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Home My WebLink AboutAUP_2019-05-29_AgendaPacket C ITY OF A TASCADERO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 6500 PALMA AVE ▪ ATASCADERO, CA 93422 ▪ (805) 461 -5035 ▪ FAX 461-7612 Administrative Use Permit Hearing A G E N D A The City of Atascadero’s Zoning Hearing Officer will hold a public hearing at 10:00 a.m. or later on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at City Hall, Room 106, 6500 Palma Ave., Atascadero, to consider the following project: 1. 9190 SAN DIEGO WAY, USE19-0025; The project is an application to allow the replacement of two neighborhood identification signs. (FPA Southside-Waimanu, LLC / Ramsay Signs Inc.) (Mariah Gasch, Assistant Planner) PLEASE NOTE: Any court challenge to the actions taken at the public hearing may be limited to considering only those issues raised at the public hearing described in this notice or in written correspondence to the City of Atascadero at, or prior to, the public hearing. Any decision of the Hearing Officer is final unless appealed to the Planning Commission within 14 days of the action. Any person aggrieved by the decision may file an appeal. Appeal forms are available in the Community Development Department or on the City’s website (www.atascadero.org). The fee for filing an appeal is $762 and must accompany the appeal documentation. t:\~ administrative use permit\agendas\2019\may 29 2019.doc C ITY OF A TASCADERO COMMUNITY DEVELOPEMENT Administrative Hearing Agenda Report ITEM # 1 FROM: Mariah Gasch MEETING DATE: 5-29-2019 FILE NUMBER: USE 19-0025 PROJECT ADDRESS: 9190 San Diego Way SITUATION: The applicant, Ramsay Signs Inc., is proposing two new pillar-mounted signs consisting of aluminum letters illuminated with LED halo lighting to replace previous signage. The development, previously Southside Villas, was approved through a conditional use permit (CUP). However, these signs were not a part of the CUP and never received building permits. The signs are located on San Diego Way and EL Camino Real. Including the pillars that the signs would be mounted on, the heights would range from six feet tall on El Camino Real to 8’6” tall along San Diego Way. The applicant is requesting height and location exceptions to allow new signs to be placed in both of the existing sign locations so that the existing pillars may be reused. Atascadero Municipal Code 9-15.008 requires that the sign be located on an arterial or collector street. The applicant is requesting an exception to allow one of the signs be located on San Diego way which is a local street. Atascadero Municipal Code 9-15.008 allows for neighborhood identification signs to be a total maximum of six (6) feet in height of which three (3) feet maximum for the sign base . The applicant is requesting an exception to allow the total sign heights and bases to be six (6) feet to eight (8) feet. Atascadero Municipal Code 9-15.008 requires that the sign bases be located in a landscape planter on private property. EVALUATION: Sign A is proposed on the property’s eastern boundary, facing El Camino Real. Sign B is proposed on the western boundary, outside the pool complex, facing San Diego Way. Both signs would be 39 square feet each. The signs would be installed between existing rock pillars where current signs stand. The two lines of text would be illuminated with LED halo lighting. Staff is concerned about illuminating the letters (Attachment 5). Section 9-15.002(e) of the Atascadero Municipal code describes the purpose of minimizing “possible adverse impacts of signs on private and public property in order to maintain property values and to maintain a positive City image.” Sign B faces residential land uses across the San Diego Way and the proposed LED backlights may cause adverse impacts on private property approximately 80 feet away. Furthermore, Section 15.010 states: “If signs are proposed to be illuminated, signs shall be indirectly lighted by continuous, stationary, shielded light sources, directed solely at the sign, or internal to it. All light sources for signs are to be shielded so as not to be directly visible from off-site.” This code suggests that illuminators are only allowed to radiate light directly towards the face of the sign. It is possible that the proposed sign Page 2 design is not in full compliance with the sign code as the LED backlight will radiate out from the face of the sign and towards private property. Staff recommends prohibiting Sign B from being illuminated. Sign A shall use only shielded light fixtures aimed at the face of the proposed sign face. The signs are replacing existing signs and no new pillars will be added. The height of the pillars are not out of scale with the existing fence or the scale of the development. The pillars for the sign on El Camino Real still have metal bases sitting on top of them, left from the previous sign. Staff is concerned that this causes the sign to look unfinished and gives them a poor appearance along El Camino Real. Both sign s are also located in landscaped areas or areas with a potential for landscaping. Staff recommends that the metal bases on top of the El Camino Sign (Sign A) be removed and that additional landscaping is added along San Diego Way. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the Administrative Hearing Officer approve the Use 19-025 request to allow up to two signs with Conditions of Approval. ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION ☒ Categorical Exemption CEQA – Guidelines Section 15311 ☐ Statutory Exemption §§ 21000, et seq & ________________________ ☐ No Project – Ministerial Project Findings AMC 9-15.011 requires the Hearing Officer to make the following 4 findings: 1. The need for such signing is based on the purposes set forth in Section 9 - 15.002; The proposed signs accomplish three of the required purposes. Section 9 -15.002 (b) describes the purpose to “encourage the effective use of signs as a means of communication in the City and reduce possible traffic and safety hazards from confusing or distracting signs.” Section 9-15.002 (h) describes the Code’s intentions to “Limit the size and number of signs to levels that reasonably allow for the identification of a residential, public or commercial location and the nature of any such commercial business.” Finally, Section 9-15.002 (i) describes the purpose of regulating “signs in a manner so as not to physically interfere with or obstruct the vision of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.” 2. The opportunity to combine signs for more than one (1) use on a single sign structure has been considered; The proposed signs are located on opposite sides of the development . The posts are existing and the applicant would be replacing existing unpermitted signs. 3. For freeway-oriented signs, the sign area and height are the minimum needed to achieve adequate visibility along the freeway due to highway ramp locations and grade differences; and Page 3 The proposed signs are not f reeway oriented. 4. Conformance with all other applicable codes and ordinances of the City, including, but not limited to, the Zoning Ordinance, General Plan and its several elements, and the appearance review guidelines. (Ord. 604 § 2, 2016) Improving the appearance and character of Atascadero, including signage, is a Framework Principle of the General Plan. This sign in this zoning district is appropriate for the desired appearance and character of the City. Conditions 1. Building permits shall be obtained prior to installation of the signs. Property owner’s permission shall be obtained in writing and submitted to City prior to issuance of permit(s). 2. The style and location of each sign shall be consistent with what is shown in Attachment 1. 3. The sign along San Diego Way (Sign B) shall not have any form of illumination. Sign A shall use only shielded light fixtures aimed at the face of the proposed sign. 4. The applicant shall remove the base plates left from the previous sign along El Camino Real. 5. The applicant shall add more plants around the bases of both proposed signs. Code Requirements 1. AMC 9-15 (Sign Ordinance) 2. AMC 9-1.112 Administrative Use Permit 3. 9-4.137 Exterior Lighting Action:  Approve  Approve as modified  Deny  Continue to: _______________ to allow _________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________  Continue indefinitely to allow: __________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________ Hearing Officer Aerial Map Sign A High-Density Residential Attachment 1: Location Map USE 19-0025 Sign B Proposed Site Plan El Camino Real Attachment 2: Site Plan USE 19-0025 Proposed Sign A Proposed Sign B Attachment 3: Proposed Signs USE 19-0025 Sign Elevation Sign Dimensions Attachment 4: Sign Elevations and Dimensions USE 19-0025 Rendering – Illuminated Letters Concept Attachment 5: Rendering USE 19-0025 Attachment 6: Site Photos USE 19-0025 Location of Sign A Location of Sign B Previous sign bases San Diego Way opposite of Sign B