Sunnyvale Neighborhood Upset After 6-Story Buildings Go Up Next Door
SUNNYVALE (KPIX 5) – Neighbors call it the "Manhattanization" of Pine Avenue.
The new six-story twin towers completed last summer are by far the biggest buildings in the area, literally overshadowing a neighborhood of small one-story homes near Mathilda Avenue.
"I'm missing the sunsets now because the sun sets actually about an hour earlier on Pine Avenue," said Ann Davis, who lives nearby.
Davis doesn't know the dollar value of a sunset, but she recently got a letter from the City of Sunnyvale saying the building's owner is offering to pay her and other neighbors $500 for their inconvenience.
"$500 won't even help a lot of the neighbors. it will barely even put a nick," Davis said.
Neighbors say they've lost privacy, they've had to shell out money to plant trees as a screen or install privacy windows. Several say they lost free over-the-air TV reception.
The buildings are owned by Kilroy Realty in Los Angeles. They were leased by LinkedIn, but now may be occupied by Apple.
Originally, the buildings were planned to be 75-feet high, but the city council approved a developer request in 2012 to add another 25 feet. Most of the people in the neighborhood had no idea it was all happening because the city only sent notices within 300 feet from the development.
Neighbors say there's little that can be done now, but some are looking for more compensation than $500.
"We need something off our property taxes," said neighbor John Schulel. "It's basically reduced the value of our properties."
