Sunnyvale's General Plan - 7 Things You Should Know

Andy Frazer, March 2014
Updated August 2014

For a PDF version of this page, click here.

#1 Every City In California Is Required To Maintain A General Plan.

California state law requires every city to maintain a General Plan that must include the 
following topics:

1. Land use 
2. Transportation and utilities 
3. Housing 
4. Conservation
5. Open space
6. Noise
7. Safety

Sunnyvale’s General Plan contains 270 pages of goals and policies that guide the physical 
development of the city (p.1-3). 

Chapter Three, known as the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE), lays out the 
policies related to future land use, transportation improvement, open space and the economy. 

This includes the zoning laws which define the maximum size, height, density and use of 
buildings on each parcel of land throughout the city.

#2 Sunnyvale Does Not Have Complete Control Over Its Own Growth

Page 2-31 of the General Plan explains, “An important factor that must be kept in mind when considering likely and/or desirable population growth is that the State of California requires all cities and counties in the state to plan for their fair share of growth. The population  projection for the Bay Area is prepared by the state. The state then requires the Bay Area’s regional planning body, the Association of Bay Area Governments, to allocate that population growth to each city based upon a ‘fair share formula’ developed by ABAG.” 

ABAG has received a lot of public criticism recently because of their role in a huge, controversial project called Plan Bay Area, which aims to create a central plan for future growth over the entire Bay Area. We’ll explore ABAG and their housing allocation (RHNA) numbers, as well as Plan Bay Area, in future video/blog posts 

#3 Sunnyvale Will Need To Plan For 18,000 New Residents By 2025

Page 2-30 of the General Plan gets into the gory details. “The future challenge posed by the above projections is the ability and the willingness of Sunnyvale to accommodate … between 2005 and 2025 an additional 18,000 residents and 24,800 jobs. This translates into a net increase of approximately 7,200 housing units and 7,600,000 square feet of office/industrial floor area.” On an annual basis, Sunnyvale will need to plan for 360 new housing units and 380,000 square feet of new office/industrial floor area per year between 2005-2025 (p.2-44). 

THE FUTURE CHALLENGE POSED BY THE ABOVE PROJECTIONS IS THE ABILITY AND THE WILLINGNESS OF SUNNYVALE TO ACCOMMODATE … BETWEEN 2005 AND 2025 AN ADDITIONAL 18,000 RESIDENTS AND 24,800 JOBS. 

Although Sunnyvale was expecting to plan for only 360 new housing units per year through  2025, the 2012-2014 Housing Element revealed that ABAG’s updated Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) numbers for Sunnyvale will require an average of 681 new housing units per year for the period between 2015-2023 (footnote 1).

Chapter Five of the General Plan (the Housing Element) lays out the city’s plan to develop 

future housing. It also explains the Below Market Rate program (where some housing 
developers provide a small portion of new homes at a reduced rate for qualifying buyers via the Affordable Housing Density Bonus), and the Housing Mitigation Program which collects money from developers in order build affordable housing.

#4 Growth Will Be Focused On Specific Areas In The City

The city has identified specific areas in Sunnyvale where growth is encouraged. Some of these are described in separate documents such as the Moffett Park Specific Plan, the Downtown Specific Plan, and the El Camino Precise Plan (p. 2-44).

Moffett Park is roughly defined as the area within Sunnyvale north of Hwy 237. Development in Moffett Park will primarily be high-density Class A office and R&D space.

The area approximately between Maude Ave, Mathilda Ave, Hwy 237 and Hwy 101 is known as Peery Park. In 2015 the City Council will consider the new Peery Park Specific Plan, which will rezone this area to higher density office space.

The Downtown is roughly between Charles St, Olive Ave, Flora Vista/Carol Ave, and the 
CalTrain tracks. Development in the Downtown and along the El Camino Real corridor will 
primarily be commercial businesses and medium and high density housing. 

#5 Sunnyvale Has A Tool To Maintain Balance Between Jobs, Housing and Infrastructure

The Land Use and Transportation Element also spells out the final challenge, “to maintain a 
reasonable balance between population growth and job growth, and between development and the infrastructure which supports it.” To meet this challenge, the General Plan defines a 
development tool called the Balanced Growth Profile (p.2-45), which reports the on-going  status of this balance (or imbalance). The Balanced Growth Profile is described in the Community Vision (Chapter 2) of the General Plan, which describes the desired future of the city. This vision was formulated by city staff, then refined at a public meeting in 2006 (p.2-29).

There is a lot of debate over the relevance of the Balanced Growth Profile. In 2014 city staff 
explained to the Council that some of the metrics (including the transportation and utilities 
metrics) were not reported correctly. Some members of the Council believe this is could be a justification to dismiss the B.G.P. 

The Balanced Growth Profile is discussed in more detail in our short video and our short  report 8Things You Should Know About The Balanced Growth Profile.

#6 The City Council Can Override Any Existing Zoning 

While the General Plan lays out the zoning requirements (type of use, height, density) for each parcel in the Sunnyvale, the city policy provides a mechanism for the Council to approve changes to these zoning requirements. If a developer wants to build a project at higher density (or height) than the existing zoning requirements, the developer can request a General Plan Amendment (GPA). 

One example of a recent project that required City Council approval of a GPA is the LinkedIn campus at the corner of Maude Ave and Mathilda Ave.

#7 The General Plan Includes Some Very Interesting Maps

If you enjoy browsing maps, the General Plan includes the following interesting maps:

● General Plan Land Use Map (p.3-9). Displays the basic zoning for every part of the city: residential (low, medium, high-density), mobile homes, business, industry, offices, schools and parks. It also displays the “Industrial-to-Residential” (ITR) zones, which are industrial zones that will be converted to residential neighborhoods in the future (for example, the current site of the Hendy Iron Works, and the area around Lawrence Station).

● Community Shopping Centers and Grocery Stores Map (p. 2-16). Displays all the residential neighborhoods, shopping centers and grocery stores

● Residential Areas and Housing Conditions Maps (p. 2-20). Provides a detailed view of the condition (new, average, and “needs reinvestment”) of every residential building in the city.

● Potential Growth Areas Map (p. 2-46). Displays which areas of city are targeted for residential, office/industrial and mixed-use growth.

● Park and Field School Services and Open Space Gap Areas (p. 3-34). Some neighborhoods have better access to parks and school open space.

● Future Residential Growth Areas (p. 3-36). Where will most of the new housing get built? The Downtown is the most visible high-growth neighborhood. This map also shows the various ITR’s (such as the Northrup Grumman site, and the Lawrence Station Area), which are targeted for residential conversion in the future.

● San Francisco Bay Region Earthquake Probability (p. 6-5). All the major fault lines running through the Bay area.

● FEMA Flood Hazard Map (p. 6-7). Some parts of Sunnyvale are vulnerable to seasonal flooding and potential sea-level rise, particularly north Sunnyvale.

● Noise Conditions Map (p. 6-31). The primary source of noise in Sunnyvale is traffic. This map shows the specific neighborhoods that are vulnerable to traffic noise, as well as the relative volume levels. 

● Recycled Water System Map (p. 7-7). This map shows how few neighborhoods have access to recycled water. In the future, the city has plans to expand the capacity to deliver recycled water to the central and southern parts of the city.

● Storm Drain System Map (p. 7-24). Do you ever wonder where the water goes once it flows into the storm drains? This map shows exactly how storm water makes its way to the Bay.

● General Plan Land Use Map (p.3-9). Displays the basic zoning for every part of the city: residential (low, medium, high-density), mobile homes, business, industry, offices, schools and parks. It also displays the “Industrial-to-Residential” (ITR) zones, which are industrial zones that will be converted to residential neighborhoods in the future (for example, the current site of the Hendy Iron Works, and the area around Lawrence Station).

● Community Shopping Centers and Grocery Stores Map (p. 2-16). Displays all the residential neighborhoods, shopping centers and grocery stores.

● Residential Areas and Housing Conditions Maps (p. 2-20). Provides a detailed view of the condition (new, average, and “needs reinvestment”) of every residential building in the city.

● Potential Growth Areas Map (p. 2-46). Displays which areas of city are targeted for residential, office/industrial and mixed-use growth.

● Park and Field School Services and Open Space Gap Areas (p. 3-34). Some neighborhoods have better access to parks and school open space.

● Future Residential Growth Areas (p. 3-36). Where will most of the new housing get built? The Downtown is the most visible high-growth neighborhood. This map also shows the various ITR’s (such as the Northrup Grumman site, and the Lawrence Station Area), which are targeted for residential conversion in the future.

● San Francisco Bay Region Earthquake Probability (p. 6-5). All the major fault lines running through the Bay area.

● FEMA Flood Hazard Map (p. 6-7). Some parts of Sunnyvale are vulnerable to seasonal flooding and potential sea-level rise, particularly north Sunnyvale.

● Noise Conditions Map (p. 6-31). The primary source of noise in Sunnyvale is traffic. This map shows the specific neighborhoods that are vulnerable to traffic noise, as well as the relative volume levels. 

● Recycled Water System Map (p. 7-7). This map shows how few neighborhoods have access to recycled water. In the future, the city has plans to expand the capacity to deliver recycled water to the central and southern parts of the city.

● Storm Drain System Map (p. 7-24). Do you ever wonder where the water goes once it flows into the storm drains? This map shows exactly how storm water makes its way to the Bay.


Further Reading


● Sunnyvale’s General Plan 

● Community Conditions Indicators
This section contains lots of interesting data. Includes population, education level, ethnicity, income, emergency response time, jobs, employment levels, retail and restaurant sales volume, office vacancies, office rental rates, property tax revenue, sales tax revenue, parks and open space, etc.

● Maps

● Downtown Specific Plan

● El Camino Real Precise Plan

● Lawrence Station Area Plan

● Moffett Park Specific Plan

● Did You Know About Sunnyvale’s Balanced Growth Profile? (video) 

● 8 Things You Should Know About Sunnyvale’s Balanced Growth Profile 

● A Discussion of the 2013 Council Decision to Modify the General Plan Amendment Initiation Process Steve Sarette wrote a great synopsis of the Dec 2013, City Council meeting where they discussed modified the process for a developer to request the Council to initiate a General Plan Amendment.

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1. Housing Element of the General Plan January 31, 2015 – 
January 31, 2023, p.54 (PDF). Sunnyvale was allocated a need of 5,452 new units for the eight-year period 2015-2023 (5452/8 = 681).