MOORPARK : Workshops Planned on Sign Ordinance

The Moorpark Planning Commission on Monday decided to hold two public workshops to discuss provisions of a new sign ordinance.

“I think it’s really important that we listen to the needs of the community,” Commissioner Steve Brodsky said. “We need to be very proactive in any way to help businesses stay alive, especially in this economy. And one way to do that is to allow them to be recognized.”

The City Council in April asked the commission to examine the city’s current sign ordinance, hold a public hearing and suggest changes.

Moorpark Mayor Paul W. Lawrason Jr. said before the meeting that changes to the ordinance are needed, because it is inconsistent with some provisions of the city code. As a result, the city has been forced to review sign applications on a case-by-case basis instead of being able to judge all requests by a universal set of guidelines.

“There isn’t consistency in the way we’ve been handling this thing,” Lawrason said. “We need to resolve it. What do we want to allow in the city?”

Among the issues to be addressed are whether to allow business logos on signs and how large logos should be, maximum sign heights, sign compatibility with the business’ structure and how the signs should be lit.

Opinions have ranged from a more liberal ordinance, along the lines of what is allowed in Simi Valley, to stricter guidelines similar to those used in Thousand Oaks.

The commission decided Monday to develop separate regulations for the downtown area.

Moorpark Commissioner Christina May said before the meeting that she would like to see the city find a middle ground.

“I’d like to see a happy medium, where businesses can function without being hindered and yet have nice aesthetics,” May said. “If you can’t find a business that you’re looking for due to the fact that there are sign problems, I consider that to be a hardship on the businesses.”

Dr. Robert Abrams, president of the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber would work closely with the city on setting new guidelines.

The first workshop will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at the next Planning Commission meeting at Moorpark City Hall, 799 Moorpark Ave. The second will be scheduled later.