HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/22/1978 - Adjourned City Council MeetingRoll Call
..'Sign Ordinance
Mayor Arrives
ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
.CITY OF COSTA MESA
June 22, 1978
The City Council of the City of Costa Mesa met in
adjourned regular session at 4:00 p.m., June 22,
1978, in the fifth floor Conference Room of City
Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California, said
meeting having been duly and regularly ordered ad-
journed from the meeting of June 19, 1978, and a
copy of the Notice of Adjournment having been posted
as required by law.
Council Members Present:
Council Members Absent:
Officials Present:
Chamber of Commerce
Sign Committee Present:
Smallwood, Raciti, Hertzog,
Schafer
McFarland (Arrived later in
the meeting)
City Manager, Assistant City
Manager, City Attorney,
Director of Planning, City
Clerk
Werner Escher, Nathan.Reade,
Steve Hollister, and Frank
Bianchini
The Director of Planning summarized a Sign Inventory
Status Report, a copy of which was distributed to the
Council and the Chamber of Commerce Sign Committee
representatives. The survey, includes 364 parcels in
the City having a total of 1,623 signs, and categor-
izes these by indicating which are legal or illegal
signs. The Planning Director responded to questions
from the Council and Mr. Bianchini in regard to the
survey. Frank Bianchini spoke in support of the sign
survey being continued for the remainder of the City.
He also recommended: administration of the Sign Ordi-
nance by a system of priorities, that is, to deal with
the illegal signs and additions to signs which were
placed without approval or permits from the City; con-
forming those signs which appear to meet the standards
of the Sign Ordinance but have not been legalized be-
cause of the absence of a permit from the City; and
hold the amortization schedule of the Ordinance in
abeyance until the illegal signs have been eliminated.
Nate Reade spoke briefly regarding letters sent out
by the City to businesses with illegal signs. Mayor
McFarland arrived at the meeting at this time (4:40
p.m.). In response to Vice Mayor Smallwood's opinion
to administer the Ordinance in its present form, Mr.
Reade stated the Chamber's Sign Committee was not re-
questing any changes, that the ordinance was a good
one, but felt illegal signs should be dealt with first.
Councilman Raciti requested comments from the City
Attorney who responded that to hold the amortization
schedule in abeyance would probably require an amend-
ment to the Ordinance, and gave his legal opinion as
to selective enforcement of this law. In response to
a question from Mayor McFarland, the Planning Director
stated that the amortization schedule would be delayed
approximately two years if priority enforcement were
implemented. Considerable discussion followed along
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the lines of implementation of the Ordinance, after
which a motion was made by Councilwoman Schafer,
seconded by Councilwoman Hertzog, to proceed with
implementation of the Ordinance as it is now being
done, but approaching the illegal signs first and
then going ahead with the nonconforming signs.
After further discussion, the motion failed to
carry, Council Members McFarland, Raciti, and Hert-
zog voting no. Vice Mayor Smallwood stated at this
time that the intent of the meeting was not to amend
the Ordinance but to issue a directive.
Adjournment to At the request of the City Attorney, the Mayor ad -
Executive Session journed the meeting at 6:05 p.m. to Executive Session
for the purpose of discussing pending litigation, and
no action was taken.
Adjournment After reconvening, the Mayor declared the meeting
adjourned at 6:15 p.m.
Mayor of the C ty of Costa Mesa
ATTEST:
City Clerk of the City of Cos r
esa
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