1992 10 07 DRB Minutes
MINUTES
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
CITY OF LA QUINT A
A regular meeting held at the La Quinta City Hall
78-105 Calle Estado, La Quinta, California
October 7, 1992
5:30 P.M.
I. CALL TO ORDER
A. Chairman Harbison brought the meeting to order at 5:32 P.M. and Boardmember
Rice led the flag salute.
n. ROLL CALL
A. Present: Boardmembers Paul Anderson (arrived at 5:38), John Curtis, Randall
Wright, James Campbell, Planning Commission Representative Ellson, and
Chairman Harbison.
B. Boardmember Curtis moved and Planning Commissioner Elison seconded a
motion to excuse Boardmember Rice. Unanimously approved.
C. Staff present: Principal Planner Stan Sawa and Secretary II Cristal Spidell.
m. BUSINESS SESSION
A. Sign Ap'plication 91-159. Amendment #3 - Simon PI.n; a request of Mr. Skip
Berg for approval to install a shopping center identification sign, directional signs
and multiple building signs for a future office/commercial facility planned 01\ five
and one half acres.
1.
Principal Planner Stan Sawa presented the information contained in the
Staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning and Development
Department.
2.
Boardmember Curtis asked Staffif this request was for additional signage.
Staff stated that may be the case but Staff would prefer the applicant to
answer. Mr. Berg stated no.
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October 7, 1992
6.
7.
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3.
Boardmember Wright asked Staff if the sign request exrPl'tted the Sign
Ordinance regulations and if so, by how much. Staff stated the program
was over but Staff was uncertain at this time by how much. Mr. Skip
Berg, representing the applicant stated that the only thing that was out of
Code requirements was the freestanding sign in front of the medical
building. Boardmember Wright stated he felt there was an excessive
amount of signs. Boardmember Wright asked that Mr. Berg go over each
sign, its location, and the size. Discussion followed regarding each of the
signs.
4.
Boardmembers questions the need for a three sided center identification
sign. Mr. Berg stated that in order for all traffic coming from the
different directions to see the signs it needed to be three sided.
Discussion followed regarding the view of the sign from each of the
directions and possible alternatives of how the sign could be p1aced.
Boardmember Anderson stated he would rather see a smaller three sided
sign rather than a large two sided sign by taking the allowable square
footage for two streets and divide into a three sided sign. Boardmember
Curtis asked ifit was possible to incorporate the "City of La Quinta" sign
with the "Simon Plaza" sign. Planning Commissioner Ellson asked if one
of the signs could be placed on a berm and elevate one of the signs to give
each their own extinction. Boardmembers stated they would prefer a
berm for the Simon Plaza sign with a little cut out (retaining wall) for the
City of La Quinta sign. Discussion followed regarding the height of the
freestanding signs. It was felt the total height for the sign should be 12
feet from the bottom of the retaining wall.
5.
Boardmember Anderson stated he felt signs #3, #15, #16, and #17 should
be eliminated as they are redundant. Everyone agreed.
Mr. Berg brought up signs #5, #6, #7, and #8. Boardmembers had no
problems with signs #5 and #6, but felt that sign #7 could not be seen.
Following discussion it was decided that signs #7 and #8 would come back
for approval after the building is constructed.
Signs #9 and #10 were approved as submitted. Sign #11 would be located
on the pie-shaped landscaped area south of the building area with an
overall height not to exceed 6-feet, Staff approval, and with all letters on
all signs being in capital letters.
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October 7, 1992
8. Mr. Berg asked that sign #12 be a two-sided sign. Discussion followed
as to location and size. Boardmembers felt the sign should be lowered
two feet in overall height and not to exceed ten feet in width.
Boardmember Anderson felt that sign #11 should be duplicated for sign
#12. Boardmembers decided that the height of the arc above the sign
should be reduced and be in proportion to the size of the sign. The
overall height of the sign would be six feet and would not be two-sided.
9. Mr. Berg asked about signs #14.a., 14.b., and 14.c. Boardmembers felt
an externally illuminated sign was appropriate for 14.b., but that 14.a. &
14.b. were not necessary. Sign #18 would be an appropriate location to
identify the building because it would be a freestanding sign facing the
parking lot at the entry of the building.
10. There being no further discussion, it was moved by Boardmember
Anderson and seconded by Boardmember Curtis to recommend approval
to the Planning Commission of Sign Application 91-159, Amendment #3,
as recommended by Staff and amended above. Unanimously approved.
B. Sign Deviation for I I I La Ouinta Center; a request of Pay less Shoesource Shoes
for approval of a deviation from the approved sign program for their business
sign.
5.
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1.
Principal Planner Stan Sawa presented the information contained in the
Staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning and Development
Department.
2.
Boardmember Curtis asked to be excused from the meeting at 7: 10 P.M.
3.
Boardmember Anderson stated his concern about other stores applying for
the same request.
4.
Boardmember Wright asked if both signs would be the standard Payless
Shoesource signs. Ms. Melanee ]ech from Federal Signs, gave a
description of the signage request. Discussion followed as to the size of
each sign, the sign, Code and Staff's proposed recommendation.
Boardmembers discussed with Staff what Staff considered to be a two
sided building. Boardmembers discussed with the Applicant the visibility
of the sign from Washington Street.
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6. Discussion followed relative to the different problems of not having the
signage for the Applicant versus the City's standpoint of two signs for a
store frontage, the square footage of the store, the height of the letters in
the sign, and the color of the building. The members discussed the colors
used and approved for the 111 La Quinta Center, and Boardmember
Anderson stated he would like to see the minutes of the meeting where the
colors were approved. Members felt that if the signs were 18 inches in
height the two signs would be acceptable. Staff stated that 24 inch high
letters by 75 % of the width of the store front not to exceed 50 square feet
is what was approved for the 111 La Quinta Center.
7. Planning Commissioner Ellson suggested that the second sign be a non-
lighted sign. Boardmember Anderson felt this would be interpreted as a
broken sign. He further stated he felt that due to the amount of frontage
on the west elevation, this would be called a store front. Chairman
Harbison felt that if this was the case then a precedent should be set that
the amount of frontage would determine whether a second sign would be
allowed and 18 inches would be the maximum height allowed.
8. Boardmember Anderson moved and Planning Commissioner Ellson
seconded a motion to recommend approval of the Sign Deviation for the
Payless Shoesource, subject to conditions as amended that both signs be
of equal size not to exceed what was allowed by the III La Quinta Center
sign program. The motion was approved on a 4-1-2 vote with
Boardmember Wright voting no and Boardmembers Rice and Curtis being
absent. 0:2 .
IV. CONSENT CALENDAR
Chairman Harbison asked that the Minutes of September 2, 1992, be amended to show
that Boardmembers Campbell, Wright, and Curtis were excused from the meeting.
There being no further corrections to the Minutes, Boardmember Wright moved and
Boardmember Anderson seconded a motion to approve the Minutes of September 2,
1992, as corrected. Unanimously approved.
V. OTIlER
Boardmembers requested that joint meeting with the City Council and Planning
Commission after the Council elections might be beneficial to discuss the long range
goals of the City in regard to design and signage. They stated their appreciation of
receiving City Council agendas.
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VI. ADJO~~-r
It was moved by Boardmember Anderson and seconded by Boardmember Wright to adjourn to
a regular meeting of the Design Review Board on November 4, 1992, at 5:30 P.M. This
meeting of the La Quinta Design Review Board was adjourned at 8:40 P.M., October 7, 1992.
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