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Planning commission approves four townhomes at 434 Crescent Avenue, retains historic home
Summary
The Sunnyvale Planning Commission voted to approve a special development permit and tentative map to construct four townhomes on a 0.26-acre site at 434 Crescent Avenue while retaining the existing 1930s residence; the decision was made under a CEQA Class 32 infill exemption and passed 6-0 with one commissioner absent.
The Sunnyvale Planning Commission voted to approve project 26‑0689 on July 27, finding the proposal exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under the Class 32 infill exemption and authorizing a special development permit and tentative map to create five residential lots and one common lot at 434 Crescent Avenue.
Staff senior planner Margaret Neto told the commission the project would retain the historic single‑family bungalow at the front of the lot and construct four three‑story townhomes at the rear. Neto said the site is zoned R‑3 (medium‑density residential), that the plan provides two‑car garages for each townhome plus two guest parking spaces, and that the project meets parking, solar‑access and tree‑preservation requirements. Staff recommended “Alternative 1” — approval with the recommended findings and conditions — and presented a Class 32 infill CEQA determination.
Vice Chair Davis moved to follow staff’s recommendation and Commissioner Pine seconded. Davis explained the commission’s limited discretion under state law and said the project “is preserving a historical resource” while adding housing that meets current standards. The recording officer announced the motion passed with six yes votes and Commissioner Segura absent. The commission’s action concludes the planning‑level review; the staff noted this was the fifth and final local hearing permitted for the item.
Project representatives said they had reduced the townhome height from 33 feet to about 31 feet after neighborhood outreach and had mansarded the roof to further lower the façade. Architect Gordon Wong said the third‑story balconies include 42‑inch opaque guardrails and that a daylight study showed only a marginal winter‑solstice shadow touching an adjacent property. Wong said the design team relocated one protected tree to the front yard and complied with the Secretary of the Interior standards used for the historic resource treatment.
The commission’s packet and staff report list recommended findings and conditions of approval; those attachments and the planning commission minutes will record the specific mitigation and monitoring conditions for the project.
