Walnut Creek study session restarts sign-code update; working group volunteers named

Walnut Creek City officials and consultants presented a restart of the city's sign-regulation update at a joint study session of the Planning Commission and Design Review Commission on Jan. 30, 2025, and solicited feedback on zoning-, design- and equity-related questions. The meeting concluded with commissioners volunteering to serve on a project working group.

The update is meant to modernize the city's sign standards and design guidelines, which staff and the consultant team said began in 2019 and were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Erica Vanenbrandt, Walnut Creek City Community Development Director and project manager, said, "It's our intention to be able to use this process ... to ultimately have a sign set of sign regulations that are congruent with what modern day signage requirements ... might be and for its usage for a variety of needs, but also to have it be congruent with the community." The consultant team from Minteer Harnish described the effort as a restart of that earlier work and said it will be guided by input from commissioners, the business community and the public.

The cons…