The former Nick’s Trailer Court in Sunnyvale will be transformed into a 108-unit housing complex with 22 units reserved for low-income families.

The city council voted 6-1 at its July 25 meeting to give project approvals to developer St. Anton Communities. The project, known as Atria, will be built at the 2.05-acre site at 1008 E. El Camino Real.

The project includes a 99-unit, five-story building with four above-ground levels and an underground parking as well as a smaller three-story building with nine units. There will be 10 studios, 53 one-bedroom and 45 two-bedroom units for rent, according to staff.

The majority of the land was formerly Nick’s Trailer Court, which was purchased in 2014 by Sunnyvale Park LLC and owned by St. Anton Communities Capital. Nick’s was home to mostly low-income families and had 44 mobile homes. The site also includes a duplex that was acquired by the applicant.

According to the presentation by St. Anton, affordable unit rents will be from $1,045 for a studio, $1,120 for a one-bedroom, $1,343 for a two-bedroom and $1,552 for a three-bedroom apartment.

Several people spoke in favor of the project.

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“This adds 108 units of much needed housing and density to El Camino Real. We are encouraged by the 22 units of affordable housing at a low income level placed near multiple VTA routes,” said Don Tran from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Michal Healy, facilities development and planning director with the Santa Clara School District, told the council the district had been in contact with St. Anton due to Peterson Middle School being across the street from the project.

“Peterson Middle School and St. Anton came up with an improvement plan to help provide safe routes to school for the students of Peterson. The plan includes signage as well as sharrows painted on Poplar Avenue,” she said.

But plenty of residents had concerns about the project’s height. The proposed height of the main building is 67 feet. One of the council’s conditions of approval was that St. Anton work with staff to lower the building’s height to 60 feet or lower.

Some residents said the height would result in new neighbors looking into their yards or homes, as well as more traffic and parking spilling over into surrounding neighborhoods.

Poplar Avenue resident Eric Chung was concerned about privacy, security and traffic.

“In the morning we already have a number of cones to help with traffic patterns. That’s an indication that Poplar is not ready for traffic, and now we’re adding 108 units with 200 parking spaces,” he said.

St. Anton will work with staff to install elements that would preserve the privacy of nearby homes.

The council also asked the applicant to work with VTA to include improvements to the site’s bus stop and other suggestions from VTA for the project.

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The lone dissenting vote came from Councilman Michael Goldman, who said he disliked 44 mobile homes being replaced with 22 low-income apartments and that he was unhappy with the height of the project.

“I see nothing good about this project. It is inconsistent with the neighborhood,” he said.

Councilmembers Nancy Smith and Russ Melton said they both lived in the neighborhood and supported the project. Councilman Jim Griffith said he was on the fence about the project, but ultimately chose to support it due to the need for housing in the area.

“At this point, I have to err on the side of doing what we have to to take positive steps toward the housing crisis and accept there will be some pain associated with it. I gotta say it’s a close call, and I seriously hope the developer will work with staff to address concerns laid out here and with the neighborhood,” Griffith said.

The applicant also sought a rezoning of the duplex property from low-density residential to business commercial to open up the possibility for resident amenities or possible commercial use on the first floor.

During the applicant presentation, Ardie Zehendani, division president with St. Anton

Communities, said ground floor amenities that have been considered so far include a bike repair shop and a tutoring center for children.