Design review commission recommends design changes, studies for proposed Taiwanese Cultural Center on Sunnyvale Avenue

The Walnut Creek Design Review Commission on May 7 reviewed a proposal for a one-story, 4,500-square-foot Taiwanese Cultural Center and after-school program at 1755 Sunnyvale Avenue and provided a set of recommended design changes and follow-up studies for staff and the applicant.

The project would merge three parcels that currently include the East Bay United Methodist Church, a social hall and a pastor’s residence. Staff said the site contains 50 parking stalls in total (including ADA stalls and two pastor-home stalls) to be shared under an agreement allowing the church’s Sunday use and the center’s weekday programs to avoid overlap. The applicant proposes adult cultural classes 9 a.m.–noon, Monday–Friday, and an after-school program 2–5 p.m. for kindergarten through eighth-grade students; staff said the after-school program’s maximum cap is 33 students and that the applicant anticipates fewer (the staff report listed 20 students; a separate numeric entry in the transcript about the number of teachers was unclear).

Why it matters: the site is zoned R-8 (single-family residential) and requires three conditional use permits — one to legalize the existing religious assembly use and separate permits for the cultural institution and the after-school program — so the project’s design, neighborhood impacts and operating plan are central to future Planning Commission review.

What the commission heard and asked

City senior planner Simmer Gill opened the staff presentation, describing the site layout, parking count and proposed program and noting that “the city's traffic administrator… confirmed that the existing parking on-site is sufficient given that the church would be operating only on Sundays.” She also listed several design standards that the plans did not yet fully demonstrate compliance with, including pedestrian route material changes, blank-wall length limits, lighting plans and minimum tree box sizes for screening.

Applicant representatives described the building and design intent. Architect Cyril Chong explained how the design places an active entry courtyard to the south away from the street and a long, relatively plain north wall facing Sunnyvale Avenue, saying the team intentionally kept the north side “as the quiet side, and then the south side would be what we call the active side.” Founder and community representative Dan Ko described the center’s mission to support Taiwanese-American cultural activities and intergenerational programming.

Commission concerns and consensus recommendations

Commissioners generally supported the project concept but raised recurring concerns and made a set of consensus recommendations they asked staff and the applicant to address before Planning Commission consideration:

- Break up or mitigate the long north-facing blank wall (plans show about 45 feet where the standard is 30 feet). Options discussed included architectural treatments (clerestory/transom windows or vertical panels), public art or additional landscape elements to visually break the façade. - Increase the size and number of screening trees along the north elevation (staff recommended at least 24-inch-box trees rather than the 15-gallon size shown) and otherwise refine the landscape plan so it both screens and visually connects the new building to the existing church. - Develop a lighting plan showing pedestrian-scale, downward-shielded fixtures so walkways and the courtyard are safely lit without spillover to adjacent properties. - Require a noise study for the proposed HVAC equipment and study screening options (commissioners suggested masonry or other solid screening and noted fences of 7 feet or higher may be needed to fully conceal equipment and reduce noise impacts). Staff asked the applicant to propose mitigations and recommended that any recommended mitigation measures be forwarded to the Planning Commission. - Refine the operational plan for student drop-off and pick-up, and show how the planned curb/parking layout will work for the anticipated student load to avoid queuing or pedestrian conflicts. - Reserve flat roof areas for future solar panels (commissioners recommended panels be located on the flat roofs rather than on sloped roofs) and flag solar readiness for permit review. - Conduct neighborhood outreach and respond to the single written public comment the city received; commissioners recommended the applicant meet with adjacent neighbors to clarify potential landscape and fence impacts.

Additional technical and design comments included: consistency between plans and the arborist report (the arborist noted a mulberry tree that the team later confirmed is dead), control joints and stucco detailing, careful material and detailing of the proposed glue-laminated wood columns so exterior glue is exterior-grade and kept off the ground, and confirmation of how proposed retractable partitions would be detailed and stored.

Actions and next steps

Staff asked the Design Review Commission to provide feedback and a recommendation to the Planning Commission. Commissioners reached consensus on the list of comments above and asked staff and the applicant to return to Planning Commission with a revised package that addresses the landscape, façade and technical concerns and includes any required studies (for example, an HVAC noise study and a lighting plan). No formal vote or motion to approve was recorded in the transcript of this meeting.

Quotes

“The city's traffic administrator… confirmed that the existing parking on-site is sufficient given that the church would be operating only on Sundays,” said Simmer Gill, senior planner for the city.

“The north side will be kept as the quiet side, and then the south side would be what we call the active side,” said Cyril Chong, the project architect, describing the design intent to orient activity away from Sunnyvale Avenue.

What remains to be resolved

The Planning Commission will consider the required conditional use permits and any waivers of design standards; staff noted the Planning Commission is the body with authority to waive certain design requirements if warranted. The applicant is expected to update the landscape and lighting plans, provide the HVAC noise study and detail operational procedures for student pickup/drop-off, then return with revised plans for permit review. The transcript records one written public comment incorporated into the agenda packet and commissioners recommended additional direct outreach to nearby residents.

Community impact and context

The proposal directly affects nearby residents along Sunnyvale Avenue and the congregation of the East Bay United Methodist Church, and it is intended to serve the local Taiwanese-American community with cultural classes and after-school programming. Because the site is within a residential zone and shares parking with a long-standing church use, the design and operating details are decisive for whether the project can meet Walnut Creek’s design standards and receive the conditional use permits it needs to proceed.