PC RES 2024-008 P.C. RESOLUTION NO. 2024-08
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES APPROVING, WITH
CONDITIONS,A SIGN PROGRAM FOR THE SHOPPING CENTER
KNOWN AS "WESTERN PLAZA" LOCATED AT 29105-29229 S.
WESTERN AVENUE (CASE NO. PLSP2024-0010).
WHEREAS, on February 12, 2024, the Applicant, SCG West Developers
(representing the property owner at the time, San Pedro Beach Properties) submitted a
Sign Program application requesting to establish a Sign Program for the Western Plaza
shopping center property located at 29105-29229 S. Western Avenue; and
WHEREAS, on February 20, 2024, Staff completed an initial review of the application,
at which time the application was deemed incomplete due to missing information on the
project plans.
WHEREAS, on March 14, 2024, Staff deemed the application complete for
processing, setting the action deadline to May 13, 2024; and
WHEREAS, on March 21, 2024, a public notice was published in the Palos Verdes
Peninsula News and mailed to all property owners within a 500-foot radius from the project
site, providing a 15-day time period for the submittal of comments; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act,
Public Resources Sections 21000 et. seq. ("CEQA"), the State's CEQA Guidelines,
California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15000 et seq., the City's Local CEQA
Guidelines, the approved project has been found to be categorically exempt under Section
15311 (Accessory Structures) of the CEQA Guidelines. More specifically, Section 15311
(Class 11 Exemption) allows the construction, or replacement of minor structures accessory
to existing commercial, industrial, or institutional facilities, including but not limited to: on
premise signs, and none of the exceptions to the use of a categorical exemption set forth in
CEQA Guidelines, section 15300.2 apply to the Project and the Project does not present
any unusual circumstances; and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on April 9, 2024, at
which time all interested parties were given an opportunity to be heard and present
evidence.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION DOES HEREBY FIND,
DETERMINE, AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: The above recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein by
reference.
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Section 2: The approved project involves a Sign Program for the Western Plaza
Shopping Center located at 29105-29229 S. Western Avenue.
Section 3: Based on the whole of the administrative record, the Project is exempt
from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15311 and there is no substantial
evidence demonstrating that an exception to a categorical exemption pursuant to CEQA
Guidelines, Section 15300.2 applies or that the project presents any unusual circumstances.
Section 4: The Planning Commission finds that approval of a Sign Program for the
above center is warranted based on the following findings:
A. The Sign Program complies with the standards of RPVMC Chapter 17.75, and
the Western Avenue Specific Plan requirements. The Sign Program includes
regulations to ensure readability, and correct methodology of measurement,
design and materials, placement, and maintenance. The Sign Program also
includes requirements for specific height, area, width, projection, vertical
clearance, setbacks, and illumination.
B. The Sign Program standards will result in signs that are visually related or
complementary to each other and to the buildings and/or developments they
identify through the integration of predominant architectural materials, elements,
or details of such buildings or developments. Specifically, although the colors
and design of each tenant's sign will depend on the specific branding for each
business, the individual sign components will be mounted directly to the parapet
façades, the color and material of which will be consistent throughout the
shopping center.
C. The Sign Program will not result in signs that would impair pedestrian and
vehicular safety. Specifically, Sign Program regulations require that the
improvements be mounted on the parapet façade with a minimum of ten feet
from bottom of the sign to finished grade below in order to not impair pedestrian
safety.
D. The design of the signs or proposed construction will not threaten public safety.
The regulations included in the approved Sign Program for wall signs require
individual tenants to obtain appropriate building permits before installatio
n.
Section 5: Any interested person aggrieved by this decision or by any portion of this
decision may appeal to the City Council. The appeal shall set forth in writing, the grounds
for appeal and any specific action being requested by the appellant. Any appeal letter must
be filed within 15 calendar days of the date of this decision, or by 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
April 24, 2024. A $3,100.00 appeal fee must accompany any appeal letter. If no appeal is
filed timely, the Planning Commission's decision will be final at 5:30 p.m. on April 24, 2024.
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Section 6: Any challenge to this Resolution and the findings set forth therein, must
be filed within the 90-day statute of limitations set forth in Code of Civil Procedure§1094.6
and §17.86.100(B) of the RPVMC.
Section 7: For the foregoing reasons and based on the information and findings
included in the Staff Report, Minutes and other records of proceedings, the Planning
Commission of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes hereby adopts P.C. Resolution No.
2024-08 approving a Sign Program for the shopping center known as "Western Plaza"
located at 29105-29229 S. Western Avenue, subject to the Conditions of Approval
contained in the attached Exhibit "A".
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 9th day of April 2024, by the following vote:
AYES: COMMISSIONERS NULMAN, PERESTAM, SAADATNEJADI, VICE CHAIR
SANTAROSA & CHAIR CHURA
NOES: NONE
ABSTENTIONS: NONE
RECUSALS: NONE
ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS BRACH & NELSON
if
0)1,4-i-
,
David Chura
Chair
I
Br.„, j',s, AtP
Director of Community Development; and,
Secretary of the Planning Commission
01203 0005/974142 1 P C Resolution No. 2024-08
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EXHIBIT 'A'
CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL
PLANNING CASE NO. PLSP2024-0010
(SIGN PROGRAM)
29105-29229 S. WESTERN AVENUE
General Conditions:
1. Within 90 days of approval of this Sign Program, the Applicant shall submit to the
City a statement, in writing, that they have read, understand, and agree to all
conditions of approval contained in this Exhibit "A". Failure to provide said written
statement within ninety (90) days following the date of this approval shall render
this approval null and void.
2. The Applicant shall indemnify, protect, defend, and hold harmless, the City, and/or
any of its officials, officers, employees, agents, departments, agencies, and
instrumentalities thereof, from any and all claims, demands, lawsuits, writs of
mandamus, and other actions and proceedings (whether legal, equitable,
declaratory, administrative or adjudicatory in nature), and alternative dispute
resolutions procedures (including, but not limited to arbitrations, mediations, and
other such procedures) (collectively"Actions"), brought against the City, and/or any
of its officials, officers, employees, agents, departments, agencies, and
instrumentalities thereof, that challenge, attack, or seek to modify, set aside, void,
or annul, the action of, or any permit or approval issued by, the City and/or any of
its officials, officers, employees, agents, departments, agencies, and
instrumentalities thereof (including actions approved by the voters of the City), for
or concerning the project.
3. Prior to conducting any work in the public right of way, such as for curb cuts,
dumpsters, temporary improvements and/or permanent improvements, the Applicant
shall obtain an encroachment permit from the Director of Public Works.
4. Approval of this permit shall not be construed as a waiver of applicable and
appropriate zoning regulations, or any Federal, State, County and/or City laws and
regulations. Unless otherwise expressly specified, all other requirements of the
City of Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code (RPVMC) shall apply.
5. Pursuant to RPVMC §17.78.040, the Director of Community Development is
authorized to make minor modifications to the approved Sign Program and any of
the conditions of approval if such modifications will achieve substantially the same
results as would strict compliance with the approved Sign Program. Substantial
changes to the project shall be considered a revision and require approval by the
final body that approved the original project, which may require new and separate
01203 0005/974142 1 P C. Resolution No. 2024-08
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environmental review and public notification.
6. The project development on the site shall conform to the Commission-approved
plans and to the specific standards contained in these conditions of approval or, if
not addressed herein, shall conform to the Commercial General standards of the
City's Municipal Code.
7. Failure to comply with and adhere to all of these conditions of approval may be
cause to revoke the approval of the project pursuant to the revocation procedures
contained in RPVMC §17.86.060 or administrative citations as described in
RPVMC Chapter 1.16.
8. In the event that any of these conditions conflict with the recommendations and/or
requirements of another permitting agency or City department, the stricter standard
shall apply.
9. Unless otherwise designated in these conditions, all construction shall be
completed in substantial conformance with the plans stamped approved by the
City with the effective date of this approval.
10. This approval is only for the items described within these conditions and identified
on the stamped approved plans and is not an approval of any existing illegal or
legal non-conforming structures on the property, unless the approval of such illegal
or legal non-conforming structure is specifically identified within these conditions
or on the stamped approved plans.
11. The construction site and adjacent public and private properties and streets shall
be kept free of all loose materials resembling trash and debris in excess of that
material used for immediate construction purposes. Such excess material may
include, but not be limited to: the accumulation
o of debris, garbage, lumber, scrap
metal, concrete asphalt, piles of earth, salvage materials, abandoned or discarded
furniture, appliances or other household fixtures.
12. All construction sites shall be maintained in a secure, safe, neat and orderly
manner, to the satisfaction of the City's Building Official. All construction waste and
debris resulting from a construction, alteration or repair project shall be removed
on a weekly basis by the contractor or property owner. Existing or temporary
portable bathrooms shall be provided during construction. Portable bathrooms
shall be placed in a location that will minimize disturbance to the surrounding
property owners, to the satisfaction of the City's Building Official.
13. Construction projects that are accessible from a street right-of-way or an abutting
property and which remain in operation or expect to remain in operation for over
30 calendar days shall provide temporary construction fencing, as defined in
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RPVMC §17.56.050(C). Unless required to protect against a safety hazard,
temporary construction fencing shall not be erected sooner than 15 days prior to
commencement of construction.
14. Permitted hours and days for construction activity are 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday
through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, with no construction activity
permitted on Sundays or on the legal holidays specified in RPVMC §17.96.920.
During demolition, construction and/or grading operations, trucks shall not park,
queue and/or idle at the project site or in the adjoining street rights-of-way before
7:00 AM Monday through Friday and before 9:00 AM on Saturday, in accordance
with the permitted hours of construction stated in this condition. When feasible to
do so, the construction contractor shall provide staging areas on-site to minimize
off- site transportation of heavy construction equipment. These areas shall be
located to maximize the distance between staging activities and neighboring
properties, subject to approval by the Building Official.
15. For all grading, landscaping and construction activities, the Applicant shall employ
effective dust control techniques, either through screening and/or watering.
General Sign Requirements:
16. All new signs shall comply with the Sign Program for the property currently identified
as "Western Plaza" on existing onsite signage and identified as "Rancho Palos
Verdes Retail Center" on the Sign Program document, and as well as Chapter 17.75
(Sign Code) of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code.
17. Any change in the shopping center name shall require a Sign Permit to be
submitted and processed by the City's Community Development Department.
18. Prior to the installation of any sign, individual tenants shall obtain approval of a
sign permit for individual signs from the Planning Division, to ensure that the sign
complies with the approved Sign Program and shall also obtain building
g and
electrical permits from the Building and Safety Division.
19. A list of tenants with updates and amendments as they occur shall be provided to the
City's Community Development Department in a timely manner as a part of any tenant
improvement permit process.
20. The approval of any illuminated sign shall not be final until 30 days after installation,
during which period the Director may order the dimming of any illumination found to
be excessively brilliant and no sign permit shall be valid until such order has been
carried out to an extent satisfactory to the director. Illumination shall be considered
excessive when it prevents normal perception of objects or buildings beyond or in the
vicinity of the sign.
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