Downtown Sunnyvale TX Final Report 10-19-2021

Downtown Vision Final Report
and Downtown Outreach Report
Prepared for:
Town of Sunnyvale, Texas
October 25, 2021
Prepared by:
Town of Sunnyvale
Downtown Vision - 10-25-2021
Table of Contents
Project Overview 3
Methodology 4
Open House One 4

Results 5
Open House Two 5

Results 6
Open House Three 7

Results 9
Analysis 9
Recommendations 11
Appendix A: Committee Presentations 16
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Town of Sunnyvale
Project Overview
For several years, there has been community interest in creating a downtown in the heart of
Sunnyvale. Goal 5 of the Town's 2017 Comprehensive Plan—"Establish a walkable,
pedestrian-friendly Town Center”—reflects the continuing importance of this to the community.
While there is ongoing enthusiasm about creating a downtown in Sunnyvale, there is also
apprehension and uncertainty about what that means. The focus of this project has been to assess
these issues, and discuss possible scenarios that could help the community better define and reach
its desired goals - while minimizing undesired impacts.
ASH+LIME (A+L) conducted three virtual surveys and in-person public engagement sessions at
Sunnyvale Town Hall, to discuss ideas and concepts related to a proposed downtown for the Town
of Sunnyvale (May 6, May 27, and June 27, 2021). A+L’s outreach also included four meetings with
the Downtown Committee, as well as meetings with Town Staff, Council Members, and the Mayor.
Sessions were designed to establish a common vision with shared goals; investigate the
community’s preferred activities, programming, and physical environment; and present conflicting
goals and activities back to the community as tradeoffs. While this is not intended to be a final plan,
it is hoped that this will serve as an actionable foundation for future decisions.
These public conversations underscore the fact that there are a variety of views about the future of
Sunnyvale generally and about a downtown area specifically.
Most of Sunnyvale’s citizens and leaders greatly value the community’s rural, small-town nature.
There are substantial misgivings that any downtown could be out of place and compromise that
character. In addition, there are concerns about specific impacts, such as adding to motor traffic and
overwhelming Sunnyvale Independent School District (SISD) with new students. Based on the
feedback A+L received, many of those individuals moved to the community for the rural
atmosphere, and believe that any downtown would be inappropriate for Sunnyvale.
Other citizens value the small town feel, but believe that Sunnyvale would be improved if there was
a community hub. Many spoke of wanting common gathering places where locals of various ages
could come together and enjoy experiences unique to Sunnyvale. In addition, there was frustration
with having to leave Sunnyvale for most dining, shopping, and recreational opportunities.
A+L’s recommendations are intended, as much as possible, to support the needs and desires of
both groups. Any downtown in Sunnyvale should be sensitive to the context. At the same time, the
desire among many citizens for improved community amenities is clear. In this context, the most
impactful and positive approach to Sunnyvale’s downtown will be gradual community-led changes
over time.
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Town of Sunnyvale
Methodology
The tailored methodology for the Downtown Vision was developed based upon conversations with
various Town leaders, starting in April of 2019 and continuing to the beginning of ASH+LIME’s
contract with the Town in October of 2020. In addition, it was adjusted to support social distancing
and remote participation, due to concerns about COVID-19.
This consisted of:
● Multiple meetings with elected officials and Town Staff

● Four total meetings with the Sunnyvale Downtown Committee (including one after each
workshop)
● Three public workshops in “Open House” style, with separate stations to allow social
distancing; the questions asked in each workshop were also asked via online surveys, and
citizens could respond either in-person or virtually
The questions asked for the second and third workshops were based upon the previous workshops,
and vetted through Town Staff and the Downtown committee.
Open House One

Themes:
● What do you like about Sunnyvale, and what do you wish were here?
● What types of amenities and activities would you like to have in downtown?
● What should it look like?
● Who should it be focused on serving?
In the first open house, A+L worked to establish goals and a vision for the downtown development,
understand what a downtown means for residents, and whom it should serve.
Questions included:
● What is your top goal for Sunnyvale's Downtown?

● What are your favorite places in Sunnyvale?
● What places do you like to go to in Sunnyvale?
● What activities or amenities would you like to have in Sunnyvale's downtown?
● Which residential styles would be appropriate for Sunnyvale's downtown (with examples)?
● Which RESIDENT demographics do you think Sunnyvale's downtown should target?
● Which of the options provided do you think are more reflective of a town center in
Sunnyvale?
● What building style(s) would be appropriate for Sunnyvale's downtown?
● What demographics of VISITORS do you think Sunnyvale's downtown should target?
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Town of Sunnyvale
Results
The community is strongly in favor of a downtown with boutique and grocery shopping and
recreation, but not at the expense of the small-town feel of Sunnyvale. Community space for
families and entertainment, safety, and pedestrian friendliness were also high on the list of priorities.
There was mixed feedback on residential types and intensity.
Open House Two

Themes:
● How should we balance tradeoffs between objectives?
● What mixture of uses are appropriate?
What should be the location/scale of downtown?
● What should the goals and objectives be?
A+L presented the community with tradeoffs based on feedback from the first open house.These
tradeoffs demonstrated the conflicting objectives back to the community and allowed them to get a
better visualization of real world consequences.
One example: On the one hand, there is broad concern that any housing would add students to the
SISD system. On the other hand, there was also agreement that any housing created should be
single family units on large lots - the housing type most likely to attract families with school-aged
children. For these and several other issues, A+L asked people how they would prioritize competing
goals and values.
More broadly, A+L proposed the following vision and goals, which were created in conjunction with
Town staff and the Downtown Committee:
Vision: Downtown Sunnyvale will be an authentic reflection of the Town that is a unique
space for connecting with the community. It will become a vibrant center of the Town that
services people of all stages of life while balancing economic vitality with Sunnyvale’s small
town character.
Goal 1: Be an active place where people of all stages of life get together.
Goal 2: Promote growth that respects the rural feeling of the community.
Goal 3: Attract new businesses that support the vision of downtown Sunnyvale.
Goal 4: Bring exciting dining and recreation options to Sunnyvale.
Goal 5: Limit housing options to reflect the rural character of the area, while promoting the
viability and sustainability of the downtown.
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Town of Sunnyvale
Goal 6: Celebrate nature and the outdoors through design and integration of landscaping
into the downtown development.
Goal 7: Encourage pedestrian activity within downtown by maximizing walkable designs and
local pedestrian infrastructure such as the trail system.
It should be noted that there was unanimous support for the vision among in-person respondents,
and it was near-unanimous among virtual respondents. In addition, all seven of the goals were
strongly supported by both in-person and virtual stakeholders.
In the first meeting, many people identified downtowns or districts in the DFW area, which they
wanted Sunnyvale to partially emulate when planning for its downtown. These districts tended to
have different mixes of uses than identified as ideal by the stakeholders, including substantially
more nearby residential properties in the peer downtowns. We researched the mixture of uses in
these example models, and asked community members whether they thought these uses were
appropriate for Sunnyvale.
Finally, we presented the location and scale of the proposed downtown area to further assess the
community’s stance and perspectives.
Results
● Despite the broad spectrum of opinions about the specifics of downtown, there is
exceptional consensus around the broader goals and vision.
● People want the downtown to be a community amenity with a neighborhood feel. While they
do not want to sacrifice economic sustainability, most don’t place economic development as
the district’s highest priority.
● Most respondents are willing to accept some housing that assimilates into the current status
quo to attain a neighborhood feel, but there is a substantial group that strongly opposes
residential development of any kind and particularly housing types typically found in a
downtown area.
● Open space with evening activities are preferred over daytime activities and professional
services (note: many people preferred “early evening” activities to late-evening nightlife).
● 66% of respondents have positive reactions to the proposed location and scale identified in
the second open house (Figure 1), while only 14% had negative reactions.
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Figure 1
Open House Three
Themes:
● What scenario best fits your vision for downtown?
● If needed, what are you willing (or not willing) to trade off to make a downtown work?
Based upon the feedback received, A+L presented the community with four different scenarios to
demonstrate potential outcomes of the preferred tradeoffs. It should be noted that these scenarios
were designed, not to illustrate “ideal” outcomes, but to discuss scenarios that A+L believes could
realistically be implemented in the fairly near future.
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Scenario #1 was built to the current zoning with large single

family housing, a commercial strip with national chains, and
shared greenspace.
Scenario #2 was a Main Street style commercial district, a hotel,

civic center, and smaller but programmed greenspace.
Scenario #3 had Main Street style commercial uses on a

boulevard, townhomes, and an active greenspace.
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Scenario #4 had the most commercial space in a donut style

with parking in the middle, fewer townhomes than scenario #3, a
civic center, greenspace and a hotel.
Additionally, the community was presented with statements intended to assess what compromises
they would be willing to consider, if needed to make the downtown feasible. These included the
willingness to accept residential units (including a variety of units) if necessary to make the
development work; to compromise on quality if needed; to accept national chains; and to support
various levels of potential public spending.
Results
● Scenario #1 was both the most and least preferred of the scenarios.
This appears to show that many citizens want to preserve the “status quo” of what has
already been permitted, whereas many others are strongly opposed to the status quo and
are in favor of a downtown.
● Many of the stakeholders identified that they would have preferred Scenario #2, if not for the
inclusion of the hotel
● The scenarios with townhomes were less popular
● The scenario with the most commercial density and activities was the least popular
● The community is strongly opposed to reducing design and construction standards
● There is little consensus on some issues including housing, national chains, or public
participation in a way that would increase taxes
Analysis
Challenges
● Citizens are not reacting to an actual proposed development. While this is appropriate for
creating an initial vision, they could develop “planning fatigue” if they continue to react to
broad ideas, rather than specific proposals.
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Town of Sunnyvale
● There is no consensus among the community about specific elements of the downtown, but
there is strong sentiment among individuals. Therefore, continued outreach will have to be
strategic to be meaningful.
● The community is shying away from residential uses—particularly if not single family or
senior housing—but excluding them makes it difficult to reach their stated goals and vision
of financial stability, a vibrant and safe neighborhood, quality standards, and create a larger
market to support their preferred businesses.
● For construction to be feasible, a developer must show a profitable pro forma to qualify for
financing. This may be difficult for a private developer to do alone while satisfying all
community preferences.
● Age-Restricted Housing comes with complexity. Some residents have suggested that
housing be age-restricted to reduce the likelihood that new developments will attract
school-age children who may overwhelm the school system. For example, federal law
permits developments to be restricted to those aged 62 or over. While this may be feasible
in the “Downtown Complimentary” area (as identified on Figure 1), A+L believes it would be
incompatible with the vision of a family-friendly downtown with various evening activities, as
supported by many stakeholders.
● Sunnyvale’s low population limits the potential local market for a downtown; for that reason,
any downtown will likely need to attract at least some people from the surrounding
communities.
Advantages
● The community has an extraordinary level of consensus supporting the vision and goals.
● There is generally strong interest in having a downtown, from leaders and the community at
large. There is also broad agreement on how it should perform, and who it should serve.
● The Town is prosperous. This strengthens the local purchasing power, despite Sunnyvale’s
modest population.
● There is willingness to invest taxpayer money in a community amenity in the downtown.
● The Town has already done substantial outreach. This puts it in a position to know what its
citizens are likely willing to support - thus reducing upfront risk for the developer.
While downtowns vary in their intensities, there are specific cultural connotations to downtowns,
even in small town or rural settings. Among these are the concept that downtowns feature broad
mixtures of uses within close distance of each other, which tend to include residential, retail, office,
civic, and restaurant uses of various scales and intensities. Downtowns tend to have the greatest
diversity of uses and relatively higher density than the surrounding areas. They also tend to have
greater walkability; this entails, among other factors, a higher quality of construction, more attention
to detail, better pedestrian infrastructure, better landscaping, and a greater focus on public
gathering areas than the rest of the town.
Some of the elements that Sunnyvale citizens are looking for fits within this definition, while others
do not. It should be noted that this will likely create some challenges. The types of downtown
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businesses that are widely desired by the population are difficult to keep open over a long time.
They tend to be supported by a built-in local population, in addition to having a scale and quality
that attracts regional visitors. There is also strong consensus that standards must be kept high.
These high standards require greater expenses, which are typically borne by the developers - but
may be difficult to “pencil out” without tradeoffs between uses or intensity of use. While the public
participation sessions generally revealed support of a downtown in principle, there is opposition to
some elements that can help make a downtown work.
Based on these findings, we can conclude certain things that are desired by the community. They
are looking for a place that has:
● High quality. A downtown that reflects an attention to detail and improves upon what is
already in the town
● Gathering spaces for concerts, gatherings, farmers markets, and similar events
● Modest density
● Little-to-no residential uses
● Pedestrian infrastructure, with connections to trails
● Boutique businesses
● Availability of groceries
Conclusion
Sunnyvale should continue to manage its growth with ongoing community input. There is substantial
demand for community amenities, and placing in them a downtown framework in a partnership with
a private developer will enhance their effectiveness in meeting community goals, while sharing the
financial responsibility within a public-private partnership. No land use options should be excluded
from negotiations with developers at this early stage, but community goals and resources should be
continually reinforced in these conversations.
Given divergent opinions, Sunnyvale should start small and allow for growth over time, in response
to evolving preferences. The downtown development should move forward with the integration of
the recommendations below and continued negotiations with a developer, while the Town explores
other ways to support the public’s desire for small town, community-centered amenities.
Recommendations
1. Vision and goals
a. Based upon broad community consensus, A+L recommends that the Town formally
adopt the vision and seven goals created during this process as part of its
Comprehensive Plan.
2. Downtown Location
a. The proposed location and scale are appropriate.
3. Zoning
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a. A Planned Development (PD) or revised TC zoning may be needed for Sunnyvale’s

Downtown. A Planned Development would allow the Town to negotiate specific
conditions with a developer directly.
i. The current zoning is primarily SF-2 (Single Family-2) plus a section of LR
(Local Retail). We recommend the Town change the zoning to Town Center
(TC).
b. ASH+LIME recommends using the current Town Center (TC) zoning as a “base
zoning” with adjustments based upon negotiations. However, we recommend the
Town consider flexibility, or additional standards, on on a number of issues:
i. Form-Based approach: The current zoning largely regulates bulk, heights,
and uses - which is appropriate for most of the Town. However, getting the
standards needed for the downtown will require more focus on form (e.g. the
relationship between building frontages and pedestrians) as well as
fine-grained design details. For that reason, we recommend the town
consider incorporating elements of a Form-Based code to support this.
ii. Parking - the Town’s minimum parking requirements are generally consistent
with Sunnyvale’s overall rural character. However, this is inconsistent with a
successful downtown, where people often park and walk to multiple
destinations, and where there is a higher number of “activities per acre.” For
that reason, ASH+LIME recommends the Town do the following:
1. Consider flexibility to waive minimum parking requirements in the
downtown, on a case-by-case basis.
2. Permit shared parking (based upon the standards in the Urban Land
Institute’s Shared Parking: Third Edition), and proactively encourage
maximal use of more remote parking where possible.
3. Identify priority high-quality frontage areas, and encourage parking
behind buildings.
4. Create a parking strategy
5. Consider implementing a “fee in lieu” program, which permits property
owners to pay a fee for common parking (such as a shared parking
garage) rather than providing individual spaces on site
iii. Minimum lot area - the current minimum lot area in the TC District is 2 Acres
(87,120 Square Feet). While ASH+LIME believes developers may be likely to
plan in large increments, we encourage the Town to be flexible about
subdivision into smaller lots, if desired by a developer.
iv. Bulk and coverage area - the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 50% would allow a
1-story building to cover 50% of the area, a 2-story building to cover 25%,
etc. In the experience of A+L, this FAR would be inappropriate for a
downtown, and would lead to unnecessary “gaps” in the downtown fabric. We
recommend a FAR of 2.5.
v. In addition, the maximum coverage area is limited to 50%. A+L believes this
is unnecessarily low, and that 80% would suffice.
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Town of Sunnyvale
vi. Uses - A+L recommends permitting uses not permitted in current TC zoning,
with an SUD. This includes accessory uses; farmers market; winery; brewery
or distillery; private schools, career schools, and amusement (commercial).
While A+L notes there is strong opposition to dwelling units (particularly if not
senior or single family), we also encourage the Town to be flexible to adjust
on a case-by-case basis. For that reason, we recommend that the Town
permit Accessory Dwelling Units, Single-Family (Attached), Single Family
(Detached), and Multifamily Dwellings, upon approval of an SUD.
vii. Setbacks - TC zoning requires 50 foot front setbacks, with 25 feet at the
sides. A+L recommends reducing the requirements to 5 feet on each side,
and rear, and 15 feet between different zoning districts. In addition, A+L
recommends permitting 5 foot front setbacks. Exact setbacks may need to be
negotiated with developers, but these are the more typical of downtowns.
viii. Heights - The maximum height allowed in the TC zoning district is 40 feet.
While this may be sufficient, A+L recommends the Town consider flexibility
depending upon the specific projects.
ix. Materials: Change permitted materials of the furniture for TC zoning to allow
for more flexibility in style and design
1. Current TC zoning states that “All furniture shall be made of long
lasting/durable materials such as concrete, stone or metal and shall
be approved by the Town.” Creative and less permanent materials will
allow for a more flexible budget, and allow the Town to change out the
furniture to keep the area exciting and fresh.
2. Examples include, but are not limited to:
a. Plastic
b. Wood
x. Additional specific recommendations include:
1. Leashed pets allowed with pet relief area and access to drinking
stations
2. Signs allowed on sidewalk when sidewalk is over 10’ wide
3. Entertainment lighting permitted
4. Architectural elements shall be placed in such a way to enhance the
pedestrian experience and outdoor activation (can be connected to
Form-Based Code)
5. Streetscape should be acknowledged as public areas, with standards
for street trees, landscaping, and pedestrian-oriented amenities
6. Require dedication of a central open space, accessible to the
community and programmable for public events
4. Miscellaneous Policies and Regulations
a. Consider mandating public restrooms and regular upkeep
b. The Town’s PD standards require inclusion of public spaces within a PD. We
encourage the town to explore agreements and partnerships to help maintain spaces
- or perhaps the inclusion of outdoor “semi-public” spaces (such as found in
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Town of Sunnyvale
Kearney's and Hope Coffee) that can be monetized (and privately maintained) while
serving many of the roles of public space
c. No buffer should be required between roadways and sidewalks in DT, landscape to
slow down traffic
d. Shade trees in parking lots will be strategically placed to enhance the pedestrian
experience going to and from the lot
e. Alcohol use - Consider allowing alcohol, with a variety of restrictions. This could
include limited hours, noise controls, and periodic review to ensure that there are no
unanticipated issues
5. Interim uses and activation strategy
a. Create a Farmers/ Makers market in the proposed downtown location
b. Utilizing Town Center Park as programmed park space
6. Town involvement
a. Make investments in public spaces, partnering in the initial creation to help ensure
that it meets community goals
b. Focus on business curation for small, independent businesses that will give back to
the community. This can include a broad incubation strategy to lower the costs of
doing business; 380 agreements with businesses that meet specific standards; and
partnerships between Sunnyvale EDC and the regional Small Business Development
Center (SBDC)
c. Town financed Community Center in the downtown, perhaps to include indoor event
space and outdoor green space
d. Focus programming of community events in the proposed downtown
7. Identify funding sources
a. Continue exploring funding sources as land uses are finalized. This may include:
i. Support from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG),
including the Complete Streets program
ii. Creative use of EDC funds, to be focused on supporting targeted businesses
if needed
iii. Potential Public Improvement District (PID) to serve the central community
8. Next steps, additional planning efforts
a. Activation in new downtown property before and during construction - A+L
recommends the creation of interim public spaces with a variety of events of interest
to the community. For example, community members have shown strong interest in
movie screenings and musical performances on weekend evenings
b. Activation in other places in Sunnyvale to meet community goals
c. Continue conversations with a developer to support a financially-stable community
amenity
d. Make specific decisions about context-specific zoning modifications for the site
e. Begin contacting potential entrepreneurs or existing businesses, and develop
recruitment, support, and incubation strategy
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Appendix A: Committee Presentations
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Downtown Vision Final Report

and Downtown Outreach Report

Town of Sunnyvale, Texas

October 25, 2021

Open House One 4

Open House Two 5

Open House Three 7

Appendix A: Committee Presentations 16

This consisted of:

● Multiple meetings with elected officials and Town Staff

Open House One

● What is your top goal for Sunnyvale's Downtown?

Open House Two

Scenario #1 was built to the current zoning with large single

Scenario #2 was a Main Street style commercial district, a hotel,

Scenario #3 had Main Street style commercial uses on a

Scenario #4 had the most commercial space in a donut style

a. A Planned Development (PD) or revised TC zoning may be needed for Sunnyvale’s

Appendix A: Committee Presentations

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