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Planning commission unanimously approves electronic message sign for Living Waters Church
Summary
The Chino Valley Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Oct. 7 to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for a freestanding electronic message center sign at Living Waters Church, subject to standard conditions and dark-sky lighting requirements.
The Chino Valley Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2025, to recommend that the Town Council approve conditional use permit CUP2025-03 for a freestanding electronic message center at Living Waters Church, 718 S. State Route 89.
Senior Planner Jessica Verrigan, Development Services Department, presented the application on behalf of applicant Christie Saenz and said the request met the Unified Development Ordinance requirements. "Before you this evening is a request for conditional use permit, as, Chair stated, for an electronic message center, or EMC for short," Verrigan said. She told commissioners the sign location shown on the site plan meets the required minimum six-foot separation from the property line abutting State Route 89 and that the property is zoned Commercial Light, which allows churches.
Verrigan said the proposed sign would be about 13 feet tall with an eight-foot minimum clearance from ground to the bottom of the panel, and that the applicant committed to dark-sky–compatible features provided by the manufacturer. Those features, Verrigan said, include preset brightness levels that are not user adjustable, automatic dimming using ambient light sensors, a default freeze mode to stop displays in a malfunction, six-second message rotations, no flashing, and weather-resistant construction. Staff also reported that all properties within a 500-foot radius were notified for a neighborhood meeting held Aug. 28; no members of the neighborhood attended.
The commission opened a three-minute public comment period for the item; no members of the public addressed the permit. A commissioner moved to approve the permit as presented; another commissioner seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. (The transcript records a unanimous vote but does not list individual yes/no votes by name.)
Staff noted the permit includes a one-year time limit to commence construction but no expiration for the installed sign, and commissioners discussed that it is standard practice not to set a fixed removal date once the infrastructure is installed. Verrigan indicated final conditions of approval are listed in Attachment A of the staff packet and recommended the commission forward the application to the Town Council with a recommendation of approval.
No appeals, amendments or additional conditions were recorded during the meeting. The property owner was present and had no further comments when offered an opportunity to speak.
The commission moved on to information items following the vote; the council will receive the commission’s recommendation at a later meeting.
