Call it a sign of the times.
When the Los Alamitos City Council approved the Village 605 shopping center last year, it appeared to sail through the city. But when residents noticed the sign advertising the shopping was gigantic, digital and 120-feet tall, an appeal was filed.
The developer, Lincoln Property Co., downsized the offending sign the day before the appeal was to go before the city.
So the project has the green light again, with a scaled down sign and crosswalk modification.
Call it a sign of the times.
When the Los Alamitos City Council approved the Village 605 shopping center last year, it appeared to sail through the city. But when residents noticed the sign advertising the shopping was gigantic, digital and 120-feet tall, an appeal was filed.
The developer, Lincoln Property Co., downsized the offending sign the day before the appeal was to go before the city.
So the project has the green light again, with a scaled down sign and crosswalk modification.
However, the scaled-down sign will still be large (90-feet vs. 120 feet; 2,000 square feet vs. 3,000 square feet) but it will not carry digital advertising as first proposed.
The appeal challenging the decision to approve the Village 605 project by Los Al’s Planning Commission was withdrawn on Jan. 29. A public hearing set for Jan. 30 was canceled because of the withdrawal.
A press release sent out Sunday by Los Alamitos City Clerk Windmera Quintanar says Nathan Pinson no longer opposes the project after the developer, Lincoln Property Company, made the following changes to it:
• Limit the maximum height of the pylon sign to no more than 90 feet.
• Limit the maximum size of each sign face on the pylon sign to no more than 2000 square feet.
• Applicant will not include a digital screen component in the sign.
• Applicant will cause count-down crosswalk signaling devices to be installed at the crosswalks at the intersection of Katella Avenue and Civic Center Drive, which is among the intersections covered by the permits.
• Applicant will tender a sum for enhancing traffic safety for school children at Oak Middle School.
Now with the appeal off the table, “construction is expected to begin later this year, with an opening date in 2018,” said Parke Miller, who’s Executive Vice President of LPC, which is the parent company of the applicant Katella Property Owner, LLC., in a statement to the News Enterprise on Jan. 30.
Pinson’s appeal originally challenged two things: 1.) a 120 foot height variance for the freeway pylon sign, and 2.) the Commission’s traffic analysis of the westernmost driveway.
The changes to the project have heeded Pinson’s call for a height reduction in the sign. Nothing in the recent changes to the project addresses the appeal’s call for a review of the Commission’s traffic analysis. Miller said “everything raised in the appeal has already been studied in the [Environmental Impact Report],” when asked to comment on the appeal before the recent withdrawal.
The News Enterprise asked Pinson’s attorney Brandon Roesler for a comment from his client on Jan. 30, but Roesler said, “my client will not be making any comments going forward.” Instead, Roesler sent a written statement, which part of it read “Katella Property Owner LLC and Mr. Pinson have reached an agreement that includes a significant reduction in the size and height of the proposed sign, removal of the sign’s digital screens, additional traffic safety enhancements for the community, and a sizable donation for school children safety purposes at Oak Middle School.”
The Village 605 project will bring to Los Alamitos a 113,880 square-foot shopping center at 3131 Katella Ave, which is located adjacent to Los Al City Hall. In addition to five retail buildings that will line the northern part of the property, two drive-thru facilities will line the property nearest Katella Ave. Also, a now-90-foot tall freeway pylon sign will be built at northwest corner of the property
The results of a traffic study included in the original project application estimates that 10,773 daily trips would be generated by the new shopping center. 437 trips are estimated for the morning peak hour and 531 for the evening peak hour.
