Costa Mesa council puts up stop sign

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- The City Council denied a request this week for a sign

more than twice as high as city law allows.

Holiday Inn officials said the sign would have brought in more

business for the hotel and more taxes for the city.

“We do bring a lot of money to the city,” said Pete Trapolino, vice

president of Hanford Hotels Inc., which owns Holiday Inn. “Transient

occupancy tax goes from non-city citizens directly to city coffers, and

this sign would have had very limited [effects] on a residential area.

It’s too bad because [the sign] would have helped the city a lot.”

The newly renovated hotel requested permission to put up an

illuminated, 65-foot-high sign on a 3.8-acre lot on Bristol Street, south

of the San Diego Freeway.

The city’s zoning administrator, Perry Valentine, denied the proposal

in September. The hotel appealed to the Planning Commission, which denied

the proposal in November.

The City Council -- the final word in appeals -- voted unanimously to

deny the proposal this week.

“I believe signs at 65 feet visually pollute the area,” Councilwoman

Linda Dixon said. “They are not the kind of thing I would like for my

city. I like what you have done with the building and for the city, but I

don’t hear that the benefits of the 65-foot sign will outweigh the visual

pollution.”

The maximum sign height allowed under city codes is 32 feet, but hotel

officials said a 65-foot-high sign is the lowest height that can be seen

from the freeway.

Obstacles, including a raised offramp and eucalyptus trees, would

block the view of a smaller sign, and even a 65-foot sign would be only

partly visible, said Ken Person, a Young Electric Sign Co.

representative.

In the last round of appeals, the three residents who spoke offered

suggestions.Harvey Alexander Cochran asked the hotel to consider an “up

light” or a “down light” to keep the sign from from shining on nearby

homes. Tom Egan asked the council to further study the advantages and

disadvantages of the request, and Doug Scripner urged the hotel and city

officials to meet with neighbors to learn their opinions about the

proposed sign.