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FOR BOARD ACTION
JANUARY 13, 2014
556 – 560 Center Street – Massage Envy Spa
Consider Design Review (DRB 25-13) to install a halo illuminated canopy
sign on the east elevation of an existing building. (CC, BH)
I.
Application Basics
A. Zoning Permits Required:
· Design Review, under Moraga Municipal Code (MMC) Section 8.88.110-B
(Letters—Lights), 8.132.040-A(4) (Scenic Corridors), exceptions from Rheem
Center Uniform Sign Program for font type and font size.
B. CEQA Determination: Categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301 of the
CEQA Guidelines (“Class 1, Existing Facilities”)
C. Parties Involved:
·
Arrow Sign Company, 1051 46th Ave., Oakland, CA 94601
Applicant
· Business Owner Laura Lott, 1503 Central Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
· Property Owner
PK I Rheem Valley, LP, 3333 New Hyde Park Road, Suite
100, New Hyde Park, NY, 11042
Table 1: Project Chronology
Date
Action
November 13, 2013
Application submitted
December 12, 2013
Application deemed complete
December 23, 2013
Public meeting notices mailed/posted
January 13, 2014
Design Review Board meeting
February 10, 2014
PSA deadline
1
1. Project must be heard, approved or denied within 60 days after being deemed complete if exempt from
CEQA, or 60 days after adoption of a negative declaration, or 180 days after adoption of an EIR (Govt.
Code Section 65950).
329 Rheem Boulevard  Moraga, CA 94556  (925) 888-7040  planning@moraga.ca.us  www.moraga.ca.us
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
January 13, 2014
556 – 560 CENTER STREET
Page 2 of 6
Table 2: Special Characteristics
Characteristic
Scenic Corridor
Lighting
Applies to
Project?
Yes
Yes
Explanation
Project site is within 500-feet of Moraga Rd.
Application proposes ‘halo’ indirect lighted wall sign
Figure 1: Vicinity Map
Project Site
II.
Project Setting
A. Neighborhood/Area Description:
The project site is located within the Rheem Shopping Center. The shopping center
is designed with the majority of the businesses having storefronts on the interior
roadway, Center Street. The parking lots are located to the east between Center
Street and Moraga Road. Non-major shopping center tenants fronting on Center
Street have their business name in gold and white lettering on a green fascia board
mounted on a decorative wood canopy which extends across all of the tenant
spaces. Some of the tenants, such as Nation’s and Tangleo’s, have halo lit signs.
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
January 13, 2014
556 – 560 CENTER STREET
Page 3 of 6
Most non-major tenants have one sign on the fascia board, except for Nation’s and
Little Hardy Noodle, which occupy corner spaces with one sign on each frontage.
Additionally, some businesses also have window signs and shingle signs mounted
on the underside of the wood canopy
B. Site Conditions:
The project site consists of three consolidated tenant spaces, totaling approximately
54 feet of linear frontage, located between Moraga Jewelers and a vacant space
adjacent to the Dollar Tree in an attached building on Center Street. The “L”-shape
includes the southernmost building facade which is approximately 14 feet long, the
building then steps back (west) approximately 22 feet from Center Street to a third
northernmost frontage which is approximately 39 feet long. The total linear frontage
along Center Street is approximately 54 feet. The building is single story and made
of cinder block, with a decorative wood canopy covering the walkway that is
supported by wood columns. Mounted on the front of the canopy is green fascia
board that extends across all the attached tenant spaces. The storefront is
comprised of display windows and three front doors. The Planning Department
recently approved tenant improvements which include placing a white film over the
existing windows and new walls behind the windows along the southernmost 14 foot
frontage and 22 foot step back to allow privacy for the massage rooms. The lobby
will be on the remaining 39 foot frontage with the proposed sign above.
Figure 2: View of Site, Current
Approximate sign location
Frontage Area
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
January 13, 2014
556 – 560 CENTER STREET
Page 4 of 6
III. Project Description
The applicant proposes to install a new canopy sign on the shopping center fascia
board. The sign would be made of individual raised letters that would read ‘Massage
Envy ~ Spa’ on a single line of copy. The proposed sign would use letters ranging in
size from 18 inches to 10 inches in height. The sign would measure 14 feet 7 3/8 inches
in length and the total sign area would be approximately 22 square feet. The letters
would extend 4 1/2 inches from the fascia board, with a sign depth of three inches
mounted on 1 1/2 inch standoffs. The letters would be made of aluminum and painted
‘brilliant gold #286-400, satin’ on the face and sides. The sign would be halo illuminated
with light-emitting diodes (LED) strips mounted inside the channel letters. The LEDs
would illuminate the fascia board behind the sign to create the halo lighting effect.
IV. Community Discussion
The public meeting notice was mailed to 30 property owners within a 500-foot radius of
the site and posted near the site on December 23, 2013. The Planning Department did
not receive any written correspondence regarding the project.
V. Issues and Analysis
A. Key Issues: Staff reviewed the project for conformance with the Moraga Municipal
Code (MMC), General Plan, and Design Guidelines. A summary and analysis of the
Municipal Code standards and Design Guidelines that are applicable to the project is
provided in Attachment B.
1. General Sign Regulations: The proposed signs conform to the size, height,
location, projection and lettering composition requirements of the Sign Ordinance
in the Municipal Code. The proposed sign would be illuminated with LEDs in a
halo style. The LEDs would be mounted on the back of the raised letters. The
level of illumination for the halo lighting would be required, as a condition of
approval, not to exceed 5 foot-candles at 10 feet of distance.
2. Scenic Corridor: The proposed sign would not visually dominate the existing
landforms or vegetation on the scenic corridor because the sign would be
mounted on the existing fascia board approximately 425 feet from Moraga Road.
It would not extend above the building roofline or in front of any landscaping,
blocking views around the shopping center. Furthermore the proposed halo
lighting would be a subtle form of illumination that would not cause undue glare or
brightness that would detract from the appearance of the scenic corridor.
3. Design Guidelines: While the project conforms to the general design guidelines
for signs, it differs from the guidelines specific to the Rheem Shopping Center
uniform sign program. The Rheem Shopping Center uniform sign program
Section B.i and B.iv outlines the basic criteria for tenant identification canopy
signs and Halo lighting to be:
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
January 13, 2014
556 – 560 CENTER STREET
Page 5 of 6
•
Individual, raised, gold-leafed letters (8”, Century Schoolbook, medium type)
on the first line of copy.
•
White letters (4” Helvetica type) on the second line of copy, if any.
•
“Halo-type” lighted gold-leaf signs may be “back-lighted”.
•
All halo-type signs shall have a front setback of not less than 50 feet and shall
be subject to design review by the Design Review Board to assure design
compatibility with the use that the sign is identifying as well as neighboring
uses.
The proposed sign does not conform to two of the guidelines in the Rheem
Shopping Center uniform sign program:
(1) The individual letters would exceed the maximum allowed height and;
(2) The individual letters would be alternate fonts that are not Century
Schoolbook or Helvetica.
To be consistent with other similar smaller tenants in the shopping center, staff
recommends a maximum letter size of 12 inches. Reducing the individual letter
size to a maximum of 12 inches would be consistent with other non-major tenants
such as Nation’s, Tangelo’s and Great Clips. Additionally, the maximum of 12
inches in height for one line of text is consistent with the Rheem Design
Guidelines exhibit cited under sub-section “b-iv” shown in Attachment C.
For the font type, staff recommends that the applicant be allowed to use an
alternate font since the Massage Envy ~ Spa franchise uses the specific lettering
as their trademark. As a franchisee, use of the trademark is important to the
business identification. However, staff recommends that because ‘Massage Envy’
and ‘~ Spa’ use different fonts they should either (1) be placed on two separate
lines which would result in the individual letters in the first line being reduced to 8”
in height and on the second line 4” in height, or (2) ‘~ Spa’ be removed from the
sign, or (3) all letters in the sign be on one line and in one font. Staff has
researched ‘Massage Envy’ signs on the internet and found examples where the
word spa is either not included or located on a second line of copy.
Finally, the submitted plan sets shows the existing green fascia board with a blue
hue. While this may just be a printing discrepancy, condition of approval #12
requires maintaining the green fascia board.
B. General Plan Consistency: The 2002 General Plan contains the following
applicable policy:
1. Policy CD3.6 – Development Standards and Design Guidelines: Adopt
development standards and design guidelines for Scenic Corridors to control site
design and setbacks, landscaping, infrastructure locations, grading and signage.
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
January 13, 2014
556 – 560 CENTER STREET
Page 6 of 6
Staff Analysis: Standards set in the Sign Ordinance, Scenic Corridor Ordinance,
and Design Guidelines are applicable to the proposed sign. Signs play a key role
in identifying the locations of local business and creating an image for a business
and the Town. The proposed signage is consistent with the Sign Ordinance and
Scenic Corridor Ordinance, and substantially conforms to the Town’s Design
Guidelines, with the exception of the modification to the standard size and font
type of the Rheem Shopping Center to allow Massage Envy to utilize its
trademark font consistent with other approved signs within the shopping center
for corporate chain type stores.
VII. Recommendation
Due to the project’s consistency with the Zoning Ordinance and General Plan, and
minimal impact on surrounding properties, staff recommends that the Design Review
Board APPROVE the attached action memorandum to APPROVE Design Review Board
Sign Application DRB # 25-13 pursuant to Section Moraga Municipal Code (MMC)
Section 8.88.280 subject to findings and conditions of approval.
Attachments:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Draft Action Memo
Summary of Sign Ordinance and Design Guidelines Analysis
Rheem Shopping Center Uniform Sign Program
Project Plans
Sample Message Envy Signs
Staff Planner: Brian Horn, bhorn@moraga.ca.us, (925) 888-7044
Reviewed by: Shawna Brekke-Read, Planning Director
ATTACHMENT A
DRAFT ACTION
MEMORANDUM
Town of Moraga
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
329 RHEEM BOULEVARD
MORAGA, CA 94556
(925) 888-7040
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD ACTION MEMORANDUM
On January 13, 2014, the Town of Moraga Design Review Board considered the application
described below:
DRB #25-13 – Arrow Sign Company (Applicant), PK I Rheem Valley, LP
(Owner) 556 - 560 Center Street: Design Review to install a wall sign on the
east elevation of an existing building.
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD ACTION:
The DESIGN REVIEW BOARD hereby approves the wall sign in accordance with the
following findings and conditions:
PART 1: DESIGN REVIEW FINDINGS FOR SIGN:
In accordance with Moraga Municipal Code (MMC) Section 8.88.280, the following findings
must be made by the Design Review Board for approval of signs:
1. The sign has the same character and quality of design as the exterior architecture of
the property and area where it is located. The sign will utilize individual raised gold
lettering and backlit halo lighting consistent with the Rheem Shopping Center uniform
sign program. Although the sign will not use 8 inch high Century Schoolbook font, the
Design Review Board finds that the use of the trademark Massage Envy ~ Spa font is
necessary for proper business identification and would not have a negative impact on
the overall appearance of the shopping center.
2. The location of the sign will not impair the use of the property or conflict with the
visibility, location or arrangement of existing adjacent signs. The sign will be located on
the fascia board below the leading edge of the canopy that is provided by the shopping
center for business signage. The halo lighting will be backlit and restricted to a
maximum intensity of 5 foot candles at 10 feet distance, so it will not cause under glare
or interfere with adjacent signs. The tenant space is set back approximately 425 feet
from Moraga Road so it would not be visually dominant on the scenic corridor.
PART 2: CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL:
1.
The plans submitted for a building permit to install a wall sign at 556 - 560 Center Street
shall be substantially in accordance with the plans approved by the Design Review
Board on January 13, 2014 and this Design Review Board Action Memorandum. Any
Page 1 of 3 – Final Action Memorandum (File No. DRB 25-13)
significant changes to the plans will require re-submittal to the Design Review Board for
approval.
Conditions Shall be Printed on Plans
2.
The conditions of this approval shall be printed on the first sheet of each plan set
submitted for a building permit pursuant to this approval, under the title ‘Design Review
Board Conditions.’ The second sheet may also be used if the first sheet is not of
sufficient size to list all of the conditions. The sheet(s) containing the conditions shall be
of the same size as those sheets containing the construction drawings; 8-1/2” by 11”
sheets are not acceptable.
Applicant Responsible for Compliance with Conditions
3.
The applicant shall ensure compliance with all of the following conditions. Failure to
comply with any condition may result in construction being stopped, issuance of a
citation, and/or modification or revocation of the approval.
Subject to all Town and Other Regulations
4.
The approved signs are subject to, and shall comply with, all applicable Town
Ordinances and laws and regulations of other governmental agencies.
5.
The applicant shall apply for and pay all appropriate fees for building permits, plan
checks and inspections.
During Construction
6.
Construction hours shall be limited to the hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
Prior to Issuance of a Building Permit
7.
Prior to issuance of the building permit, the applicant shall submit plans detailing the
following, consistent with the Rheem Shopping Center uniform sign program:
a. Utilizing a single font type per line of copy
b. Maximum letter height of 12 inches, or for two lines of copy a maximum letter
height of 8 inches on the top line and a maximum letter height of 4 inches on
the second line.
At All Times
8.
The sign shall be maintained and kept in a safe and secure condition at all times.
9.
The sign shall be illuminated only during the hours of operation of the associated
business.
Page 2 of 3 – Final Action Memorandum (File No. DRB 25-13)
10. The intensity of the signs illumination shall not exceed five foot-candles of illumination
measured at ten (10) feet.
11. Exposed neon tube or LED signs are prohibited.
12. No changing of the green fascia board color is permitted.
13. Decorative product type signs used for purposes of interior design, such as informative
or decorative type signs, shall be erected only within the business establishment and
shall be located no closer than six (6) feet to an exterior window or open doorway.
14. This permit and each condition contained herein shall be binding upon applicant and any
transferor, or successor in interest.
15. If construction is not commenced within one year from the date of final action, the permit
becomes null and void. However, this discretionary action may be renewed by the
Planning Director for a maximum period of one year provided the applicant places such
a request in writing to the Planning Director showing good cause prior to the expiration
of the discretionary action.
Design Review Board action is appealable to the Planning Commission within 10 calendar
days after the date of the decision. Questions regarding the action of the Design Review
Board should be directed to the Town of Moraga Planning Department at (925) 888-7040.
__________________________
Shawna Brekke-Read
Planning Director
Page 3 of 3 – Final Action Memorandum (File No. DRB 25-13)
ATTACHMENT B
SUMMARY OF SIGN
ORDINANCE AND DESIGN
GUIDELINES CONFORMANCE
ANALYSIS
D e s i g n
R e v i e w
B o a r d
SGN # 25-13 Attachment B
General Sign Regulations: The following code regulations apply to the proposed signs:
MMC Regulation
Analysis
8.88.060 Area – General.
No sign may have an area exceeding two hundred
(200) square feet.
The proposed sign would not have areas exceeding
200 square feet. The sign would be 22 square feet in
size.
8.88.080 Area—Walls
A wall sign may not exceed ten percent of the wall's
area.
8.88.100 Location.
A sign shall be located only on the frontage of a
premise.
8.88.110 Letters – Lights.
A. No letter or character contained in a sign shall be
over four feet high.
B. Lighted signs require design review approval and
the intensity shall not exceed five foot-candles of
illumination measured at ten (10) feet.
8.88.120 Projections – Heights.
A. No part of a sign may project above the roof line or
ridge line of the building to which it is attached.
B. A sign shall not project more than one foot
horizontally from a building.
D. A sign on a wall shall not extend higher than fifteen
(15) feet above the ground.
The tenant space in an ‘L’ shape with approximately 54
feet of linear frontage on Center Street. The front of the
tenant space is 195 square feet in area (11 feet high by
54 feet wide). The sign would be 22 square feet, which
is less than 59.4 square feet, which would be
proportionally ten percent of the total wall frontage.
The proposed sign would be located on the frontage of
the premise (east side of the building) facing across the
parking lots towards Moraga Road.
The proposed sign letters would be a maximum of 12
inches in height. The sign is proposing halo
illumination, which would be required to be less than 5
foot candles at ten feet in intensity by the condition of
approval #9.
The proposed sign would be on the fascia board and
would not project above the roofline of the building.
The proposed sign would project a total of four and a
half inches horizontally from the building. The sign
would be mounted on the fascia board which is 15 feet
above the ground.
Scenic Corridor: The proposed signs are subject to the applicable guidelines under MMC
Section 8.132.050-B because they are within the Moraga Road scenic corridor:
Guideline
4: Each structure or feature reviewable under this
chapter shall be limited to scale and siting to reduce
visual dominance or obstruction of existing landforms,
vegetation, water bodies and adjoining structures.
Analysis
The sign mounted on the existing fascia board of the
shopping center would not obstruct views of landforms
or vegetation because it would be incorporated into the
existing shopping center space. The proposed halo
556 – 560 CENTER STREET
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
Page 2 of 3
January 13, 2014
Guideline
Analysis
illumination is a more subtle form of sign lighting and
would not be visually dominant because it is
approximately 425 feet from Moraga Road.
5: Each structure shall be constructed, painted and
maintained and all planted material shall be planted
and maintained to complement and enhance scenic
views and the natural landscape.
The sign would be manufactured and installed by
Arrow Sign Company and maintained by the business
owner. Condition #8 requires year round maintenance
of the sign in a safe and secure condition.
7: Lighting shall be compatible in type, style and
intensity to the surrounding elements and not cause
undue or aggravating disruption, glare and brightness.
The proposed halo lighting would reflect off of the
green background of the fascia board and should not
cause undue glare or brightness.
Design Guidelines: The following design guidelines apply to the proposed signs:
Design Guideline
CC3 Signs
CC3.1: All signs should be related to their
surroundings in terms of size, shape, color, texture,
and lighting so that they are complimentary to the
overall design and not in competition with other signs
in the area.
Analysis
The size of the sign would be comparable to other
area businesses. While the letters would be larger than
the 8 inches standard in the shopping center, there
would only be one line of text so it would still fit within
the fascia board space for a minor tenant. Additionally,
Massage Envy ~ Spa is consolidating three tenant
spaces into one thereby resulting in less total signage.
The text Massage Envy ~ Spa’ is the franchise
trademark, so the style and font would not be the hand
carved Century Schoolbook, however the color would
match the gold of other tenants as required by
condition # 7.
CC3.2 Signs should be subtle and unobtrusive,
conveying their message in a clear and legible
fashion, and should be vandal-and weather-resistant.
The proposed aluminum letters would be durable and
the single line of copy that is a maximum 12 inches in
height would be legible from Center Street and the
parking lots.
CC3.4 Lighted signs, whether internally or externally
illuminated, should be avoided, except where found to
be necessary for location or identification, or as
otherwise deemed appropriate by these guidelines.
The proposed sign would be backlit in a halo style.
The location is far from the roadway and the halo
illumination will make the small storefront easily
identifiable to customers in the evening.
CC3.6 All lighted accessory signs (primarily business
identification signs) whether or not neon, shall be
submitted to the Design Review Board for approval
and shall be in conformity with any approved sign and
design policy for the center, building complex or area.
The uniform sign program for the Rheem Shopping
Center allows for Design Review Board approval of
halo lit signs so long as they are set back 50 feet or
more. The proposed sign is set back approximately
425 feet from Moraga Road and is being reviewed per
this application.
File:
556 – 560 CENTER STREET
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
Page 3 of 3
January 13, 2014
Design Guideline
Analysis
CC3.7 Exposed neon tubing, whether for signing or
decoration, is not normally considered in good taste
for exterior display and is discouraged.
There are no exposed neon tubing proposed.
Condition #10 prohibits the display of exposed neon or
LED signs.
CC3.11 Tenant signs within the Rheem Shopping
Center shall follow a uniform signing program, in
accordance with these standards:
b) Signing for other than major tenants:
i) Basic criteria: The tenant identification on the
sign board provided below the leading edge of
the canopy and visible to the front of the
building will utilize individual, raised, nonilluminated gold-leafed letters (8”, Century
Schoolbook, medium type) on the first line of
copy and white letters (4” Helvetica type) on
the second copy, if any.
ii) Basic size: Thickness----4 inches; Height----14
inches; Width----36 inches.
iii) Although other shapes may differ from basic
dimensions, total area may not exceed five
square feet per side.
iv) Construction standards:
1) Constructed of laminated, vertical, 2”x4”
clear, kiln-dried redwood
2) Reinforced with two 3/8” threaded steel
rods
3) 3” outside borders sandblasted
4) Copy, border bank, logo art, etc. raised
with background hand carved out one full
inch
5) Sandblasted borders sealed with clear
sealer
6) Background area sealed with two coats of
semi-gloss Varathane
7) Border band flat white
v) “Halo-type” lighted gold-leaf signs may be
“back-lighted” in accordance with official
exhibit approved by the Planning Commission
on 4/19/82 and attached to Resolution 49-81.
All halo-type signs shall have a front setback
of not less than 50 feet and shall be subject to
design review by the Design Review Board to
assure design compatibility with the use that
the sign is identifying as well as neighboring
uses.
The proposed sign is for tenant identification and
would be on the sign board provided below the leading
edge of the canopy and visible to the front of the
building. The sign would utilize individual raised letters.
The sign would differ from the guidelines in that the
sign would not use the carved sandblasted Century
Schoolbook font because the Massage Envy ~ Spa
franchise uses a specific lettering as their trademark,
and the business, as a franchisee, is required to use
this trademark for their business identification. The
sign would be painted Brilliant Gold #286-400, satin
and in the trademark Massage Envy ~ Spa font. The
letters would be required to match the colors of the
Rheem Shopping Center per condition #7. This
modification of font in the design would allow for the
use of the trademark, while remaining within the color
scheme and placement standards of the shopping
center. Similarly, other franchises, such as Nations
and Subway, have used their trademarks within the
Rheem Shopping Center.
File:
The halo lighting would be backlit in conformance to
the Rheem Shopping Center uniform sign program.
The tenant space is set back approximately 425 feet
from Moraga Road so it would not be visually
dominant. The halo lighting would be appropriate for
massage and spa services which operate into the
evening.
ATTACHMENT C
RHEEM SHOPPING CENTER
UNIFORM SIGN PROGRAM
ATTACHMENT D
PROJECT PLANS
ATTACHMENT E
SAMPLE SIGNS