Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-06-12 r ��•�� CITY OF PALM DESERT ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION • MINUTES June 12, 2012 I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 12:30 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Current Meeting Year to Date Present Absent Present Absent Ronald Gregory, Chairman X 10 Chris Van Vliet X 9 1 John Vuksic X 8 2 Karel Lambell X 10 Pam Touschner X 7 3 Allan Levin X 10 Ken Stendell X 9 1 Paul Clark X 2 Gene Colombini X 2 Also Present Lauri Aylaian, Director, Community Development Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner Shawn Kilpatrick, Code.Compliance Officer Janine Judy, Recording Secretary Cancelled meetings: 03/13/12 III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May 22, 2012 Action: Commissioner Levin moved to approve the May 22, 2012 meeting minutes with minor changes. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Lambell and carried by an 8-0-0-1, vote with Commissioner Touschner absent. ARCHITECTURAL REW COMMISSION e MINUTES June 12, 2012 V. CASES: A. Final Drawings: 1. CASE NO: SA 12-177 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): BEST SIGNS, Attn John Cross, 1550 S. Gene Autry Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Final approval of a new monument sign; Palm Desert Country Club. LOCATION: 77-200 California Drive ZONE: O.S. Mr. Kevin Swartz, Assistant Planner, presented the project and said this proposal is for a double-sided monument sign with a sliding track system with changeable letters. The purpose of the sign is to advertise daily specials within the club house; special events and golf specials. Section 25.68.070 allows for residential use identification signs for churches, day care centers, private clubs, or similar uses and this sign falls within that use. The maximum sign area allowed is 20 square feet and cannot exceed 6' in height. The proposed sign meets all development standards and staff is recommending approval, subject to the applicant bringing in a landscape plan. Commissioner Levin asked if there was any lighting. MR. JOHN CROSS, Best Signs, said the owner will do some exterior up-lighting on the panels. Commissioner Levin asked if the letters were locked in. MR. CROSS said there will be a locking mechanism on the edge of the track. Commissioner Van Vliet suggested they lower their footings down about 8" if boulders would be added to the base so they don't sit too high. GAPlanning\Janine Judy\Word FilesW Minutes\2012\120612min..doc Page 2 of 8 ARCHITECTURAL RE ,W COMMISSION MINUTES June 12, 2012 Commissioner Vuksic mentioned that this is the first time he has seen a sign with removable letters while on this Commission and wasn't sure how to react to it. The sign looks busy and he was concerned that it will actually look like the drawing. Commissioner Gregory agrees that this sign looks hokey. He feels Best Signs can make this work and suggested taking out a line to make the proportions better. MR. CROSS said they want to please the City, the client and put something out there that that they can be proud of as well. He mentioned that he has never sold a sign that has movable letters, but the owners made a big investment in the country club and now with summer coming, business is dwindling and they want to continue the momentum through the summer. The owners are bringing in events and trying to get people to go into the club house not only for golf, but other things as well. He tried dressing up the sign as much as possible to give it a natural shape and make it blend in with the surroundings. He explained that the letters would be pressed and colored and will match the sign. With the size limitation, he had to make the letters big enough so people can see it as they drive by. However, he also has a restriction on the square footage available. If there were no restrictions, the sign could be bigger giving the letters some breathing room. With all these variables, he did the best he could in trying to come up with a sign that provides a solution for the client and something that doesn't look terrible. Commissioner Gregory stated that if they make the sign longer and going away from the right-of-way, they could move it back into the shrubbery a bit more so the sign has a better proportion. Right now it's clunky because it's tall and wide. Commissioner Clark asked what would happen when they don't need to use one of the four lines. MR. CROSS said the customer was adamant that he would need all four lines to advertise the events held at the club house. Commissioner Clark said a line that's not used would look even more hokier. If there were only three lines, they wouldn't have to try to fill an unnecessary line. G1Planning\Janine Judy\Word Files\A Minutes\2012\120612min..doc Page 3 of 8 ARCHITECTURAL REIV COMMISSION MINUTES June 12, 2012 Commissioner Lambell had a problem with this type of sign in a residential area and stated it is reminiscent of the gas station signs. She didn't see it in a residential area, especially on a street that is traveled as much as California. Commissioner Stendell agreed that California is a busy street and is used as a connector road. This would be a great opportunity for a sharp looking monument sign to anchor Palm Desert Country Club, but felt this was an advertising sign. MR. CROSS said most people know where the country club is. However, during the summer people kind of put the country club out of their minds. Whereas, if people travel through this connector road and see an event that appeals to them, the ownership is hoping they will stop in and visit the club. Commissioner Clark said reducing the sign by one line and making it shorter would be more preferable and fit within the landscape of the residential area. MR. CROSS said if reducing it down gets them approval, he believes the owner would be agreeable to reducing it to three lines, as well as shortening and lengthening the sign. Commissioner Vuksic had a problem with the sign and said it needs to look much better than what is being presented. This isn't the standard of any monument sign this Commission has approved; it is below that standard and thought the removable letters have a lot to do with that. If that is what the client needs, it would have to be a very creative, artful sign where the removable letters actually look tasteful. Otherwise, this will set a precedent that scares him. Ms. Lauri Aylaian, Director of Community Development, stated that staff was remiss and failed to identify this as an advertising device, which is prohibited by the Code. If the Commission wants to continue this, staff will work with the applicant to head this in a different direction. The Commission has been clear with the things they are dissatisfied with and this is not a precedent that we want to start for a monument sign. MR. CROSS asked if no changeable message centers were allowed. GAPlanning\Janine Judy\Word Files\A Minutes\20121120612min..doc Page 4 of 8 t° ARCHITECTURAL RE%...W COMMISSION MINUTES June 12, 2012 Ms. Aylaian said not as an advertising device. In fact, the only time you will see them used is with churches, which is not advertising. MR. CROSS pointed out they list the times for their services. Ms. Aylaian said they can discuss that, but the $2.00 cocktails are clearly advertising, as well as the live music. There may be a way they can accommodate something without each letter changing individually, perhaps a standard template they swap out that is more graphically pleasing. ACTION: Commissioner Stendell moved to continue Case No. SA 12-177 subject to staff assisting applicant in the design of a monument sign that shall not be used as an advertising device. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Levin and carried by an 8-0-0-1 vote, with Commissioner Touschner absent. 2. CASE NO: MISC 12-190 APPLICANT (AND ADDRESS): MARY E. BELL, 40668 Diamondback Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260 NATURE OF PROJECT/APPROVAL SOUGHT: Approval of exterior color change. LOCATION: 40668 Diamondback Drive ZONE: P.R. 5 Ms. Lauri Aylaian, Director of Community Development presented this project and stated this home is located in a neighborhood with colors that are generally earth tones. None the less, the owner wanted to repaint and get something different. He painted their home without coming for approval first and ended up with something that even he agrees looks like a candy store. The homeowner has come in and is working with staff on color options. Color swatches of the actual colors were presented to the Commission, as well as new colors. Staff has had a difficult time making the judgment call as to how pink is too pink and was concerned in particular that the green trim is still a little too blue and recommends that this go a little more earthy. She pointed out that the house has a red tile roof and was a little concerned with how the green color will look up against the red the roof. The applicant is considering going with just two colors and eliminate the accent GAPlanning\JanineJudy\Word FilesW Minutes\2012\120612min..doc Page 5 of 8 ARCHITECTURAL REW COMMISSION MINUTES June 12, 2012 color that is on the molding around several windows. She thought two colors would be acceptable if they were the right two colors. She asked the Architecture Review Commission for guidance on the proposed colors submitted by the applicant. The Commission reviewed and discussed the color pallet. Commissioner Clark said he drove by this home and noticed the garage door is painted green. He thought this needed to be considered because this color will leap out. Most of the neighbors have subdued colors on their garage doors. MR. MICHAEL BELL, homeowner, said the original color of the garage door was close to the Boxwood color on their house and the body color was sort of a pale beige with a little yellow. There are still a couple of homes with the green doors, but a number of them have off-white doors. Commissioner Gregory asked if the City was pushing for the earth tones in keeping with desert colors. Ms. Aylaian said this is consistent with what is in the General Plan. You can get variations of earth. Over the years, we have become less beige and have explored more colors that are acceptable. Commissioner Gregory asked if staff was comfortable with the revised colors. Ms. Aylaian said she was not comfortable and that is why she wanted this Commission to review it. She was concerned that the colors were still a little bit on the blue end of the spectrum, especially with the red tile roof. She didn't have a great deal of experience with the colors in this spectrum here in the desert sun. Commissioner Colombini suggested two colors, one being Desert Rose and the other being the beige. MR. BELL said those were the original colors. Commissioner Stendell said if the dark color was used in moderation as a splash of color, it wouldn't stand out. Commissioner Gregory suggested the applicant propose two colors; one as a base coat and one as a trim coat, but not the GAPlanning\Janine Judy\Word FilesW Minutes\2012\120612min-doc Page 6 of 8 ARCHITECTURAL RE ,W COMMISSION MINUTES June 12, 2012 green. He recommended the applicant place a splash of each color on the house first so staff can review and approve. Commissioner Stendell asked if staff has the discretion of approving colors at the counter and suggested this be continued. Ms. Aylaian said the Commission could give direction to refer this back to staff with the suggestion that there only be two colors and the garage door is consistent with the body of the house and leave it up to staff for approval. Commissioner Lambell stated the green garage door is not appropriate with the color pallet shown and suggested they work on the pink becoming more of an earthy pink rather than bubblegum pink. MR. BELL said he would rather go back to the original color because there was more contrast with a light body tone and a darker trim tone. Commissioner Vuksic said when you are pushing the edge on a color, it is extremely appropriate to look at it at the site. He suggested that the applicant paint a section of the wall and staff will take a look at it because it will look different than what is on the little paint card. ACTION: Commissioner Gregory referred this case back to staff for their direction; subject to: 1) applicant working with staff to select two colors; no green; 2) if applicant chooses to change color back to the original colors, it shall be approved by staff; or 3) if applicant wishes to change the color, it shall be worked out with staff with the understanding that only two colors would be used to minimize contrast. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Colombini and carried by an 8-0-0-1 vote, with Commissioner Touschner absent. B. Preliminary Plans: None C. Miscellaneous Items: None G1Planning\Janine Judy\Word FilesW Minutes\2012\120612min..doc Page 7 of 8 ARCHITECTURAL RE .: OAN COMMISSION MINUTES June 12, 2012 VI. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES UPDATE — Commissioner John Vuksic Nothing to report at this time. Next meeting will be July 18, 2012. VII. COMMENTS Commissioner's Lambell and Clark presented a slide presentation of carports in the Palm Desert Country Club showing the different styles and setbacks. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Commissioner Stendell, second by Commissioner Lambell, and an 8-0-0-1 vote with Commissioner Touschner absent, the Architectural Review Commission meeting was adjourned at 1:20 p.m. J I JUD RECdRDING SECRETARY GAPlanning\Janine Judy\Word FilesW Minutes\2012\120612min..doc Page 8 of 8