High-Rise
Multifamily
Or Vertical
Mixed-Use
General
requirement
Building elevations shall be
vertically divided into modules of
30’ to 50’ wide.
Building elevations shall be
vertically divided by a minor recess
anywhere within the elevation.
Building elevations shall be
vertically divided by major recesses
at maximum 75’ intervals.
Division
Standards
Divisions shall include one of the
following:
1. Porch roofs, bay windows or
balconies that protrude from
the main wall plane at intervals
of 30’ to 50’; or
2. Wood or cementitious wall
divisions at least 1 1/2” x 5 1/2”
that run from ground level to
roof level at intervals of 30’ to
50’, with distinct changes in
cladding material from one
module to the next; or
3. Recesses or projections at least
2’ deep by 5’ wide in/from the
main wall plane at intervals of
30’ to 50’.
Minor recess shall be:
1. At least 6’ wide by 3’ deep from
ground level to roof level; and
2. of a color or material darker
than surrounding volumes.
Major recesses shall be:
1. At least 10’ wide by 5’ deep
from ground level to roof level;
and
2. of a color or material darker
than surrounding volumes; and
3. incorporated anywhere within
a 75-foot segment of horizontal
elevation.
The space between alternating
pairs of major recesses may also be
recessed 5’, resulting in alternating
walls planes. (see Figure 3-12)
Major recesses may also include
uncovered balconies.
Upper floor
reduction N/A N/A
Above 8
stories, each
floorplate(s)
shall be reduced
in square
footage by
at least 10%
from the floor
immediately
below.
N/A
Above 8
stories, each
floorplate(s)
shall be reduced
in square
footage by
at least 10%
from the floor
immediately
below.
Building Mass
Separation N/A N/A
The wall faces
of the portions
of two buildings
above the
building base on
the same lot/site
and/or adjacent
lots shall be no
less than 60’.
N/A
The wall faces
of the portions
of two buildings
above the
building base on
the same lot/site
and/or adjacent
lots shall be no
less than 60’.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 19
3.4.2.1 Separation from Resource
New buildings shall be separated from the closest
exterior wall/supporting columns of a heritage
resource by a distance of at least 15 feet to preserve
views to the resource. When the heritage resource
is a tree, new buildings must be located at least 20
feet from the dripline of the heritage tree, or further than 20 feet if recommended by an International
Society of Arboriculture (ISA)-certified arborist. For
all housing development projects on lots adjacent
to an existing heritage tree(s), an ISA-certified
arborist shall prepare a report evaluating the
proposed housing development project’s impacts
on the existing heritage tree(s).
3.4.2.2 Stepbacks Adjacent to Heritage
Resource
New buildings of four stories or more shall provide
a stepback from the elevation facing the heritage
resource if it is closer than 30 feet to the closest
exterior wall/supporting columns of the resource.
The stepback shall be above three stories (stepback
applied to the fourth story and above). The
stepback shall extend a minimum of 70 percent of
the total elevation width along the frontage. The
face of the stepback shall be no closer than 30 feet
to the closest wall of the resource.
Additional standards for architectural character of
buildings adjacent to heritage resources are located
in Section 4.2.1.3.
3.5 Massing and Bulk
Intent: To ensure each new building becomes
an attractive, complementary addition to its
surroundings by moderating its apparent size and
scale. New structures will achieve this natural fit
through context- responsive form and a variety of
methods to break down large facades.
Table 3B includes standards for dividing the length
of buildings of various size in order to modulate
mass and scale.
Figure 3-5 Division of building length; 50’ to 100’-wide mid- and high-rise buildings.
Figure 3-6 Division of building length; 100’ or wider mid- and high- rise buildings.
Figure 3-4 Division of building length; low-rise buildings.
Repeating balconies,
porch roofs, bay
windows or roof
gables
Min. 2’ x 5’ projection or recess
30’ to 50’ modules
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
20 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
3.5.1 Mid-Rise and High-Rise Corner
Buildings
Buildings on a corner of two intersecting public
streets shall reinforce the corner by using at least
one of the following (see Figure 3-7 to 3-9):
1. A change in architectural massing of at least 30
feet horizontally on each side of the corner. This
change shall be expressed by at least two of the
following:
■ Use of different building materials from the
main wall plane;
■ Projecting wall planes of at least two feet
from the main wall plane, extending at least
30 feet wide;
■ Window fenestration with window recesses of
three and a half inches or more;
■ Contrasting colors from the main wall plane
2. A building mass extending at least 30 feet
horizontally on each side of the corner,
projecting at least two feet from the main wall
plane and at least five feet taller than the rest of
the building, forming a corner tower feature.
3. A building recess or void extending at least
30 feet horizontally on each side of the corner,
extending the entire height of the building. The
space created by this void may be developed
as common open space that is accessible by
pedestrians and includes at least one building
entry.
3.6 Elevation Articulation
Intent: To ensure that buildings elevations are well-
defined and orderly, communicate interior uses,
appear welcoming to visitors and contribute to the
visual interest of Sunnyvale.
Figure 3-8 Extension of corner mass.
Figure 3-9 Corner recess or void.
Figure 3-7 Approaches to corner architectural massing.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 21
3.6.1 Low-Rise Multifamily
Residential Articulation
Standards
The following standards apply to multifamily
residential buildings of two to three stories.
3.6.1.1 Ground Floor Frontage
The ground floors of Low-Rise Multifamily
Residential buildings along streets and public
rights-of-way shall be articulated to provide interest.
These shall include all of the following:
1. At least one entry into the building. The entry or
entries shall be one of the following:
■ Recessed into the wall a minimum of 3 feet; or
■ Provided with a covered entry porch accessed
from the sidewalk; or
■ A courtyard of at least 200 square feet,
accessed from the public sidewalk, with direct
entry or entries into the building from the
courtyard.
2. Windows facing the street or public right-of-
way at the ground floor. Windows shall have
unobstructed, transparent glass and shall be a
minimum of 12 square feet each. There shall be
at least one window of this size at every 30 feet
of building frontage.
3.6.1.2 Garage Door Regulations
1. Where a new residential building is three stories
tall or less, no more than two consecutive
(uninterrupted by right-of-way or gaps between
buildings) at-grade garage doors shall be
allowed facing a public street or right-of-way.
2. Consecutive at-grade garages shall be
separated by three-to-six-foot-wide landscaped
strips that extend from the garage door of one
unit to the garage door of another unit.
3. Garage doors directly facing the street shall
be recessed at least 12 inches from the rest of
the building frontage with two or more of the
following elements:
■ Designed with architectural detailing (e.g.,
decorative glazing, patterns or textures).
■ Flanked by landscaping or front porch.
■ Framed by a trellis or overhang above.
3.6.2 Mid-Rise and High-Rise
Multifamily Residential
Articulation Standards
The following standards apply to buildings of four
stories and above.
3.6.2.1 Ground Floor, Body and Cap
Articulation
New mid-rise and high-rise residential development
projects shall provide vertical elevation articulation
in the form of a well-defined ground floor, a body
(middle floors) and a cap (upper floor) to break up
the building plane. The ground floor, middle and
cap shall have visually distinct design features that
adhere to all of the following requirements:
1. The ground floor elevation shall consist of at
least one of the following:
■ A line of awnings or canopies over ground
floor storefronts or amenity space windows
extending at least 75 percent of the elevation
width.
■ Unobstructed transparent glass storefronts
for at least 75 percent of the elevation width.
■ A different exterior cladding material than
the middle/body separated from the middle/
body above with either an overhang or recess
of 2 feet or more, or a horizontal belt course
with a dimension of at least 12 inches by 12
inches, consisting of a different color and
material separating the base from the middle
section.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
22 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS ■ A series of individual residential entries with
recessed entryways at least three feet into the
main wall plane.
■ A series of individual residential entries with
porches with roofs projecting at least three
feet from the main wall plane.
2. The body/middle floor(s) shall have a greater
vertical dimension than the ground floor and the
cap and shall be a different material, color or
texture than either the ground floor or the cap.
3. The cap/upper floor is at the top of the building
(not including any stepback or high-rise tower)
and shall include at least one of the following:
■ If the building has a parapet wall, a cornice
feature made of a different material and a
projecting depth of at least 12 inches over
the wall below.
■ If a building has a pitched roof, an eave
overhang of at least two feet.
■ A building stepback of at least three feet
from the main wall plane of the story below.
■ A change in exterior cladding material at the
entirety of the top story that is different than
the story below, effectively using the top
story as a wall cap.
4. Architectural features marking main entries to
buildings may extend above the ground floor.
5. Vertical elements such as towers are not
required to adhere to these standards.
3.6.2.2 Balcony Integration
Balconies are not required for new housing
development projects, but where they are used,
they shall be architecturally integrated into the
building elevation with either a minimum twelve-
inch recess from the main building wall plane or
projection of at least three feet from the main wall
plane.
3.6.2.3 Balcony Walls and Rails
Balconies and decks facing public streets shall have
walls or railings that are at least 50 percent open.
“Open” refers to areas of walls or railings in which
open and solid space are repeated at a ratio of at
least 1:1 (see Figure 3-10).
3.7 Roof Form
Intent: The design of building roofs are primary
design components that contribute to the design
quality of the building and the visual quality of the
surrounding environment. Buildings in Sunnyvale
will incorporate various roof forms or, in the case of
flat roofs, buildings with parapets and cornices to
cap the building wall.
3.7.1 Pitched Roofs
1. For buildings with pitched roofs, roof variation
shall be provided on buildings 100 feet wide
or more to decrease the scale of the building.
Variation shall occur every 75 linear feet and
include at least one of the following (see Figure
3-11):
■ Architectural elements such as cupolas or
clerestories that project at least three feet
above the main roofline.
■ Sections of roof 10 feet wide or more, raised
or lowered at least three feet above or below
the main roof line.
■ Alternating roof pitch directions.
2. All roof eaves shall project by a minimum of
two feet.
3.7.2 Flat Roofs
1. Where a flat roof is proposed, cornices or wall
caps shall provide a visible edge to the top of
a building. For buildings longer than 100 feet,
variation in cornice detail and height shall be
provided at a minimum of every 75 linear feet
and shall be coordinated with required building
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 23 recesses (see Section 3.5). This variation shall
include at least one of the following (see Figure
3-12):
■ Multiple horizontal cornice elements on
the same building. These elements shall be
differentiated using different colors, materials
or dimensions.
■ A horizontal cornice element broken in one or
more places with taller wall elements or roof
elements at least five feet above the main
roofline.
2. Where used, cornice details shall be a
minimum of 18 inches tall and 12 inches deep.
Figure 3-12 Flat roof variation.
Figure 3-10 Example of compliant balcony rail and wall design.
Figure 3-11 Pitched roof variation.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 3. Building Form
24 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
3.7.3 Mechanical Equipment
Screening
Screening of rooftop mechanical equipment
and enclosed mechanical penthouses shall be
designed with complementary materials and colors
to the building. Additionally, screening structures
shall consist of at least four solid walls that fully
screen the height of all the rooftop mechanical
equipment from roof deck to the highest point of
the equipment.
3.7.4 Rainwater Collection
Exterior roof drains and rainwater leaders shall
match underlying wall color or be incorporated into
the wall cavity.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 4. Building Detail and Lighting
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 25
4. Building Detail and
Lighting
4.1 Purpose and Goals
Well-designed buildings engage both users and
observers. The visual impact of buildings should be
carefully planned with articulated elevations and
a human-scale presence. Housing development
projects should incorporate design detail and
high-quality materials to contribute to diverse blend
of architectural styles. Lighting standards have been
developed to increase safety and visual experience,
while ensuring that no lighting strategy detracts
from the surrounding quality of life.
4.2 Architectural Character
and Detail
Intent: To promote buildings that contribute an
innovative and unified design to the surrounding
environment and viewers.
4.2.1 Architectural Character and
Detail
4.2.1.1 Consistency in Multi-Building
Developments
Every building in a housing development project
shall include definable design components or
features shared across all buildings.
4.2.1.2 Variety in Building Elevation
All building elevations shall incorporate a
combination of design strategies from Table 4A to
score at least 100 points.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 4. Building Detail and Lighting
26 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS Table 4A. Building Elevation Design Strategies
Strategy Building Detail Element Points
Window
and Entry
Articulation
Recess all windows by three and one-half inches or more. 30 Window size variation – include at least three windows that vary in size from all other windows on each elevation. 20
Provide bay or bow window features for at least 25 percent of the provided windows on each elevation. 20
Provide at least a four-inch wide trim of material that contrasts with adjoining wall materials at all windows and doors. 20
Recess all elements of proposed balconies at least three feet from the main wall plane. 30
Provide a covered porch element above each exterior front entry door that projects at least three feet from the main wall plane. 20 Provide a minimum six-inch wide architectural detail above and on both sides of all exterior entry doors that contrast with the color and material of the door and adjoining wall surface (e.g. tile, projecting trim element). 20 Elevation
Articulation
Include terraces above the first floor, a minimum of 20 feet in all directions and a total of at least 500 square feet in area, with railings that are no more than 42 inches in height, on at least one public street-facing exterior building elevation.
30 Include terraces above the first floor, a minimum of 10 feet in all directions and a total of at least 120 square feet in area, with railings that are no more than 42 inches in height, on at least one public street-facing exterior building elevation.
20 A building entry feature of at least two stories. 10 Pilasters or piers extending at least two stories. 10
Incorporation of scoring lines, reveals or expansion joints at least four inches wide at each floor of stucco/cement plaster wall surfaces. 10 Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 4. Building Detail and Lighting
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 27
4.2.1.3 Respect for Heritage Resources and
Districts
Housing development projects adjacent to a
property with a heritage resource, local landmark,
heritage district designation or heritage housing
combining district shall not replicate or mimic the
distinguishing architecture of the resource. Instead,
the design of the new projects shall respect and
respond to the distinguishing architecture by
integrating at least one of the following design
strategies:
1. Roof pitch within 10 degrees of existing roof.
2. Horizontal articulation such as siding and
cladding that is parallel to floor and roof heights
of the adjacent resource.
3. Complementary ground floor articulation that
includes window proportions and window
spacing dimensions within 15 percent of
existing heritage dimensions.
4. Application of at least one shared façade
material.
4.3 Windows and Glass
Intent: To ensure that buildings windows and
glass avoid excess glare and reflection, are visually
interesting rather than monolithic and provide visual
connections along pedestrian frontages.
4.3.1 Windows and Glass
4.3.1.1 Recesses
Windows shall include a recess of at least two
inches from the main wall plane to cast shadows
and articulate the building.
Exception: Bay windows and window walls
designed as protruding architectural elements are
allowed and are not required to have a recess.
4.3.1.2 Reflective Glass Restriction
A maximum of 10 percent of building elevation area
may be comprised of glass with a reflectivity level
greater than 50 percent.
4.3.1.3 Maximum Window Obstruction
No more than 35 percent of the total window area
on the ground floor of a building may be obstructed
by signage, interior walls, shelves, spandrel/opaque/
obscured glass and other solid interior features that
obstruct views into the spaces behind the window
glazing.
4.3.1.4 Ground Floor Commercial Visibility
Where a ground floor commercial space faces
a public street, windows shall provide visibility
projecting vertically from at least three feet above
the sidewalk elevation to the clear ceiling height,
for at least 50 percent of the linear frontage of the
building.
Exception: The three-foot minimum requirement
may be relaxed for buildings elevated above flood
plain.
4.3.1.5 Solar Gain
Windows on the south and west facing elevations of
second and higher floors of all buildings shall either:
1. Use low solar heat gain coefficient glass (with a
factor of 0.3 or less); or
2. Be paired with shading devices to reduce solar
gain.
4.4 Building Materials and
Finish
Intent: To ensure the use of durable, high-quality
and visually timeless materials on all exposed parts
of buildings.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 4. Building Detail and Lighting
28 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
4.4.1 Building Materials and Finish
4.4.1.1 Stucco and Cement Articulation
Stucco and cement plaster may be used on
exposed parts of buildings pending the following
design standards:
1. Expanses of stucco or cement plaster shall
be subdivided with expansion joints; scoring;
reveals; or changes in texture, color or relief
such that no unarticulated area is larger than
400 square feet.
2. Stucco and cement plaster shall not be used to
simulate the use of another material (i.e., wood
trim around windows).
4.4.1.2 Ground Level Materials
Ground level building elevations shall be restricted
to the following materials:
■ Stacked or veneer stone
■ Brick
■ Architectural metal panels (non-corrugated)
■ Ceramic or porcelain tile
■ Architectural quality cast-in-place concrete
■ Architectural quality precast concrete
■ Terrazzo tile
■ Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC)
■ Decorative terra cotta
■ Smooth-troweled plaster
■ Opaque and transparent glass
■ Vegetated wall panels or trellises
■ Wood siding (may be engineered)
■ Fiber cement siding
■ Stucco
■ Cement plaster
Additional materials may be allowed at the ground
floor level pending approval of documentation that
demonstrates the material(s) have at least a twenty-
year life span.
4.4.1.3 Upper Floor Materials
Upper floor building elevations are restricted to the
following materials:
■ All materials identified in 4.4.1.2
■ Shiplap siding in painted wood or cement
board
■ Painted board and batten siding in wood or
cement board
■ Phenolic resin, cement board and fiber cement
panels
■ Opaque and translucent glass
4.4.1.4 Prohibited Materials
The following building materials are prohibited on
all building elevations, walls, fences and landscape
components:
■ Vinyl siding
■ T1-11 plywood
■ Faux materials such as “stone” or “brick” on a
foam base
■ Foam
■ Exterior Insulation Finishing System (EIFS)
■ Plastic or vinyl
■ Chain link
■ Barbed wire
4.4.1.5 Building Additions
Building additions shall include at least two
materials or finishes used on the primary building.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 4. Building Detail and Lighting
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 29
4.6.1.2 Minimum Average Illumination for
Pedestrian Pathways
The minimum average illumination levels for all
private pedestrian pathways shall be at least one
foot- candle.
4.6.1.3 Minimum Average Illumination for
Roadway/Parking Surfaces
The minimum average illumination levels for all
roadway and parking surfaces shall be at least 0.5
foot- candles.
4.6.2 Building and Common Open
Space Lighting
4.6.2.1 Light Pole Height
Light poles in private open spaces, pedestrian
pathways and required landscaped buffers shall be
no greater than 14 feet tall.
4.6.2.2 Design Compatibility
All light poles and wall-mounted fixtures shall
employ at least one of the following techniques to
achieve compatibility with the design of the housing
development project:
1. Incorporation of an accent color used in the
housing development project color strategy.
2. Incorporation of a repeated shape or pattern
used in the building exterior.
3. Incorporation of a color, material or design
theme used in surrounding street furniture.
4.6.3 Surface Parking Lot Lighting
4.6.3.1 Light Pole Height
Total pole and fixture height in open parking lots
shall be no greater than 20 feet tall.
4.6.3.2 Pathway Lighting
Separated pedestrian pathways shall be lit with
bollard lighting or light poles no greater than 14
feet tall.
4.5 Color Rendering
Requirements
Intent: To promote creative color schemes that
highlight building masses and forms, break down
scale and highlight details without distracting from
the building design or surrounding structures.
Project applicants shall submit color renderings
that demonstrate compliance with the following
standards:
1. Primary colors shall be limited to ornamental
and accent elements.
2. The exteriors of residential units shall be a
different color than the exteriors of retail
portions of the building.
3. Colors with a very high Light Reflectance Value
(LRV) (greater than 75 percent) shall be limited
to 40 percent of the total building elevation
area above the ground floor.
4. Colors used on the ground floor shall be
limited to a LRV of 50 percent.
4.6 Lighting
Intent: To ensure that all outdoor lighting
complements housing development project
architecture and landscaping, improves visibility
and minimizes the risk of accidents without
disrupting neighbors or impacting the night sky.
It is the intent of the following standards that
outdoor lighting is only on when it is needed, only
illuminates the targeted area and is no brighter than
necessary.
4.6.1 General Lighting Standards
4.6.1.1 Wall-Mounted Restrictions
Unshielded wall-mounted industrial light packs are
prohibited.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 4. Building Detail and Lighting
30 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
4.6.4 Parking Structure Lighting
4.6.4.1 Color Recognition Restriction
Lights that interfere with color recognition, such as
sodium vapor, are prohibited.
4.6.4.2 Internal Shielding
Light fixtures inside the parking structure shall be
shielded to limit light spillage beyond the walls of
the structure to no more than 0.5 foot-candles.
4.6.4.3 Top Level Light Pole Height
Light poles on the top level of a parking garage
shall be no more than eight feet in height and
shielded to limit direct light spillage beyond the
edge of the structure to no more than 0.5 foot-
candles.
4.6.5 Dark Sky Lighting
4.6.5.1 Shielding Requirement
All outdoor light fixtures, including security lighting and motion sensing light fixtures, shall be aimed
and shielded so that direct illumination from the
fixture is confined to the property boundaries of the
source.
4.6.5.2 Outdoor Lighting Schedule
All outdoor lighting shall be fully extinguished or
operated by motion sensor by 10:00 p.m. or when
people are no longer present in exterior areas,
whichever is later, except for:
1. Lighting of critical areas of illumination such as
stairways, ramps and main walkways.
2. Any lighting at building entrances, parking
areas, walkways, and driveways area required
to remain illuminated after 10:00 p.m. by the
California Building Code or state law.
3. Outdoor solar powered pathway lights that are
25 lumens or less.
4. Pedestrian pathway lighting that is no more
than four feet above the pathway elevation, fully
shielded, and downward directed.
4.6.5.3 Automated Control Requirement
Automated control systems, such as motion sensors
and timers, shall be used to meet the outdoor
lighting requirements.
4.6.5.4 Prohibited Lighting
The following types of lighting shall be prohibited,
except as required to comply with Building Code,
Fire Code, or state law:
1. Flood lights that project above the horizontal
plane.
2. Spotlights.
3. Laser lights.
4. Mercury vapor lights.
5. Any lighting device located on the exterior
of a building or on the inside of a window which
is visible beyond the boundaries of the lot that
blinks, rotates, strobes or flashes intermittently.
4.6.5.5 Lighting Color
All outdoor light sources shall have a maintained
correlated color temperature of 3,000 Kelvin or less.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 31
5. Parking and Service Area
Design
5.1 Purpose and Goals
To ensure that circulation and parking for vehicles
(including delivery vehicles) and bicycles is
accessible and safe, pedestrian access is provided
through parking areas and to promote parking
areas that do not dominate the street frontage or
building appearance. The following standards were
also developed to ensure that ground-level service
areas and utilities are screened from view.
5.2 Access to Parking and
Service Areas
Intent: To ensure that parking facilities and service
areas are safely and easily accessible to vehicles and
bicycles without impacting surrounding pedestrian
circulation.
5.2.1 Vehicle Access to Parking
Vehicle access routes to parking areas shall exhibit
compliance with at least one of the following two
requirements:
1. Where vehicle access leads directly into a
parking structure (whether a stand-alone
structure or a parking structure inside a
building), the following shall apply (see Figure
5-1):
■ The garage door or entry gate into the
structure shall be recessed at least 20 feet
from the face of the building at the ground
floor to allow a car to pull forward and not
obstruct the sidewalk.
■ The recessed drive shall have a minimum
five-foot wide pedestrian walkway on at least
one side.
Figure 5-1 Parking access standards: Parking structure.
2. Where vehicle access leads to interior parking
structures or parking lots, the first 50 feet of
vehicle access lanes (starting at the property
line) shall include all of the following (see Figure
5-2):
■ A minimum five-foot-wide pedestrian
walkway on at least one side.
■ A minimum three-foot-wide landscaped area
on both sides.
■ Pedestrian-scaled lighting in the form of light
poles no greater than eight feet tall or bollard
lighting along the pedestrian walkway at a
minimum average of one footcandle.
5.2.2 Maximum Number of
Driveways
Housing development projects shall be limited to
one bi-directional driveway or a pair of driveways
providing separate ingress and egress per street
frontage.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
32 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS Exception: Two bi-directional driveways shall
be permitted if there is at least 200 feet of lineal
property frontage.
5.2.3 Driveway Throat Length
The minimum driveway throat length of housing
development projects shall be thirty feet. Parking
areas shall be prohibited within driveway throats.
5.2.4 Services-Restricted Parking
Spaces
The following shall apply to services-restricted
parking spaces in all parking in all housing
development projects:
1. At least one parking space dedicated to
loading/unloading or pick-up/drop-off activities
(i.e., service, delivery, moving truck, shuttle,
taxi or rideshare service) shall be provided
per building on private property, and shall be
located within 10 feet of the building served.
2. The dedicated parking space shall be 350
square feet with a minimum dimension of 35
feet in one direction.
3. The location of services-restricted spaces shall
not impede normal circulation of vehicular
traffic through parking areas or traffic circulation
aisles.
4. Required services-restricted spaces must be
reserved with lot markings, signs or other
techniques.
5.2.5 Bicycle Access Signage
Bicycle access shall be clearly marked with signage
and shall lead to bicycle parking areas that are
directly accessible from building entrances via a
delineated pedestrian path.
5.3 Surface Parking Design
Standards
Intent: To limit the visual impact of new housing
development projects’ surface parking areas
onto surrounding neighborhood character while
maintaining their function, safety and accessibility.
Detailed landscape standards for parking lots and
structures are contained in Chapter 7.
5.3.1 Surface Parking Buffer
Requirements
The following visual buffering strategies shall be
utilized in all surface parking lots.
5.3.1.1 Parking Lots Adjacent to Public
Streets
Where parking lots for housing development
projects are adjacent to public streets or pedestrian
walkways, a minimum 10 -foot-wide frontage strip
as measured from the inside edge of the public
sidewalk, or, if no sidewalk exists, from the curb,
is required. The frontage strip may be crossed by
walkways and access drives (see Figure 5-3).
See Section 7.7.1 for landscape standards for buffers
between parking lots and public streets.
Figure 5-2 Parking access standards: Interior surface lot.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 33
5.3.1.2 Parking Lots Adjacent to Residential
Lots
Where parking lots for housing development
projects are adjacent to residential lots, a
landscaped buffer with a minimum width of 15 feet
shall be employed along rear and side property
lines to screen parking lots from views from the
adjacent residential lots.
See Section 7.7.2 for landscape standards for buffers
between parking lots and residential lots.
5.3.2 Parking Lot Pathways
All surface parking lots shall contain at least one
paved pedestrian pathway of at least five feet wide
that connects the parking area to the entryway of
the primary building and/or to the site interior.
5.4 Parking Garage Design
Standards
Intent: To limit the visual impact of above- and
below-grade levels of parking garages on new
housing development projects and surrounding
neighborhood character while maintaining their
function, safety and accessibility.
5.4.1 Corner Location Restriction
Parking garages shall not be located on street
corners unless required by limiting site conditions
and approved by the city.
5.4.2 Minimum Active Ground Floor
Height
The minimum ground floor height of garages that
include active uses (commercial or residential) on
the ground floor shall be 18 feet.
5.4.3 Setbacks and Buffers
5.4.3.1 Minimum Setback
Parking garages shall meet, at a minimum, the
minimum setback and landscape standards
applicable to the zone in which the structure is
located.
5.4.3.2 Public Area Setback
Above-grade parking garages adjacent to public
streets, pedestrian ways or open spaces shall
provide a minimum 15-foot landscaped setback
between the structure and adjacent public areas.
5.4.3.3 Residential Setback
Above-grade parking garages that abut property
zoned, used or designated in the General Plan
for residential purposes shall provide a 15-foot
minimum landscaped setback adjacent to that use.
Figure 5-3 Surface parking lot buffer along public street.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
34 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
5.4.3.4 Landscape Buffer
Landscape buffers with a minimum width of 10
feet shall be provided on all sides of exposed,
above-grade parking garages except at entries to
the garage or where retail and/or active uses are
provided on the ground level.
5.4.4 Internal Layout
The following standards shall apply to all below-
grade and above-grade levels of parking garages:
1. The maximum vehicle ramp grade shall be
12 percent with minimum 10- to 12-foot-long
transitions at the top and bottom of the ramp.
2. The maximum vehicle ramp grade shall be five
percent when parking on the ramp is permitted.
3. Parking garages shall provide a minimum floor
to ceiling height of eight (8) feet exclusive of
structural elements and appurtenances.
4. A minimum four -foot-wide pedestrian
sidewalk shall be provided along the side of
every vehicular access driveway.
5.4.5 Lighting
Table 5A includes the minimum illumination levels
for various areas of parking garages, as measured at
30 inches from the finished floor.
Table 5A. Minimum Illumination Levels for Parking Garages Garage Area Footcandles
Ingress and Egress Areas
Vehicle entrance 40
Vehicle exit 20
Stairwells and exit lobbies 20
Parking Areas
General parking areas 6
Minimum at bumper walls 2
Ramps and corners 2
Roof and surface 2
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 35
5.4.6 Visual Impact Reduction
5.4.6.1 Frontage Screening
Where parking structures that do not contain
active uses on the ground floor are proposed along
street frontages and public rights-of-way, one of
the following strategies shall be employed in order
to address the pedestrian environment along the
parking structure frontage:
1. Wrap the ground floor frontage with active
building uses for at least 50 percent of the
length of above-grade parking structures’
frontage along the public right-of-way. The
active use area shall be at least 30 feet deep.
See required frontage standards in Section 2.2
of these standards.
2. Edges of garage structures visible above grade
shall be screened with evergreen plant materials
to buffer views of the structure and block views
of garage lighting from resident and public
view. Evergreen species include, but are not
limited to:
■ Heteromeles arbutifolia ‘Toyon’
■ Pittosporum tenuifolia ‘Kohuhu’
■ Quercus agrifolia ‘California live oak’
■ Cedrus deodara ‘Deodar cedar’
5.4.6.2 Utilities Screening
The visual impact of parking garage utilities
appurtenances (i.e., transformers, ventilation shafts,
etc.) and trash receptacles shall be minimized with
the following standards:
1. All utilities appurtenances of garage structures
shall be located outside of any required
setback.
2. All utilities appurtenances visible above grade
shall be screened with structures composed
of at least one material used on primary site
buildings. The structures shall provide for
proper operation and access to appurtenances.
3. All trash receptacles located within the
footprint of parking structures shall be placed
outside all points of pedestrian or vehicular
access and be enclosed on four sides.
5.4.6.3 Exterior Elevation Requirements
1. Each parking garage that is visible above grade
shall be treated with architecturally-designed
features such as artwork, screening walls,
landscaping/screening or living walls along at
least 60 percent of the length of each exterior
parking structure elevation.
2. Every 200 lineal feet of a stand-alone parking
garage elevations shall have a minimum wall
recess from the main wall plane of at least 20
feet wide by 20 feet deep, extending from
ground to top, to break up the building mass.
The recess/opening may not occur closer than
50 feet from either end of the garage.
3. All above-grade floors of parking garages
shall be partially open-air, with ground level
exterior walls being maximum of three feet high
(except for shear walls).
5.4.7 Stair and Access Design
Parking garage stairs shall provide direct access to
sidewalks and/or pedestrian walkways. Entries to
stairs shall include planted material, informational
signage, painted or textured hardscaping or other
landscaping to make them visually inviting.
5.4.8 Below Grade Floor Height
Parking garage floors partially below grade shall
be limited to a maximum height of five feet above
grade.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
36 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
5.5 Podium Parking Design
Standards
Intent: To integrate the design of podium parking
into the structures with which they are associated.
5.5.1 At-Grade Requirement
Fully at-grade or above-grade podium parking shall
be prohibited unless fronted by the residential or
commercial uses served by the parking facility.
5.5.2 Visible Base Design
Elements of below-grade podium parking that are
visible at-grade shall be designed per the following
standards:
1. The maximum height of podium parking garage
walls that are visible above grade shall be five
feet.
2. The massing, dimensional modules, textures
and color of podium parking garage walls that
are visible above grade shall be consistent with
the elevations of the building above.
5.5.3 Entryway Standards
Vehicle entries to podium structures shall be
located at least 15 feet back from the street curb or
recessed at least 10 feet from the front face of the
building.
5.6 Ground-Mounted Services
and Utilities
Intent: To ensure that ground-mounted utilities
infrastructure, mechanical components and
services facilities do not detract from visual quality, pedestrian visitation or resident experience of
housing development projects.
5.6.1 Mechanical and Utilities
Equipment
5.6.1.1 Location Restrictions
Ground-mounted utilities and mechanical
equipment shall not be located in a required front
setback area or between any structure and a front
property line, unless required by regulation.
5.6.1.2 Location Exception Requirements
Where ground-mounted utilities and mechanical
equipment is required by regulation to be in the
front yard or between a building and the public
right-of-way, at least three of the following measures
shall be employed:
1. Grouping together ground-mounted utilities
and mechanical equipment.
2. Orienting equipment to be perpendicular to
the sidewalk and not parallel, as to result in a
slimmer profile from street view.
3. Setting equipment below-grade with solid
or grated coverings.
4. Installing walls, fences, U-shaped shrub
plantings or other screening features that:
5. Incorporate design features, materials and
colors used in the main structure; and
6. Are at least as tall as the equipment
without preventing maintenance access.
7. Where there is enough space, raising the
existing grade around the equipment with a
berm or earthwork.
8. Designing recesses or alcoves in the
building wall that provide space for equipment
set back from the public right-of-way.
9. Painting equipment black or dark green
to reduce their visibility, subject to individual
equipment requirements. This measure shall not
qualify as one of the required three measures
for above-ground transformers, generators and
other box-shaped utility equipment.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 37
5.6.1.3 Screening of Back Flow Preventers
Back flow preventers (BFP) shall be screened from
view with a combination of design approaches from
Table 5B to score at least 50 points.
Table 5B. Back Flow Preventer Screening Approaches
Category Approach Points
Location/
Organization
Consolidate all BFP components in a single location. 20 Consolidate all BFP components in a single location within 10 feet of the side property line. 30
Locate all BFP components in a purpose-designed recess or alcove in a building wall plane. 50
Physical
Screening
Screen BFP with a hedge of English Boxwood, Coyote Brush, Morning Glory, Rockrose, Lavender or other visually dense and water-efficient species at least four feet tall and surrounding BFP on street-facing frontage and two other sides, while maintaining required access for maintenance. 50 Install a wall, fence or screen around three sides of BFP displaying materi - als, colors and design features used in the principal building. 50 Color
Paint all BFP components black. 30
Paint all BFP components dark green. 20
5.6.2 Transformers and Generators
5.6.2.1 Undergrounding Requirement
Electrical transformers and generators shall be
undergrounded.
5.6.2.2 Undergrounding Exception
Requirements
Where undergrounding of transformers and
generators is not feasible, at least one of the
following measures shall be employed:
1. Equipment shall be enclosed within the
building.
2. Equipment shall be placed behind the building
and behind walls, fences, U-shaped shrub
plantings or other screening features that:
■ Incorporate design features, materials and
colors related used in the main structure; and
■ Are at least as tall as the mounted height
of the transformer/generator equipment
without preventing maintenance access.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 5. Parking and Service Area Design
38 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
3. If the utility company determines placement
behind the building is not feasible, a solid
enclosure (no openings or perforation) shall be
provided, subject to the following requirements:
■ Screening walls shall be at least as tall as
the mounted height of the transformer/
generator.
■ The screening enclosure shall be located
adjacent to the building wall and use similar
colors and materials as the adjoining building
wall.
5.6.2.3 Access to Trash Collection Facilities
The following shall be true of all trash collection
facilities in housing development projects:
1. The slope of the truck access path leading to
the facility shall be no greater than five percent
in the direction of travel and two percent in the
cross slope.
2. The facility shall be located no more than 35
feet from the truck access point.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 6. Open Space Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 39
6. Open Space Design
6.1 Purpose and Goals
The following design standards reflect Sunnyvale’s
desire for housing development projects
that prioritize attractive common and private
open spaces. Diverse open spaces in housing
development projects will promote public health
and safety without creating noise or visual impacts.
These standards were created to facilitate easily
accessible common open spaces, supported by
functional private open spaces that increase the
quality of life for residents.
6.2 Common Open Space
Intent: To ensure that new housing development
projects provide attractive, accessible open spaces
for all projects residents and visitors. Common open
spaces should be developed as singular facilities
with internal and external connectivity, rather than
isolated pockets of space.
6.2.1 Exterior Common Open Space
6.2.1.1 Internal Accessibility
Housing development projects shall be designed
with common open spaces designed per the
following standards (see Figure 6-1):
1. Common open spaces shall be directly
accessible from all residential buildings, either
via entryways from buildings adjacent to the
open space or pedestrian pathways connecting
other buildings to the open space.
2. Common open spaces shall be directly
accessible from all internal pedestrian pathways
and bikeways.
6.2.1.2 External Accessibility
Common open spaces shall be made accessible
from external public rights-of-way surrounding the
project site by a pedestrian pathway designed per
the following standards (see Figure 6-2):
1. The pedestrian pathway linking external public
rights-of-way and common open spaces shall
be at least four feet wide.
2. The pedestrian pathway linking external public
rights-of-way and common open spaces
shall incorporate a combination of design
approaches from Table 6A to score at least 120
points.
Figure 6-1 Internally accessible open space.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 6. Open Space Design
40 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS Table 6A. Pedestrian Pathway Design Approaches
Characteristic Approach Points
Expanded width of Required
Pedestrian Pathway/Walkway At least six feet wide 20
Paver Materials installed on
the full extent of pedestrian
pathway/walkway
Stamped or colored concrete paving 20
Brick or natural stone 30
Concrete pavement and concrete unit paver bands at least eight inches in width mortared in place every 10 feet. 10
Landscaping and Furniture
Adjacent to Pedestrian
Pathway/Walkway
Line pathway with small to medium sized deciduous trees at least every 25 feet on center. 40
Include one permanent bench or seating element, a minimum of four feet in length, every 50 feet 30
Include one permanent landscape planter with integrated seating, a minimum of four feet in width, every 50 feet 40
Include one lighting bollard every 20 feet at a minimum average of 1 footcandle 20
Include a drinking fountain along the pedestrian pathway/walkway or within the common open space area 10
Include permanent trash bins, recycling bins and pet waste receptacles every 150 feet 30
6.2.2 Courtyard Common Open
Space
If common open space in the form of a
courtyard is provided, the following standards
shall apply:
6.2.2.1 Percent of Useable Open Space
Courtyard common open space may count
towards meeting up to 75 percent of the total
useable open space requirement.
Figure 6-2 Externally accessible open space and
pathway design.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 6. Open Space Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 41
6.2.2.2 Structural Coverage Maximum
At least 75 percent of the courtyard shall be free of
structures with solid roofing, permanent weather
protection facilities and other encroachments to
sunlight access. Open garden features (as defined
in the Sunnyvale Municipal Code) such as trellises
and similar open-air features can be considered.
6.2.2.3 Landscape Minimum
At least 25 percent of courtyard open space shall be
landscaped.
6.2.2.4 Soil Depth
Above-grade courtyards shall have a minimum soil
depth of 12 inches for ground cover, 20 inches for
shrubs and 36 inches for trees.
6.3 Rooftop Open Space
Rooftop open spaces shall include all areas of the
building roof designed for common access and use
by residents. Areas of rooftops containing heating,
ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment,
water tanks, elevator machine rooms and other
building infrastructure shall be prohibited from
counting as open space.
6.3.1 Access Requirement
At least two sets of stairs shall access every rooftop
open space.
6.3.2 Parapet Extension or Perimeter
Wall
The perimeter of every rooftop open space shall
include a 3.5- to 4.5-foot-tall parapet wall of non-
transparent material, measured from the surface of
the rooftop.
6.3.3 Rooftop Surface Requirement
No portion of the surface of a rooftop open space
shall include exposed construction materials such
as tar and gravel roofing, EPDM, rubber or other
roofing membrane.
6.3.4 Landscape Requirement
At least 35 percent of the total surface area of all
rooftop open spaces shall be landscaped, either
with raised planter beds or surface gardens. Depth
of soil shall be as required in Section 6.2.2.4.
6.3.5 Shade Requirement
At least 25 percent of the total surface area of all
rooftop open space shall be covered with one or
more shade structures such as pergolas or canopies
or cabanas.
6.3.6 Wind Proofing
All amenities provided in rooftop open spaces other
than those designed for use by a single individual,
shall be fixed to the rooftop surface or building
structure. These include:
■ Wind and shade structures
■ Group tables
■ Outdoor sofas and group seating modules
■ Planter boxes and beds
■ Light fixtures
■ Cooking facilities
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 6. Open Space Design
42 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
6.4 Required Common Open Space Amenities
All common open spaces shall incorporate a combination of passive and active amenities from Table 6B to the right to score at least 50 points.
Table 6B. Open Space Amenities
Category Amenity Points
Passive Recreation
Planters, boxes or landscape structures with integrated seating. 20 One permanent picnic, game or café table, with seating, per 5,000 square feet of open space. 20
One minimum 20’ by 20’ shade structure per 5,000 square feet of open space 20
One permanent bench per 1,000 square feet of open space 10 Active Recreation
200 square feet of children’s play structure per 10,000 square feet of open space. 30
One fire pit with seating for every 10,000 square feet of open space. 30
One sports court per 10,000 square feet of open space 30 One permanent BBQ structure per 5,000 square feet of open space. 20
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 6. Open Space Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 43
6.5 Private Open Space
Intent: To ensure that residents of housing
development projects have unit-restricted access
to functional outdoor patios and/or balconies. The
following guidelines are intended to balance access
to air and sunlight with personal privacy.
6.5.1 Upper Story Private Open
Space
6.5.1.1 Access
Each private open space area shall be directly
accessible from a single residential unit.
6.5.1.2 Clearance Height
Private open spaces such as balconies and porches
shall have a minimum clearance height of eight feet.
6.5.2 Ground Floor Private Open
Space
6.5.2.1 Finished Floor Height
Street-facing ground floor private open spaces shall
comply with the finished floor heights for ground
floor multifamily residential standards in Section 2.2.
6.5.2.2 Separation from Services
Ground floor private open spaces shall be located
at least 30 feet from trash collection and recycling
facilities.
6.5.2.3 Access Restriction
Ground floor private open spaces shall not include
unsecured direct access to exterior common
spaces.
6.5.2.4 Structural Separation
Ground floor private open space shall be separated
from common areas by a fence or wall that:
■ Is composed of material and colors found in
the primary building.
■ Is between three and six feet in height.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 6. Open Space Design
44 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS This page intentionally left blank.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 7. Landscape Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 45
7. Landscape Design
7.1 Purpose and Goals
The purpose of the following landscape design
standards is to protect and improve Sunnyvale’s
visual character and environment by providing
attractive landscaping as part of housing
development projects. The goals of these standards
are to provide landscaped amenities for residents
and visitors, protect the urban forest and practice
sustainable landscape practices.
7.2 Protection of Natural
Features
Intent: To ensure Sunnyvale’s existing urban
forest and natural resources are treated as vital
environmental, visual and quality-of-life assets in
new development.
7.2.1 Tree Disposition and
Replacement Plan
Project applicants shall submit a Tree Disposition
and Replacement Plan that includes an International
Society of Arboriculture (ISA)-certified arborist’s
report and inventory of every tree on the site, with
identification of protected trees and a replacement
strategy compliant with Chapter 19.94 of the
Sunnyvale Municipal Code.
7.2.2 Tree Protection During
Construction
An ISA-Certified Arborist or Landscape Architect
shall be retained during demolition, grading and
construction to ensure existing protected trees are
protected as required in permit documents. Tree
protection plans shall be included in the planning
permit plan set as well as all demolition, grading
and building permit drawings.
7.2.3 Protection of Other Natural
Features
Existing significant natural features (including
wetlands, streams, rock outcroppings, unique
habitats, etc.) on a site shall be protected
or incorporated into the site design per the
requirements of a study submitted by a certified
biologist and approved by the City prior to project
demolition, grading and construction or as required
by environmental review.
7.3 Sustainable Landscape
Design
Intent: To ensure that landscaping in housing
development projects does not impact the local
and wider environment, require excess water use or
promote the spread of invasive plant species.
7.3.1 Invasive Species Restriction
All plant materials shall be native California or non-
invasive, drought tolerant species adaptable to the
Sunnyvale climate, with limited exceptions for focal
point landscaping, per Standard 7.6.1.1. Invasive
plant species, including all species identified in
the California Invasive Plant Council’s (Cal-IPC)
Inventory of Invasive Plants, are prohibited.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 7. Landscape Design
46 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
7.3.2 Riparian Species Protection
Requirement
Native riparian vegetation within 150 feet of a
watercourse shall not be removed unless there
is a threat to public safety including an imminent
danger of induced flooding and/or an ISA
-Certified Arborist confirms that it will improve the
watercourse ecology or habitat.
7.3.3 Riparian Species Planting
Requirement
Landscaping within 150 feet of a watercourse
shall include native plants appropriate for riparian
zones, including willows, oaks, and other native
trees, shrubs and groundcovers that characterize
California creeks. Trees in this zone shall be
predominately (more than 50%) deciduous.
Examples of deciduous species include, but are not
limited to, the following:
■ Quercus lobata ‘Valley oak’
■ Acer macrophyllum ‘Big leaf maple’
■ Quercus douglasii ‘Blue oak’
■ Quercus kelloggii ‘California black oak’
■ Platanus racemosa “California Sycamore’
■ Poplus trichocarpa ‘Black cottonwood’
■ Salix laevigata ‘Red willow’
7.3.4 Riparian Hardscape Restriction
The use of impervious landscape elements, such as
concrete and pavers, shall be prohibited within 150
feet of a watercourse, or as required by Regulatory
Agencies.
7.3.5 Recycled Irrigation
Requirement
Landscape irrigation systems shall utilize recycled
water systems, if available, per the City’s Recycled
Water Systems – Design Standards. If recycled
water is available, salt-tolerant plant materials shall be selected. Recycled water irrigation shall not be
used for salt-sensitive plantings to remain, such as
Redwood and Cedar trees.
7.3.6 Stormwater Compliance
All projects shall comply with the Santa Clara
Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program
including C.3 Standards and the most current
Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES Permit
(MRP).
7.3.7 Low Maintenance Planting
Design
All plants (excluding trees, vines) located adjacent
to buildings, sidewalks, pathways, curbs, roads
or other obstructions shall be installed to
accommodate their minimum spread, according
to a published third-party reference. (e.g. a shrub
listed as having a minimum spread to 4’ in a
published reference shall be planted a minimum of
2’ from the obstruction.)
7.3.8 Inorganic Material Restriction
Inorganic ground cover (gravel, river rock, etc.), with the exception of natural decomposed granite, is
not an alternative for plant material or the required
three-inches of mulch under shrubs and trees. It
shall cover no more than 35 percent of the total of
any landscape area, excluding pedestrian pathways.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 7. Landscape Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 47
7.4 Planting Standards
Intent: To promote landscape areas that are
fully covered with a diverse, robust, climatically-
appropriate combination of plant types.
7.4.1 High-Water Use Restriction
High-water use plants such as turf grass and annual
color plantings are restricted in total use to no more
than ten percent of the total landscape area.
7.4.2 Shrub Growth
Shrub plantings shall be selected and spaced such
that they fill in at least 80 percent of the proposed
planting area within three years after planting.
7.4.3 Groundcover Growth
Groundcover plantings shall be spaced to fill in
up to 80 percent of the proposed planting area
within three years after planting. Examples of
groundcover species include, but are not limited to,
the following:
■ Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Bearberry’
■ Mahonia repens ‘Creeping Oregon grape’
■ Ceanothus ‘Yankee point’
■ Myoporum parvifolium ‘Fine leaf form’
7.4.4 Tree Canopy
Trees, large-stature shrubs and/or vegetated
structures (such as trellises) shall be planted to
shade at least 50 percent of all hardscaped areas
(excluding driveways and parking lots). The shaded
area shall be calculated at noon on June 21 when
the sun is directly overhead and based on the
mature canopies of trees or shrubs, as defined by a
third-party reference. Areas shaded by overlapping
vegetation shall not be double counted. Driveway
and parking lot shading are governed by Sunnyvale
Municipal Code Section 19.46.120.
7.5 General Landscape Design
Intent: To ensure that the landscape design of
common open space areas and landscaped areas in
housing development projects provides maximum
quality of life, sustainability and aesthetic benefits
for residents and visitors.
7.5.1 Structures that Count
Toward the Landscape Area
Requirement
Footprints of the following structures up to 120
square feet shall be counted toward the required
minimum landscaped area:
■ Trellis structures
■ Arbors
■ Pergolas/shade structures without vertical walls
■ Gazebos
7.5.2 Palm Tree Restriction
Palm trees shall only be planted in community
pool areas and as primary focal points, per
Standard 7.6.1.1. Invasive palm species including
Phoenix canariensis ‘Canary Island Date Palm’ and
Washingtonia robusta ‘Mexican Fan Palm’ shall be
prohibited.
7.5.3 Side-lot Landscaping
All side lot areas between buildings that are greater
than six-feet-wide shall be landscaped a minimum
of 75% of unpaved area with trees or shrubs.
7.5.4 Root Barrier Requirement
Root barriers shall be provided for all trees located
within five feet of any hardscape element or
building.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 7. Landscape Design
48 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
7.5.5 Internal Pathway Landscape
Pedestrian multi-use pathways within common open
space areas shall be landscaped with each of the
following components (see Figure 7-1):
■ Ground surface composed of 10 to 20 percent
of material other than asphalt or concrete.
■ A tree-planting schedule including at least 75
percent deciduous species, with trees spaced
along the pathway at a minimum of 25 feet
on center and maximum of 50 feet on center.
These minimums and maximums may be varied
by up to 20 percent to account for structures
and setbacks.
■ Flowering and fruit-bearing trees are not
allowed within six feet of pedestrian walkways.
These trees may be substituted with species
with other prominent visual features such as fall
colors.
7.5.6 Tree Minimum
Common open space areas shall include a minimum
of one tree per 300 square feet of landscaping.
7.5.7 Hardscape Design
At least 65 percent of total hardscaping in common
open spaces shall consist of decorative pavers,
masonry, colored concrete, decorative inlay or
stamped or otherwise textured concrete.
7.5.8 Crime Prevention
Shrubs over two-and-a-half feet tall that create
hiding places shall not be planted in areas of
pedestrian movement, such as along walkways and
building entrances.
7.6 Entry and Focal Point
Landscaping
Intent: To create visually interesting and organized
open spaces via strategically placed, detailed
landscape treatments.
7.6.1 Physical Focal Points
Physical focal points of housing development
project sites shall be landscaped to highlight their
presence and strengthen the visual impact of the
landscape plan. Physical focal points include all of
the following (see Figure 7-2):
■ Central plazas or other permanent gathering
facilities in common open space areas
■ Terminal points of pedestrian pathways
■ Site entries
■ Areas of common open space visible from the
public right of way
■ Corners of open space areas
FLOWERING OR
FRUIT-BEARING TREE
BRICK OR OTHER
MATERIAL
CONCRETE PATH
75% DECIDUOUS
TREES
10-20%
80-90% 6’ MIN
25’ - 50'
Figure 7-1 Pathway landscape standards
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 7. Landscape Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 49 Each physical focal point shall provide at least one
of the following landscape treatments:
■ Climate-adapted flowering plants, including
but not limited to, agastache, arctotis, Bulbine
frutescens, Cistus x pulverulentus, impatiens,
Carpenteria californica, Helianthemum
nummularium, mimulus and Rhodanthemum
hosmariense.
■ Plants with foliage of a texture or color that
differs from the larger landscape palette of the
site.
■ Up to five types of ornamental plants,
including, but not limited to, agapanthus,
lantana, bougainvillea and lagerstroemia indica.
■ Non-invasive palm trees that exist on the site
(transplanted and augmented with additional
plantings).
7.6.2 Pedestrian Entries
Primary pedestrian entryways into sites, such as
pathways that provide access to main building
entries from public sidewalks, shall be highlighted
through the use of special textured and/or colored
Figure 7-2 Focal point landscaping.
CORNERS OF OPEN SPACE
& LANDSCAPED AREAS
CENTRAL PLAZA
AREA OF COMMON SPACE
VISIBLE FROM PUBLIC
RIGHT OF WAY
SIDEWALK
STREET
SITE ENTRY
BUILDING
TERMINAL POINT
PROPERTY LINE
paving that extends, at a minimum, from the
inside edge of the public right-of-way through the
required front yard setback for the zoning district.
7.7 Surface Parking
Landscaping
Intent: To soften the visual impact of surface
parking and to add visual interest to all surface
parking facilities.
7.7.1 Public Streets Buffer
The minimum 10-foot-wide buffer between surface
parking and public streets or pedestrian walkways,
established in Section 5.3.1, shall be landscaped per
the following standards (see Figure 7-3):
■ Public streets buffers shall include a berm or
planting two to three feet tall that extends at
least 75 percent of the length of buffer.
■ Public streets buffers shall have a minimum
planted or bermed area width of six feet.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 7. Landscape Design
50 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
7.7.2 Residential Buffer
The minimum 15-foot-wide buffer between surface
parking and existing residential lots, established in
Section 5.3.1, shall be landscaped per the following
standards (see Figure 7-3):
■ Residential buffers shall have a minimum
planted area width of eight feet.
■ Residential buffers shall include either a screen
of trees or shrubs or a maximum seven-foot
decorative wall or fence.
■ Fencing shall not exceed four feet tall if located
on property lines within a front yard setback
area.
7.7.3 Landscaped Islands
Surface parking lots shall include landscaped
islands and “fingers” planted with living
groundcover or shrubs with trees, unless it can
be shown that groundcover is incompatible with
the tree. If living groundcover is found unsuitable,
porous, nonliving groundcover may be used.
Figure 7-3 Surface parking buffers and landscaping.
1. Landscaped islands shall be installed between
double rows of surface parking with a total of
twenty or more parking stalls, per the following
standards (see Figure 7-3):
■ Landscaped islands shall have a minimum
curb-to-curb width of six feet and a minimum
planted area width of three feet.
■ Landscaped islands shall extend the entire
length of a row of parking and may be
installed as a single island or series of islands
spaced no more than three feet apart.
2. Landscaped “fingers” shall be installed every
ten spaces and at open ends of any double row
of surface parking, per the following standards:
■ Landscape “fingers” shall extend the full
depth of the double row.
■ Landscaped “fingers” shall have a minimum
curb-to-curb width of five feet and a
minimum planted area width of three feet.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 8. Bird Safe Design
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 51
8. Bird Safe Design
8.1 Purpose and Goals
The purpose of the following design standards is
to reduce bird strikes on all residential buildings
in Sunnyvale and incorporate targeted bird safety
design elements into the City’s bird sensitive
buildings, which are defined as:
■ Buildings located within 300 feet of a one-acre
or larger body of water; or
■ Buildings located within 300 feet of a one-
acre or larger area of open space, park or
landscaping.
Most standards in this chapter apply to all
residential buildings in Sunnyvale. Standards that
apply to bird sensitive buildings only are labeled
“Bird Sensitive Building Exception” or “Bird
Sensitive Building Standard”.
8.2 Bird Safe Glass and
Lighting
Intent: To limit the potential for bird strikes on
transparent and reflective elements of building
elevations and resulting from building lighting.
8.2.1 Architectural Glass Prohibition
Glass skyways and freestanding glass walls shall be
prohibited on all residential building projects.
8.2.2 Spotlight Prohibition
Ground mounted spotlights and searchlights shall
be prohibited on all residential building projects.
8.2.3 Uplighting Restriction
Use of elevation uplighting shall be limited to
the illumination of architectural features no more
than 12 feet above grade and shall be operated
on timers that power illumination off no later than
midnight nightly.
Bird Sensitive Building Exception: Use of
elevation uplighting is prohibited on all bird
sensitive buildings.
8.2.4 Corner Transparency
Requirement
On all residential buildings, expanses of glass
greater than one story in height that meet at a
building corner shall provide bird-safe glazing
treatments (as defined in the glossary) from the
corner for at least 20 feet outward across both wall
planes.
8.2.5 Bird Sensitive Building
Standard: Reflectivity
Restriction
No portion of the elevation area of bird sensitive
buildings shall be comprised of glass with a
reflectivity level greater than 25 percent.
8.2.6 Ground Floor Glass Restriction
Expanses of reflective or transparent glass on
ground level façades shall be limited to 30 feet
wide, interrupted by two - to five - foot breaks of
non-reflective material.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 8. Bird Safe Design
52 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS Bird Sensitive Building Exception: Expanses of
reflective or transparent glass on ground level
façades of bird sensitive buildings shall be limited
to 10 feet wide, interrupted by two - to five - foot
breaks of non-reflective material.
8.2.7 Mid- and High-Rise Glass
Restrictions
Mid-rise and high-rise building facades with a
surface area of more than 50 percent glass shall
provide bird safe glazing treatments (as defined
in the Glossary) such that 65 percent of all large,
unbroken glazed segments that are 24 square feet
and larger in size are treated.
Bird Safe Building Exception 1: Mid-rise and high-
rise bird sensitive building facades with a surface
area of more than 50 percent glass shall provide
bird safe glazing treatments (as defined in the
Glossary) such that 95 percent of all large, unbroken
glazed segments that are 24 square feet and larger
in size are treated.
Bird Safe Building Exception 2: All exterior glass
railings shall include bird safe glazing treatments as
defined in the Glossary.
8.2.8 Bird Sensitive Building
Standard: Minimum Window
Obstruction
At least 50 percent of the total window surface area
of bird sensitive buildings shall include devices that
reduce the potential for bird strikes, such as louvers, awning and sunshades.
8.3 Bird Safe Landscape
Design
Intent: To ensure that landscaping of residential
projects does not attract birds to glass elevations or
camouflage building façades.
8.3.1 Landscape Funneling
Requirement
The planting density and maximum height of
landscaping of all residential projects shall decrease
from the outer edge of the landscaped area toward
the building elevation.
8.3.2 Bird Sensitive Building
Standard: Maximum Landscape
Height
Landscaping shall be restricted to five feet in height
when it is located within 20 feet of a bird sensitive
building elevation containing glass with a reflectivity level greater than 10 percent.
8.3.3 Bird Sensitive Building
Standard: Water Feature
Restriction
Artificial water features shall be prohibited within 30 feet of a bird sensitive building elevation containing
glass with a reflectivity level of greater than 15
percent.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 9. Definitions
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 53
9. Glossary
■ Adjacent Lots: Parcels with boundary lines that
touch at any point of the housing development
project parcel(s). Adjacent lots include non-project
parcels that are controlled by the same owner or
applicant.
■ Awning: An overhang element that is attached to
the front façade over entrances and windows.
■ Balcony: A small, elevated platform that is
accessed from one residential unit.
■ Building Base: The defined bottom portion of a
building, designed to reinforce pedestrian scale
and ground level uses.
■ Building, Bird Sensitive: A building within 300
feet of a one-acre or larger body of water or a
one-acre or larger area of park, open space or
landscaping.
■ Building Body: The floors of a mid- or high-rise
building between the ground floor and the
building cap.
■ Building Cap: The top floor of a mid-rise or high-
rise building, typically accentuated with visually
distinct exterior design features.
■ Building, High-Rise: A building higher than eight
stories.
■ Building, Low-Rise: A building three stories or
lower.
■ Building, Mid-Rise: A four to eight-story building.
■ Building, Primary: The principal or main building
which: occupies the major or central portion of a
lot; is the main building on a lot, or constitutes, by
reason of its use, the primary purpose for which
the lot is used.
■ Canopy: A light roof-like structure, supported
by the exterior wall of a building and columns,
or wholly on columns, extending over a building
entrance doorway.
■ Carport: Covered structure with open sides,
supported by posts, which provides shelter
for one or multiple cars for nearby residential
development. Carports are typically used for
apartment development.
■ Common Open Space: Open spaces accessible
to all residents of a residential development
project that are at least 15 feet in any direction
and a minimum of 300 square feet. Common open
spaces include plazas, courtyards or other open
space amenities open to the sky but may include
shade structures, arbors, etc. that cover no more
than 30 percent of the total area of common open
space on a site. Common open space does not
include parking facilities, driveways, utility, service or storage areas.
■ Cornice: A projection at the top of a building wall
near a roof or ceiling, intended to protect the wall
or as ornamentation.
■ Courtyard: Outdoor area that is primarily open
to the sky and surrounded by buildings, walls or a
combination of the two.
■ Daylight Plane: An angled building height
limitation that regulates the massing of buildings
and defines the building envelope within which
all new structures or additions must be contained.
Daylight plane requirements are intended to
provide for light and air, and to limit the impacts
of bulk and mass on adjacent properties. Daylight
plane is represented by an angle that is measured
from the ground level at the subject property line.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 9. Definitions
54 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS ■ Driveway Throat: The distance from the back of
the public sidewalk to the first point along the
driveway at which there are conflicting vehicular
traffic movements.
■ Elevation: The exterior wall or face of a building
extending vertically from the grade to the top of
a parapet wall or eave, and horizontally across the
entire width of the building.
■ Entry Drive, Main: A drive that provides a single
entry into a project site.
■ Entry Drive, Secondary: A drive that provides
an additional entry drive, in addition to the
Main Entry Drive or Shared Entry Drive, along a
secondary street.
■ Entry Drive, Separate: A drive that provides a
separate main entry point for commercial and
residential uses in a horizontal mixed-use project.
■ Entry Drive, Shared: Drive that provides a single
main entry point for commercial and residential
uses in a mixed-use project.
■ Floor, Base/Ground: The first story of a building.
■ Floor, Body/Middle: The middle story(ies) of a
building (i.e., above the base/ground floor and
below the upper floor).
■ Floor, Upper: The top story of a building.
■ Frontage, Building: The lineal dimension, parallel
to the ground, of a building abutting a public
street.
■ Frontage, Ground Floor Commercial: A ground
floor commercial frontage of a vertical mixed-use
building.
■ Frontage, Primary: The edge of the closest
building to the street bordering the property. If
there are two streets bordering the property, the
street with the Main Entry Drive or Shared Entry
Drive is the Primary Frontage.
■ Frontage, Street: That portion of a lot or parcel
of land that borders a public street. Street
frontage shall be measured along the full width of
the common lot line separating said lot or parcel
of land from the public street.
■ Frontage Strip, Landscaped: An area of
landscaping, measured from the inside edge of
the public sidewalk, designed to separate and
buffer private development and public rights-of-
way. Frontage strip landscaping may be crossed
by private pedestrian paths and access drives.
■ Front Yard Setback: Property setback extending
across the full width of the lot and paralleling the
street or streets upon which the lot abuts with its
depth measured from the street right-of-way line.
■ Glazing Treatment, Bird-Safe: The application of
fritting, netting, permanent stencils, frosted glass,
exterior screens, physical grids placed on the
exterior of glazing or ultraviolet patterns visible to
birds. To qualify as Bird-Safe Glazing Treatment,
vertical elements of the window patterns shall be
at least ¼ inch wide at a maximum spacing of four
inches or have horizontal elements at least 1/8
inch wide at a maximum spacing of two inches.
■ Ground Floor Finish Level: The uppermost
surface of the ground floor of a building once
finishes have been applied.
■ Kelvin: The measure of the color temperature of
a light source. Warmer temperatures are a lower
number, and cooler temperatures are a higher
number.
■ Landscape Buffer: A separation of uses, buildings
or spaces composed of plantings, surface
treatment or other non-structural landscaping
techniques.
■ Light Shield: A physical hood installed over a
light source to reduce light spillover and focus
light on given space or feature.
■ Mullion: A vertical division between units of a
window or between windows in a group.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 9. Definitions
CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS 55 ■ Multifamily Complex: Residential rental
apartments and/or condominiums typically
with two or three stories and arranged around
a common landscaped courtyard. Parking
is typically in the form of surface parking for
residents and guests – residents often have
covered carports. Garden apartments also
typically have amenities such as a common room
or exercise room.
■ Parapet: A low protective wall along the edge of
a roof, bridge or balcony of diverse design and
materials.
■ Parking, Garage: Multi-story building dedicated
primarily to automobile parking, served by interior
ramps connecting the levels. May contain above-
grade and below-grade levels.
■ Parking, Podium: A parking structure that is
enclosed by walls and is lined on at least one side
by the ground floor of a building.
■ Parking, Single-Loaded: Surface parking
area that consists of only one row of parking
spaces and a drive aisle, per the dimensional
requirements of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code.
■ Parking, Stand Alone: A freestanding parking
structure that is not integrated into an occupied
building.
■ Parking, Surface: Any at-grade vehicle parking
area. Surface parking may include structures
whose function is limited to providing vehicle
cover. Structures such as open parking decks are
not considered surface parking.
■ Pedestrian-Friendly or Oriented: Design
conditions at a scale that increases pedestrian
safety, activity, accessibility and comfort.
■ Portico: A porch or walkway with a roof supported
by columns and leading to the entrance of a
building.
■ Regulatory Agency: A governmental authority
organized to strengthen safety and standards,
and responsible for exercising dominion over
some area of human activity in a licensing and
regulating capacity.
■ Residential Mixed Use, Horizontal: Residential
Development Project consisting of residential
and nonresidential uses, which may be located
in separate buildings. The commercial use may
be a new building(s) or an existing commercial
building(s) on the same site.
■ Residential Mixed Use, Vertical: Residential
Development Project consisting of residential
and nonresidential uses in the same building(s),
with non-residential uses on the ground floor and
residential uses above.
■ Residential-Only: Development project where the
entire area of the parcel has a residential use.
■ Residential Podium: A residential development
project that provides off-street parking in an
enclosed parking structure that is connected and
directly accessible to the residential building(s).
■ Riparian: Land area located near or adjacent the
banks of stream, river or watercourse.
■ Roofline, Main: The area of the roofline at the
same height that extends over the majority of the
building(s).
■ Secondary Street: Non-primary street adjacent to
a development project.
■ Setback: The required distance from the nearest
face of a structure to the property line on which it
is located.
■ Stepback: A change in the vertical plane of a
multi-story building created by setting the upper
story building elevation away from the story(ies)
below.
■ Street, Primary: Street where the highest volume
of vehicle, pedestrian and/or bicycle circulation
exists.
Attachment 3
City of Sunnyvale 9. Definitions
56 CITY OF SUNNYVALE CITYWIDE OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS ■ Street, Secondary: Non-primary street(s) adjacent
to a development project.
■ Through Zone: The portion of the sidewalk
dedicated to pedestrian movement. The Through-
Zone is kept clear of obstructions and compliant
with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
regulations.
■ Title 24: Refers to Title 24 of the California Code
of Regulations, State of California Building Energy
Efficiency Standards.
■ Transformer: Equipment to step down high-
voltage electricity to a lower voltage needed
to supply buildings. This equipment is typically
housed in green utility boxes on sites.
■ Trellis: A light, open framework of wood or other
materials used as a support for climbing plants or
other landscaping approaches.
■ Truck Access Point (TAP): The point in front of a
trash enclosure or area at which a trash collection
trash truck stops and lifts the trash and recycling
containers into the truck.
■ Townhouses: Attached units side-by-side that
have front doors on one side and garages on
the back side. Most townhouses have two-car
garages, either two spaces wide or two tandem
spaces (end to end). The front doors look onto
a public street, private drive or common open
space, while the garages are usually lined up
along an alley with garage doors on both sides.
This development type typically includes tuck-
under garage parking and additional surface
parking spaces for visitors.
■ Tuck-Under Parking: Ground floor parking spaces
that are open but covered by the upper floor of a
residential building.
■ Uplighting: A strategy for increasing the visibility
of an architectural or landscape feature by lighting
the feature(s) from below.
■ Wall Cap: A protective and/or decorative top
surface applied to a finished wall structure. Wall
Caps include corner additions, end pieces and flat
or angled surface applications.
■ Wall Plane, Main: The wall plane on a building
façade with the longest uninterrupted linear
distance of wall area.
■ Yard: An open space on a lot unoccupied and
unobstructed (except by permitted accessory
structures) from the ground upward.
Attachment 3
Attachment 3
Attachment 3