Fountain Valley Sign On Agenda Again!

HEADS-UP!  IT'S BACK!
A friend sent me the following electronic message sent by the City of Fountain Valley regarding another Public Hearing on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 regarding the onerous sign proposed near the Fountain Valley/Costa Mesa border along the I-405 Freeway.

Nice timing... on a Friday night, on the cusp of the holiday season.

ANY OFFICIAL REPRESENTING COSTA MESA?
For those of you nearby this location, you may wish to inquire of OUR city officials early next week to see if anyone is planning to attend this meeting.


HERE'S THE MESSAGE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SUBJECT: ELECTRONIC MESSAGE CENTER (EMC) SIGN DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND LEASE AGREEMENT
LOCATION: 10955 ELLIS AVENUE
PROPOSAL: PETITION SUBMITTED BY JOHN DUONG OF CLEAR CHANNEL OUTDOOR FOR A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND LEASE AGREEMENT TO ALLOW A NEW ELECTRONIC MESSAGE CENTER (EMC) SIGN TO DISPLAY COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS TO MOTORISTS TRAVELING IN BOTH NORTHBOUND AND SOUTHBOUND DIRECTIONS ON THE ADJACENT INTERSTATE 405 FREEWAY. THE PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED AT 10955 ELLIS AVENUE ON AN APPROXIMATELY 2.75 ACRE PARCEL OWNED BY THE CITY OF FOUNTAIN VALLEY AND SHARED BY THE CITY’S RESERVOIR NO. 1. 
HEARING BY: CITY COUNCIL
HEARING DATE: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015 
TIME: 6:00 P.M
HEARING LOCATION: CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 10200 SLATER AVENUE, FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA 92708-4736

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL IS ON FILE IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT CITY HALL, 10200 SLATER AVENUE. IN LIEU OF ATTENDING THE MEETING, YOU MAY SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS IN FAVOR OR IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSAL PRIOR TO THE HEARING.

IF A PROPOSED ACTION IS CHALLENGED IN COURT, THERE MAY BE A LIMITATION TO RAISING ONLY THOSE ISSUES RAISED AT THE PUBLIC HEARING DESCRIBED IN THIS NOTICE OR IN WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE DELIVERED TO THE CITY COUNCIL AT OR PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CALL THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT (714) 593-4425.

Lisa Montano
Administrative Assistant
City of Fountain Valley – Planning Department
714-593-4425
www.fountainvalley.org


HERE'S THE MEETINGLOCATION 

 

Fountain Valley To Consider The Digital Sign Tonight

NOT INTERESTED IN COSTA MESA DEVELOPMENT?
In case you think you'll be bored with the discussion of the General Plan amendments and other development-related items on the agenda of the Costa Mesa City Council meeting tonight, I have an alternative for you.

DIGITAL MESSAGE SIGN
The City of Fountain Valley, our good neighbor to the West, also holds their City Council meeting tonight, Tuesday, October 6, 2015 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in their City Council Chambers.  You can read the agenda for that meeting HERE.  Very near the top, beginning on page 13 through page 625 (!) is the item more than a few apprehensive Costa Mesa residents are concerned about - the 79 foot tall digital message board being planned for a spot along the I-405 Freeway at the very Eastern edge of that city.  The problem with that message board is that it will spill obnoxious levels of light into homes near Moon Park in Costa Mesa.  Here's what that sign will theoretically look like.

LIGHT SPILLAGE
And, this graphic, plucked from the staff report, shows the theoretical light spillage numbers as presented by one of the consultants on this project. (CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

VISIT OUR NEIGHBORS TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEW
So, if you're going to be impacted by this sign, you may wish to trot on over to the Fountain Valley City Hall and use the three minutes provided to express your views.  This item appears to be scheduled early in the meeting, but one never knows how long it will take.

Fountain Valley Planning Commission Denies Sign! (AMENDED)*

THE COMMISSIONERS LISTENED!
Reports from the scene at last night's Fountain Valley Planning Commission meeting tell us that the commission unanimously denied the application by Clear Channel to erect a 79 foot high LED sign near Ellis Avenue, across the Santa Ana River from Costa Mesa adjacent to the I-405 Freeway - at a location that would flood homes in a nearby section of our city with bright, garish lights all night long.

ROBIN REPORTS...
Reader and uber-actvist Robin Leffler attended the meeting and posted the following first-person report on my previous entry about this meeting:
At least 30 State Street residents attended and spoke passionately and informationally. A recurring theme was "Be a good neighbor" and how seeing the sign from their backyards, frontyards, windows and Moon Park would be visual blight. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommended that the City Council not approve the application. It was great, they really cared that this would adversely affect residents even if those residents weren't in their city.

ARMSTRONG LED THE CHARGE
Later, in a subsequent conversation, she told me that Costa Mesa's Director of Economic and Development Services, Gary Armstrong, made a clear and forceful argument against the sign and many other Costa Mesa residents spoke to the issue as well.

LOOK FOR THE DETAILS IN THE DAILY PILOT
I suspect Brad Zint will have something in the Daily Pilot soon with all the details.  Keep your eyes peeled for that story.  Until then, kudos to all who spoke on this issue and who may have sent emails to the Fountain Valley officials on this subject.

AMENDED
*I've been advised early Thursday morning that the Fountain Valley City Council will now hear this item - tentatively scheduled for their meeting on September 15, 2015.  More when we know more.

Fountain Valley Plans 8-Story LED Sign

THE GLARE OF NEIGHBORLINESS
Our neighbors to the north, the City of Fountain Valley, is moving forward with plans for an 8-story LED message sign to be erected barely within their city limits that will create a huge chunk of visual blight for residents of Costa Mesa.  You can read Brad Zint's piece in the Daily Pilot HERE.  You can also read about this issue on the Costa Mesa web site, HERE. 

INTRUSIVE LIGHT BLIGHT

Officials from the City of Costa Mesa have persistently expressed their opposition to this message board, which will tower above traffic flowing past on the I-405 Freeway and the neighboring Costa Mesa neighborhoods.  There are links on that Costa Mesa page to some of the correspondence and it is my understanding that CEO Tom Hatch has written a strongly worded letter to Fountain Valley City Manager, Bob Hall, on the issue today.

HEARING TOMORROW NIGHT
This item will be heard by the Fountain Valley Planning Commission at it's meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, August 12, 2015 in the Fountain Valley City Council Chambers at 10200 Slater Avenue, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  You can read the staff report HERE.  Don't let the size of the staff report scare you off.  It's 207 pages, but the issue at hand is Public Hearing #4, early in the agenda.  It will be helpful for residents of Costa Mesa to speak to the Planning Commission to make their feelings known about this issue.  You may also communicate with the Fountain Valley City Manager and Planning Commission by sending an email here: fvproud@fountainvalley.org

Progressive Icon Passes

GUS AYER -  R.I.P.
Tonight most of my progressive - read that liberal - friends are mourning the passing earlier today of former Fountain Valley Mayor Gus Ayer, who apparently unexpectedly passed away peacefully in his sleep.

A CASUAL FRIEND
I knew Gus casually - he was a "Facebook friend" when I was on Facebook and we corresponded from time to time on issues of common interest.  Even though our political views were about 180 degrees apart I admired his knowledge, political skills and his energy.  I've written about him a couple times on this blog as he injected his interest and enthusiasm into Costa Mesa issues over the past couple of years.  He was, like me, a portly gent of more than a few years, yet he was an avid hiker, including recent trips to the Grand Canyon and Central America.

A TENACIOUS ACTIVIST

My impression was that when he seized a cause he would expend every effort in his being to attain his goal.  Based on comments from some of our mutual friends, he was a mentor to many of the current crop of liberal politicians in Orange County and worked very hard on their campaigns and issues.  A measure of his effectiveness may be the fact that many local  Republican activists didn't much care for him.

RECOLLECTIONS
Although there will likely be many homages to Gus, you can read three early ones HERE, HERE and HERE.  And, courtesy of The Surf City Voice, you can read his final public publication, HERE, intended as a launch point for a major campaign addressing the redundancy and performance of local water agencies.  It's a powerful piece and seems like an excellent exclamation point on a great career serving the interests of the public.

CONDOLENCES...
Condolences to his wife, Verna, and their children and all his friends on the loss of this special man.  I wish I had known him better...  The Huntington Beach Independent published a nice obituary about Gus Ayer HERE.  He was quite a man and will be missed.