The Sunnyvale Sun

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Homeowners debate preservation, rules

By Stephen Baxter

City planners are looking at three Sunnyvale neighborhoods that may be designated heritage districts to safeguard them from development.

Neighbors in the Fairbrae, Fairorchard and Southwood neighborhoods, which have Eichler homes from the 1940s and '50s, are debating whether they should be free to add space or preserve their blocks' architectural continuity.

On May 15, the city council voted 6-0 to hire consultants in 2008 to study the three neighborhoods and 10 other homes. Councilman Chris Moylan recused himself because he lives near one of the neighborhoods. The council also voted to study S. Taafe and S. Frances streets, where many neighbors recently have applied for home additions.

Eichler homes, named for developer Joseph Eichler, brought a modernist style to middle-class on a large scale after World War II. The Americans homes generally have flat roofs, few or no windows in front and floor-to-ceiling windows facing the back yard. Their look appeals to many, but some also complain the heat loss from the large windows boosts heating bills.

Richard Garlow, a 59-year-old geologist, has lived in Eichler homes for most of his life. He lives on the 500 block of Sunnymount Avenue in the Sunnymount Gardens neighborhood, and grew up in an Eichler about a block from there. Sunnymount was on an early city list of possible heritage districts but was eliminated because many homes were altered.

"I think there should be some kind of preservation," he said. The rules should limit second-story additions that face the rear windows of Eichlers, Garlow said.

On the other hand, he said he and others are easily "spooked" at adding more city building restrictions.

A heritage district would mean that major additions, such as a second story, would require a public hearing. Also, demolishing an Eichler home would need approval from the city's Heritage Preservation Commission. The city is concerned only with how heritage district houses appear from the street, not interior changes.

Some Fairbrae neighbors, who live between Fremont Avenue and Remington Drive, have cautioned the city against more rules.

Fifty-five residents attended a city meeting on March 21 with various opinions, but city staff said Fairbrae residents were the most skeptical in the city.

Many younger families in Sunnyvale are trying to expand houses as their families grow. Vice Mayor Tony Spitaleri said a heritage district designation could affect the plans of many new young families on Frances and Taaffe streets.

Fairorchard neighbors, near W. Homestead Road and Wright Avenue, had mixed responses to the idea, and only three Southwood neighbors made comments to the city. Bohannon Development Co. built many houses near Southwood and Vine avenues downtown in the early 1940s.

Some residents said they would like planners to draft Eichler-specific building guidelines as well. Cupertino has similar rules for Eichlers.

"Once we let go of some of these neighborhoods, we can't get them back," Jeanine Stanek told the council. Stanek is a Heritage Preservation commissioner but she is not a spokeswoman for it.

City leaders expect to allocate money for the studies in December or January, and consultant fees could top $100,000.

"This is actually a very important decision for Sunnyvale to make," said Mayor Otto Lee.