Design Review Commission approves Alpine Square master sign program, grants CEQA exemption

The Walnut Creek Design Review Commission on June 18 approved a new master sign program for Alpine Square, a commercial property at 1777 Patella Drive, and voted to find the proposal exempt from environmental review under the city's existing-facilities CEQA exemption.

The commission's unanimous vote followed a staff recommendation to adopt the draft resolution approving the master sign program for project number Y25009. The vote tally was three yes, zero no, and zero abstentions; the three commissioners voting in favor were Commissioner Case, Vice Chair Reising and the chair (recorded in the meeting transcript as Chair Nystuen). The motion and second were recorded in the meeting minutes; the mover and seconder were not specified in the transcript.

Staff presentation and key findings Steven Cook, assistant planner with the Walnut Creek Community Development Department, told the commission the subject property is "approximately 1.5 acres in size" and is developed with an existing three-story commercial office building of roughly 100,000 square feet. Cook said the proposed master sign program updates the design of existing signage and introduces two new sign types while retaining four existing tenant wall signs unchanged.

The proposed new elements include: - a redesigned site identification sign (15 square feet, non-illuminated); - redesigned entry door decals (11 square feet) showing building name and site address; - a consolidated garage wayfinding sign (12 square feet, non-illuminated); - two freeway-facing skyline signs (each up to 80 square feet and proposed more than 25 feet above ground), which staff said require an exception to the sign ordinance because they exceed certain size and height thresholds.

Cook said the sign subcommittee recommended removing an initially proposed freeway skyline location and asked that the site identification sign include the full street address; the applicant revised the master sign program to incorporate those subcommittee recommendations.

CEQA and ordinance findings Staff recommended the commission determine the project is exempt from CEQA under Walnut Creek Municipal Code section 15.3.01 (existing facilities). Because the proposed skyline signs exceed the city's standard findings for skyline signage, the skyline signs were identified in staff materials as requiring an exception to the sign ordinance; staff compared the request to prior skyline sign approvals in Walnut Creek's Golden Triangle and downtown areas.

Commission and public comment There was no public comment on the sign program at the meeting. Commissioners asked few questions; one commissioner said the sign subcommittee's recommendations had been addressed in the revised program.

Formal action and next steps The commission moved to adopt the staff recommendation, finding the project exempt from CEQA per section 15.3.01 and approving the draft resolution adopting the new master sign program for Alpine Square (project Y25009), subject to the written conditions of approval included in staff materials. The commission recorded a 3-0 vote in favor.

As a design review body, the commission's action addresses the master sign program; the approval does not alter land-use entitlements or environmental review beyond the CEQA exemption finding recorded at the meeting.