CAMARILLO : Lifting of Marquee Sign Ban Is Urged
In a concession to motel owners, Camarillo planners are recommending that the city lift its ban on theater-style marquee signs for hotels and motels.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that the City Council allow the city’s eight hotels and motels, many of which border the Ventura Freeway, to install marquee signs of up to 40 square feet in size.
Planning Director Tony Boden said motel owners have for years been requesting permission for such signs, which the city banned because of aesthetic concerns. Hotel and motel owners are now allowed to put up monument signs displaying only the business’s name.
Shirley Lee, public relations manager for two Camarillo inns, said motel owners need marquee signs to advertise discounted room rates and other specials to lure new customers.
“The bad thing about Camarillo is we are over-saturated with hotels,” said Lee, who works for Days Inn of Camarillo and Best Western’s Camarillo Inn.
Lee said the market has been increasingly competitive during the recession as the city’s motel owners fight for a smaller pool of tourists and business travelers.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
