AGOURA HILLS : Gas Station Offers Deal in Sign Dispute

As the battle over freeway pole signs rages on here, one service station has voluntarily agreed to remove its sign in exchange for concessions from the city.

Shell Oil Co. will take down its 70-foot pole sign if Agoura Hills will allow the firm to build a carwash and mini-mart at the site, at 5134 Kanan Road.

“Both the city and Shell are looking forward to resolving this in an amicable manner,” said Larry Turner, an area real estate representative for Shell.

The city’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the matter Sept. 15. But initial reaction from city officials is positive.

“I’ve seen the plans and they look terrific,” said Mayor Joan Yacovone, whose remarks were echoed by City Manager Terry S. Matz.

The city banned pole signs nine years ago and gave owners seven years to remove them. Voters in November backed the ordinance by a 3-1 ratio.

Opponents of pole signs say they are unsightly and spoil the scenery, while many businesses say they need the signs to bring in business from the freeway.

Ten businesses--Chevron, Unocal, McDonald’s, Texaco, Burger King, Denny’s, Jack in the Box, Lumber City, Roadside Lumber and Fence Factory--filed separate lawsuits against the city in May, charging that the ban on the signs will hurt their profits.

In response, a community group in Agoura Hills led a boycott against the businesses.

But some of the businesses declared the boycott a failure and vowed to continue their fight to keep the signs.

Turner said his firm decided that offering the city an agreement made more sense economically.

“The agreement stipulated no litigation, and if it did not make sense, we would not have signed it,” he said.

The station will lose 25% to 30% of its business if the pole sign comes down, he said.

And while it’s hoped the carwash and mini-mart would help make up for that loss, “there are no guarantees that this sizable investment will make up for the loss of the sign,” he said.