Walnut Creek planners approve Taiwanese American Cultural Center, waive 8-foot wall requirement

Walnut Creek Planning Commission voted 7-0 to approve design review and three conditional use permits for the Taiwanese American Cultural Center of East Bay, a planned 4,500-square-foot, single‑story community center at 1755 Sunnyvale Avenue.

The project, which merges three parcels currently serving an existing church and related buildings and will retain the East Bay Formation United Methodist Church and an on-site social hall, will demolish a 3,000-square-foot office building facing Sunnyvale to make room for the new center. Commissioners adopted the draft resolution finding the project exempt from CEQA under Categorical Exemption Class 32 and approved the conditional uses and design review with modified conditions that specify downward-facing site lighting (design option 1) and allow a 7-foot wood fence in lieu of the municipal-code 8-foot masonry wall. The motion passed unanimously (7-0).

The center is proposed to offer Taiwanese cultural and language classes for adults and seniors from 9 a.m. to noon Monday–Friday, and an after-school program for kindergarten through eighth-grade students from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday–Friday. Staff described the after-school program as capped at 33 students (the applicant said they anticipate about 20 students and four teachers). The site currently contains 50 parking stalls, which staff said will be shared among users and are adequate given the non‑overlapping hours of the church and the community center.

City planning staff told commissioners an acoustical assessment included in the packet concluded on-site mechanical equipment would not exceed the 65 dBA threshold applicable in the residential area, and the applicant proposes a 7-foot stucco wall and metal gate to screen the equipment and trash enclosure. Staff also described Design Review Commission comments asking for larger street trees (24-inch box), additional site-lighting details, connectivity hardscape between buildings, and consideration of a public-art treatment to break up a long street-facing wall; the applicant has revised the north elevation to add two window openings and a proposed mural concept using mountain imagery.

Applicants and project team members said the center is intended to create a permanent home for the East Bay Taiwanese American community while also offering programs open to the broader public. “We want to create a permanent home for East Bay Taiwanese American,” said Daniel Cole, who said he began the effort four years ago. Architect Cyril Chung said the design draws inspiration from local and Taiwanese geography and emphasized a low profile toward neighboring residences.

Commissioners asked about several operational and design details during the public hearing: the staff condition tying hours and program limits to the business operating plan (with limited administrative flexibility for minor changes), the flow of the proposed drop-off area (applicant confirmed vehicles would enter and then park and parents would walk children to the building in the current constrained layout), the proposed fence waiver rationale, and whether landscaping improvements could extend onto adjacent church property (applicant said the site improvements are limited to the eastern portion under their control and the church has not indicated it will improve its parcel).

Planning staff and the city’s senior engineer also noted standard engineering and permitting conditions that will apply at the site development and building-permit stages, including stormwater/C.3. requirements, erosion control, photometric/lighting studies, utility coordination, and any required bonds or traffic-control plans during construction. The project team said they plan to submit site-development and building-permit applications after entitlement and that they will draft a lease with the church to secure long‑term use of the new building.

The commission’s approval included record conditions: CEQA Class 32 exemption, approval of three conditional use permits (cultural institution use, after‑school program, and legalization of the existing religious assembly use), design review approval, specification of lighting option 1 oriented downward, allowance of a 7-foot wood fence along the east property line in lieu of an 8‑foot masonry wall, and incorporation of standard engineering conditions into the resolution. The roll call recorded: Vice Chair Needing — yes; Commissioner Klopp — yes; Commissioner Moran — yes; Commissioner Cound — yes; Commissioner Strongman — yes; Commissioner Kwok — yes; Chair Anderson — yes.

Next steps: the applicant will proceed with site development and building permits and finalize entitlements and design details (including final public-art and landscape plans) to meet the engineering and building‑permit conditions. The project team also said it will pursue renewable energy and other sustainability measures as the design advances.