HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-02-2014 pc lopesKremke, Kate
From: Mejia, Anthony
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2014 9:07 AM
To: Kremke, Kate
Subject: FW: Please redesign the proposed new SLO Entry sign at Highland and Hwy
Attachments: SLO Sign.pdf
Council Correspondence SE: P 0 2 2014
Anthony J. Mejia, MMC I City Clerk
c'Ity Iuls otilspo
<y)o Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 934e:1
tel 1805,78,i,_7102
AGENDA
CORRESPONDENCE
:)ate _-'� �� Item # ---Pc
From: James Lopes [mailto:jameslopes @charter.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2014 1:44 PM
To: Christianson, Carlyn; Carpenter, Dan; Marx, Jan; Ashbaugh, John; Smith, Kathy; Mejia, Anthony; Grigsby, Daryl;
Bochum, Tim; Chuck Crotser; rgn.board @yahoo.com
Subject: Please redesign the proposed new SLO Entry sign at Highland and Hwy. 1
TO: City Council and Staff:
I agree with and want to amplify the plea of Chuck Crotser below, that the Highway 1 entry sign is designed too
big. It simply is too big - it is grandiose. It shouts fatuous hubris. I spoke against the City indulging in
grandiosity at the first hearing on the sign. I was met with skepticism and a round denial by the designer, that it
is actually sized for the traffic speed at this intersection, but I have to respectfully disagree with Mr.
Rademaker. This sign is designed much too big for the traffic speeds and setbacks, and the fact that this is
Highway 1, not Highway 101. Let's be a little more earth- bound, more subtle, and a lot more modest about our
happy city. It's okay for your Council to disagree with experts, including me of course, which you do
regularly. One of you did in fact agree with me post hearing, and offered to see if its size could be
reduced. Now would be a good time to engage in that endeavor.
Think of Big Sur - is there a huge sign announcing this fantastic edge to the continent? What about Morro
Rock? Well, Morro Bay does have a billboard; we don't need a billboard or a two -story sign! Are we trying to
'capture' shoppers who might zoom through San Luis Obispo on their way to Highway 101? They will know
they are within the city! Let us do the cool, subtle thing rather than the brazen shout to visitors.
Let's return to the reserved approach taken with the Highway 101 signs, and, to cap doing the right thing, the
City could repaint the letters on the existing highway signs so that they are more readable, and perhaps paint the
bells, so they are visible. These signs are way cool, but they unfortunately are overly subtle, because you can
hardly read them. They however are the right size for the Highway 1 entry.
Regards,
Jamie Lopes
James Lopes
1336 Sweet Bay Lane
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Ph. 805 - 781 -8960
- - - -- Forwarded Message - - - --
From: Chuck Crotser <ccrotser(agmail.com>
To: Carlyn Christianson <cchristi(a),slocity.org>; Dan Carpenter <dcarpent(a)_slocity.org >; Jan Marx <imarx(a-),slocity.org >;
John Ashbaugh <iashbaugQslocity.org >; Kathy Smith <ksmith(a)-slocity.org_>
Cc: dq rig sby(d)slocity.org; "Bochum, Tim" <tbochum(a�slocity.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2014 10:34 PM
Subject: Proposed new SLO Entry sign at Highland and Hwy. 1
Honorable Mayor and Council members,
Having been in and out of town over the past few months, I'm afraid I missed the discussion and
subsequent approval of the proposed entry sign at Highland and Highway 1.
I returned from a recent trip and saw the Tribune article with the illustration of the sign. My initial
reaction was that it was very attractive and certainly of appropriate character. However seeing the
dimensions of this sign, I was stunned. This sign is extremely large and well out of scale for this
location. It may certainly be appropriate for placement on Highway 101 where freeway speeds, and
higher traffic volumes justify larger graphic elements. However, this location is at an intersection
where traffic either slows or stops as vehicles crest the hill entering the City. There is absolutely no
need for such a massive sign element at this location. By comparison, the entry sign for Cal Poly
across the street is approximately 4 feet tall and nestled into the hill and seems to be an adequately
large sign for the university. The Cal Poly sign is extremely visible while being at a much lower
elevation than the proposed SLO sign.
I've attached the Tribune illustration with a male figure to give a better sense of scale. I also show an
image of my modest home in the Foothill area, just a few blocks away, which is typical of most of the
one -story houses in this neighborhood. I've scaled the images based upon the dimensions noted in
the Tribune article. Does this sign really need to be as big as a house?
I respectfully request that you re- consider the size and scale of this sign at this location. Although this
is a very attractive sign, it is much too large. Now would be the time to re- consider the size and
resultant expense before any more time is spent on construction documents or final cost estimates.
Thank you very much for your consideration,
Chuck
Charles Crotser Architect AIA
P.O. Box 12528, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
Cell: (805) 471 -5967
e -mail: ccrotserOgmail.com
Proposed Entry Sign at Highland and Highway 1 (with 5' tall figure)
-S.l it LUIS OBISPO
Scale Comparison
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