Cityline Sunnyvale
Construction
200 W Washington Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Project Overview
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Project Type: Housing + Office + Retail
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Owner/Developer: Sares Regis
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Presented to our members: April 2020
Catalyze SV evaluates project sustainability, equity, and vibrancy. Learn about our project review process.
For more information, please refer to our scorecard below or the following links:
* Projects go through several phases. Developers submit applications to the City, get their design reviewed, do redesigns based on City & community feedback, resubmit proposals for review, and get approval (though can even redesign after approval)
Cityline Sunnyvale Project Scorecard
Project Overview:
Cityline by Sares Regis in downtown Sunnyvale includes 4 different developments on 3 blocks. These developments include 786 homes, of which 88 will be affordable housing. It also includes 132,715 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, 569,258 square feet of office, and 2,736 parking spaces. The development is centered around a public square of redwood trees and is a three-minute walk to the Caltrain station.
Cityline Sunnyvale scored 4.14 out of 5 overall from our Project Advocacy Committee members.
Community Score: 4/5
We commend Sares Regis for its extensive community engagement, including proactively attending local events to bring the project to the community. Livable Sunnyvale helped us understand that the project’s engagement has gone above and beyond what is required, including attending both city and developer-led events. That being said, we believe additional engagement with the larger community around the site should continue, including virtual events (especially while physical distancing policies remain in place).
Vibrancy Score: 5/5
This project creates a great mixed-use space with plazas that will make it a regional destination. We really like the idea of a public use space that could be used as a gallery space or used for public meetings. We hope Sares Regis continues to advocate for this to be included. We also appreciate the public art throughout the development that will be a great addition to downtown. With South Frances Street being extended and passing under a prominent archway in the residential building this project will attract people from Caltrain. With the archway leading to public square focused around the redwoods and surrounded by shopping and restaurants, Cityline will be a welcoming and vibrant place.
Transportation Score: 4/5
Cityline makes real strides in transportation. It focuses on connecting to Caltrain by guiding residents and visitors between the station and the public redwood square. Sares Regis’s decision to charge residents separately for parking will encourage people to forgo owning a car and instead use transit and other sustainable modes. While we are glad that transit passes are given to new residents for the first month, providing transit passes on a continual basis would further reduce the need for parking. We are glad to see that inside the development speeds will drop to 10-15 mph and feel safe for cyclists. We’d like to see additional bike parking spaces considered, including those that accommodate larger cargo and electric bikes.
Sustainability Score: 3/5
We like Sares Regis’s commitment to building to a higher GreenPoint Rated standard (120 points) than what is required by the city (90 points). We also like the commitment to using all electric appliances for the residential units. Solar or green roofs could also be explored along with impervious payments and landscaping. While the development plans to have 5% of spaces outfitted for electric vehicle (EV) charging, with wiring for a total 15% of spaces, Catalyze SV and Livable Sunnyvale members see a need for a higher number of parking spaces to be set aside for EV charging to meet future demand.
Intensity/Zoning Score: 4/5
We are glad to see that the development is able to build higher than zoning allows. We believe this density will allow for a vibrant all-day community bringing together residents, workers, and visitors. With the central location of the development near transit, we believe that building even taller with more density than currently proposed would be ideal for this site. As some in the community have feelings about height, another way to increase the number of homes would be to place parking underground or reduce the number of parking spaces (which allows more homes if additional height is not possible).
Affordability Score: 4/5
We’re happy this project currently plans to build 88 affordable homes on-site and that most of these units will be for people with “Low” and “Very Low” incomes. We also appreciate the effort by Sares Regis to build smaller commercial spaces ideal for small businesses. While we understand Cityline’s plan to ensure 11% of the total homes built will be affordable is more than required, we encourage Cityline to increase the number of affordable units. It can do this by designating a higher percentage of the current homes as affordable or adding more homes overall and making those new homes affordable.
Legacy Score: 5/5
Cityline does a commendable job of extending Murphy Street - adding to this historic avenue’s vibrancy. We agree with Livable Sunnyvale that the project’s efforts to conserve the redwood trees and create a public square around them will make a great place. One of the Livable Sunnyvale members suggested repurposing the one redwood that needs to be removed as benches or artwork in the development - an intriguing idea worth considering.
Overall Score: 4.14 out of 5
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