CAMARILLO : Planners May Study Need for Taller Signs

The Camarillo Planning Commission is expected Tuesday to initiate a study on sign height for large retail centers, officials said.

The current allowance for signs on 25-foot-high poles needs to be increased to enhance visibility to freeway motorists, said Tony Boden, the city’s planning and community development director.

“We’re looking at the signage and making it more safe and visible,” Boden said. “Signs for some major uses need to be visible so cars can transition to get off the freeway.”

The city currently specifies that signs for highway-related uses can be no taller than 25 feet. The color, design and placement of each sign must also be approved by the Planning and Community Development Department.

Boden would like the city to look at increasing the height to 35 feet for retail centers containing 225,000 feet or more. That would include the Camarillo Outlet Center and the Camarillo Town Center now under construction. Both are next to the Ventura Freeway.

Until the early 1990s, Camarillo’s sign ordinance allowed highway-related signs on poles up 35 feet tall. The height was reduced to 25 feet.

The actual size of signs would not change, Boden said.

If the Planning Commission decides to look into the issue, city staff would draft an ordinance, conduct an environmental review and hold public hearings. The ordinance would ultimately be decided by the City Council.

The Planning Commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive.