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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Analysis 04-19-1976 G~V\ STAFF ANALYSIS - APRIL 19. 1976 APPEAL OF SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW S-547X Appeal of American Neon Displays from the decision of the Planning Director in not approving a 6' high. 90 sq. ft. freestanding sign as part of Site Development Review S-5~X for the Woolworth Garden Center on Regional Street. Dublin. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval of the requested sign as being in conformance with the spirit of the Commission adopted Dublin Regional Design Policy although prohibited by Design Policy provisions. Approval should. however. state that no increase in wall mounted signs beyond the two 12 sq. ft. signs already approved will be permitted. BACKGROUND: Site Development Review S-547X and Conditional Use Permit C-3042 were approved for a Woolworth Garden Center on a 2~ acre parcel on the west side of Regional Street between Amador Valley Boulevard and Dublin Boulevard. Dublin. The sign program requested. however. included a 90 sq. ft.. 6' high. free-standing monument sign 12' from the front property line. This sign. which is in conformance with the general sign provisions of the Zoning Ordinance for the C-l district. is prohibited by the Dublin Regional Center Design Policy which permits free-standing signs only under the following conditions: Freestanding Signs: A regional shopping area draws its customers from a wide area. Center identification signs can provide locative devices for center bound customers not familiar with the area. To provide adequate identification for each sub-center complex. a free- standing center identification sign should be authorized for each complex made up of at least one major tenant with a gross area of 75.000 sq. ft. minimum and one or more satellite business. Sign text should be limited to the name of the center; the text background should consist of a single simple form (circle. rectangle. hexagon. oval. etc.) shall be supported as simple as possible and the sign shall be located a minimum of one hundred feet from the nearest street frontage. Size. height. illumination and movement shall be regulated by the Zoning Ordinance. For individual business developments on lots with no less than 100' of frontage on an approved street at the front lot line. a freestanding sign of no more than 24 sq. ft. of total sign area and a maximum of 6' high will be permitted. The design should be compatible with the building it is identifying and to insure this compatibility the design of all such signs should be subject to approval by the Planning Director prior to obtaining a Building Permit. Woolworth does not have an indoor gross area of 75.000 sq. ft. nor a satellite business as required for a freestanding center sign and their proposed monument sign is nearly 4 times the 25 sq. ft. allowed. Since the Design Policy is adopted Planning Commission policy. the Planning Director had no choice but to disapprove the sign. REASONS GIVEN FOR APPEAL: The sign company representing Woolworth's in this matter feels that the sign should be approved for two reasons: 1. It is a standard sign used to identify all the Woolworth Garden Centers. Identical signs are existing in San Jose. Napa and Fairfield and permits have been issued for another in San Jose and one in Palo Alto. It is an attractive sign and the size requested is an extremely moderate 45 sq. ft./side. 2. Woolworths proposes only 2 small 12 sq. ft. wall mounted signs on their building. The monument sign is proposed instead of)rather than in addition to,the usual large building mounted sign. STAFF ANALYSIS - APRIL 19. 1976 APPEAL OF SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW S-547X PAGE 2 APPEAL CONSIDERATIONS: The sign program proposed is exceedingly unusual. Most requests for freestanding signs are in addition to at least one large building mounted sign. The sign proposed is attractive and could prove to be a reasonable replacement for the approximately 400 sq. ft. wall mounted sign allowable under the Design Policy. The large area of the site (2.5 acres) and the 206' of frontage for a single store should keep approval from establishing an undesirable precedent.