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HomeMy WebLinkAbout26 - Signage Program for Balboa PeninsulaPOgI CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH 4�,F,W o m COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING DEPARTMENT 3300 NEWPORT BOULEVARD NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92658 (714) 644 -3200; FAX (714) 644 -3250 PROJECT: SUGGESTED ACTION: Background Hearing Date: Agenda Item No.: Staff Person: REPORT TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL Public Signage Program for Balboa Peninsula Approve Signage Program for Balboa Peninsula January 25, 1999 26 Sharon Z. Wood (949) 644 -3222 Direct Staff to Install Signs Using Community Development Block Grant Funds Staff presented the proposed public signage program for the Balboa Peninsula to the City Council on December 14, 1998. The report for that meeting is attached for reference. The Council directed staff to install one prototype pole sign, and continued the matter to January 25, 1999. Councilmembers also discussed the proposed sign design, and whether City signs should be consistent throughout Newport Beach or unique to the different villages. The City Council received a letter from the City Arts Commission requesting an opportunity to review the sign program at the Council meeting of January 11. The Council did not refer the sign program to the Commission, but indicated that the Commission could provide input if they chose to do so. General Services staff has fabricated and installed the prototype sign. The prototype is one of the pole signs intended for providing directions and for use in tighter spaces. For display purposes, it was installed in the landscaped area at the comer of Balboa Boulevard and Palm Street, where the sign program calls for a monument sign to identify Balboa Village. Discussion The City Arts Commission did discuss the public signage program for the Peninsula at their meeting of January 14. The Commission members had positive comments on the sign design, and recognized the compatibility with the walls designed for the gateway parks at the entrance to the Peninsula. Additionally, the Commission suggested that this design be used throughout Newport Beach to provide sign consistency. A letter from the Chair is attached. After viewing the prototype sign in the field, staff would recommend some modifications if the City Council approves use of this signage program. The pole sign would be easier to read with white or tan letters and graphics on a blue field. (The prototype is the reverse.) Readability would also be improved with slightly larger panels for the text. Finally, the panels should be higher to prevent vandalism, without moving them out of the range of visibility for drivers. This was also a comment made at the City Arts Commission meeting. Staff believes the proposed signage program will be effective for the Balboa Peninsula. It has been reviewed and accepted by residents and businesses in the area, and should be implemented. Because this signage program was designed with the Peninsula in mind, it was based on the speed of traffic, number of pedestrians, density of attractions, and amount of public space in which to install signs that are unique to the Peninsula. Staff is not confident that the same program would be effective in areas such as Mariner's Mile or Corona del Mar, where traffic speeds and other conditions are different. SHARON Z. WOOD Assistant ity Manager Attachment Page 2 January 15, 1999 Mayor Dennis O'Neil 608 Seaward Road Corona del Mar, CA 92625 Dear Mayor O'Neil: The Arts Commission would like to thank Assistant City Manager Sharon Wood for attending its most recent meeting and allowing us to give constructive input on the Balboa Peninsula sign program. We support the project, and appreciate the opportunity to participate. We are extremely interested in any future projects, and would very much like to be actively involved, on behalf of the City, in our advisory capacity relating to any artistic, aesthetic and cultural aspects of the City. We are available and willing to assist City Council and staff in any way that we can, and wish to be included in the planning stages of prospective projects and programs. We feel that we can give valuable input and insight into much of what the City is undertaking, and would like to be considered as part of the general "protocol" in this process. Thank you for your consideration. _If you have any thoughts about how we could best work with City Council and staff to facilitate our work together, they would be most welcome. Sincerely, Pat Brubaker Chair, Arts Commission cc: LaDonna Kienitz Dennis Danner Sharon Wood P.O. Box 1768 • 3300 Newport Boulevard • Newport Beach, CA • 92658 -8915 • Phone 714. 717.3870 • Fax 714 -640 -5681