General Plan, Specific Plan,
& Zoning Amendments for
Residential Development
Wendy Lao, AICP , Associate Planner
January 28, 2025
City Council
2City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 Background – Reasons for Proposed Changes
• Align existing uses with zoning
and General Plan land use
designation
• Allows property owners the
ability to maximize
redevelopment or expansion
opportunities within the zoning
district’s development standards
• Support residential development
to address jobs-housing ratio
3City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 Presentation Overview
3. Rezone industrial sites to ITR.
4. Zoning code ITR text amendment.
2. Rezone sites within Industrial to Residential (ITR)
combining district to Residential.
1. Zoning, General Plan, and Specific Plan
amendments to legal non-conforming single-
family and two-family residences.
4City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 Presentation Overview
3. Rezone industrial sites to ITR.
4. Zoning code ITR text amendment.
1. Zoning, General Plan, and Specific Plan
amendments to legal non-conforming single-family
and two-family residences.
2. Rezone sites within Industrial to Residential
(ITR) combining district to Residential.
5City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025
3. Rezone industrial sites to ITR.
Presentation Overview
4. Zoning code ITR text amendment.
2. Rezone sites within Industrial to Residential (ITR)
combining district to Residential.
1. Zoning, General Plan, and Specific Plan
amendments to legal non-conforming single-family
and two-family residences.
6City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025
4. Zoning code ITR text amendment.
Presentation Overview
2. Rezone sites within Industrial to Residential (ITR)
combining district to Residential.
1. Zoning, General Plan, and Specific Plan
amendments to legal non-conforming single-family
and two-family residences.
3. Rezone industrial sites to ITR.
7City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 • Legal Non-Conforming:
27 residential sites in non-residential land use & zoning • Existing Conditions:
General Plan Land Use: Office, El Camino Real Specific Plan (ECRSP), Peery Park Specific Plan (PPSP)
Zoning: O/PD, ECR-C, and PPSP-MIC
Some Sites Located in ECRSP & PPSP
• Proposed Changes:
General Plan Land Use: Residential – Low or Low-Medium Density
Zoning: R-0, R-2, or R-2/O
Removal from ECRSP & PPSP
1. Single-Family and Two-Family Residences
8City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025
1. Single-Family and Two-Family Residences (cont.)
W. FREMONT
9City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 Presentation Overview
3. Rezone industrial sites to ITR.
4. Zoning code ITR text amendment.
1. Zoning, General Plan, and Specific Plan
amendments to legal non-conforming single-family
and two-family residences.
2. Rezone sites within Industrial to Residential
(ITR) combining district to Residential.
10City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 • 1993: Industrial to Residential (ITR) combining
district created to:
Identify underutilized land
Address jobs-housing imbalance
• Present: Many industrial and commercial sites have
been redeveloped with multi-family residential
buildings.
• General Plan Land Use & Transportation Element
(LUTE) Action Statement LT-14.5d: Rezone
transitioned neighborhoods
2. Rezone ITR Sites to Residential
11City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025
2. Rezone ITR Sites to Residential (cont.)
12City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025
3. Rezone industrial sites to ITR.
Presentation Overview
4. Zoning code ITR text amendment.
2. Rezone sites within Industrial to Residential (ITR)
combining district to Residential.
1. Zoning, General Plan, and Specific Plan
amendments to legal non-conforming single-family
and two-family residences.
13City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 • General Plan 2023-2031 Housing Element:
Identified sites that could be redeveloped with
residential use.
Sites include East Sunnyvale area totaling 30 acres.
Currently zoned Industrial-Service (M-S)
•Has GP land use designation of Medium Density
Residential (RMED).
HE Program H45: East Sunnyvale Rezoning
3. Rezone East Sunnyvale Industrial Sites to ITR
14City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 • Existing GP Land Use:
RMED: 15-24 du/ac
• Existing Zoning:
M-S
3. Rezone East Sunnyvale Industrial Sites to ITR (cont.) General Plan Land Use Designation
4 56 1
2 3
DE GUIGNE DR.
STEWART DR.
Residential Medium Density (RMED)
15City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 • Proposed GP Land Use:
RMED (No change)
• Proposed Zoning:
M-S/ITR/R-3/PD
Allowable Density: 24 du/ac
• Rezoning would allow
potential for approx. 116
new residential units
3. Rezone East Sunnyvale Industrial Sites to ITR (cont.) Proposed Zoning Designation
4 56
Sites Rezoned to M-S/ITR/R-3/PD
4 56
STEWART DR.
DE GUIGNE DR.
16City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025
4. Zoning code ITR text amendment.
Presentation Overview
2. Rezone sites within Industrial to Residential (ITR)
combining district to Residential.
1. Zoning, General Plan, and Specific Plan
amendments to legal non-conforming single-family
and two-family residences.
3. Rezone industrial sites to ITR.
17City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 General Plan LUTE Action Statement LT-14.5a:
“Update the Zoning Code to indicate that once an
ITR-zoned site has transitioned to residential use
(or other use only allowed in a residential zoning
district), it cannot be returned to industrial use.”
4. Zoning Code ITR Text Amendment
18City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 §19.26.120 ITR Combining District – Residential Uses
Residential uses shall be allowed in the ITR district in accordance with residential zoning districts as defined in and regulated by Chapter 19.18, and as approved by the city council and shown on the city's precise zoning plan, zoning district map.
Once a site in the ITR district has transitioned to
residential use, the site cannot be reverted to use that is not allowed in a residential zoning district, notwithstanding Section
19.26.130, and the city’s precise zoning plan, zoning district map, as approved by the city council, will be modified to remove the site from the ITR district and reflect the site’s residential zoning district. “Transitioned to residential use” as used in this section means the completion of construction of the foundation or walls of a residential building or actual commencement of residential use, whichever occurs first.
4. Zoning Code ITR Text Amendment (cont.)
19City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 • Rezoning of single-family, two-
family, and residentially-converted ITR sites:
Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
• Rezoning of East Sunnyvale sites to include ITR
Combining District:
Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.
• Code amendment:
Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
Environmental Review
20City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 • Public Hearing on January 13, 2025
• 6-0 vote to recommend City Council approval of
Alternative 1.
Planning Commission
21City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 Recommendation
Alternatives
1. Adopt Resolution and Ordinances Related to General Plan Land Use, Specific Plans, Zoning, and code amendments, and find exempt from CEQA.
2. Adopt the Resolution and Ordinances with Modifications.
3. Do not Adopt Resolution and Ordinances.
Staff Recommendation
1. Alternative 1, by making the following motion:
“Move to approve Alternative 1, to adopt the resolution and introduce ordinances amending the General Plan, Specific Plans, Zoning Map and Zoning Code, as set forth in
Attachments 2 to 6 to the staff report; and find the proposed actions exempt under CEQA."
22City of Sunnyvale – General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning Amendments – January 2025 Questions?