SUNNYVALE >> Another group of Sunnyvale homeowners has succeeded in getting its neighborhood rezoned to “single story only.”
Residents across the city have been coming to the city council the last two years to have their predominately Eichler home neighborhoods rezoned for single-story structures.
Named for designer Joseph Eichler, the homes were developed in the 1940s and are known for their single-story layouts with large glass windows and walls that make the most of access to sunlight. Residents of the homes have become concerned that two-story homes next door would invade their privacy and block sunlight and views.
According to Sunnyvale’s Eichler design guidelines, more than 1,000 of the homes were built in the city between 1949 and 1972.
The council’s April 25 vote rezoned 29 contiguous single-family homes from low-density residential to low-density residential single story. The neighborhood is bounded by Sunnyvale East Channel on the west side, Flamingo Way on the east side, Dunholme Way on the south side and includes Firebird Way.
According to staff, only two of the 29 homeowners were opposed to the rezoning, 17 were in support and the rest were neutral or did not indicate their preference.
However, that level of support did not sway the planning commission, which voted 4-3 in March to recommend the council deny the request, citing concerns over the neighborhood boundary and perceived lack of public interest. The commission also felt the request was “not in the public interest” and was too restrictive.
Applicant Susann Luschas said she urged her neighbors to stay home and not come to the commission meeting so as not to bother them with coming to the late-night hearing. However, she urged them to come to the council meeting to show there was indeed support for the rezoning. About 15 residents were in the audience, supporting the application.
Luschas apologized to council, saying she felt the commission did not vote to recommend her application because of how few residents came out to that meeting.
“What everyone has mentioned is they love living in an Eichler and bringing the outside inside,” said resident Rodger Stein. “If the person behind me built a two-story, they could see into my bedroom, dining room and kitchen. I’d lose a lot of my privacy and light. I also love the light of living in an Eichler.”
Councilman Jim Griffith said the application met all of the requirements previously established for single-story overlays.
“One speaker said we’re here because she failed at the planning commission. I have to say that you didn’t fail at the planning commission; the planning commission failed,” Griffith said. “They were raising arguments not about the application, but against the policy.”
The council plans to study the single-story overlay request process in the future.
