Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sign Permit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves Chase Bank sign updates at 501 Broadway; reduces total sign area
Summary
The commission approved a sign permit allowing Chase Bank to replace and resize signage at its downtown Sonoma location, removing several directional signs and converting older fixtures to LED while keeping overall illumination levels comparable.
The Sonoma City Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission approved a sign permit for Chase Bank at 501 Broadway on Jan. 14, authorizing replacement and resizing of on-site signage and approving categorical exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, sections 15301 and 15311.
Staff reported the site sits in the downtown planning area and comprises about 0.55 acres with two commercial storefronts and a shared rear parking lot. The existing sign inventory totals 26 signs with an aggregate area of 65.75 square feet; the proposed package reduces the count to 22 signs and lowers aggregate area to 50.5 square feet while enlarging two primary wall signs along Broadway and West Napa Street slightly.
David Ford, representing the sign contractor, told the commission the work is mainly a replacement of existing signs — "it's basically a replacement package for Chase" — and that older neon fixtures are being converted to LED. Ford said the change is driven by energy-efficiency and reliability: "if they were neon signs, now it's gonna be LEDs, which are more energy efficient, less repairs," and he added, "the brightness of the signs will be the same."
Staff noted informational plaques at the entry previously exceeded exemption sizes and will be reduced (from about 20 inches by 24 inches to 12 by 12 inches, one square foot each). Several directional signs will be removed entirely; staff advised on sign-count limits and clarified that even non-branding informational signs over one square foot are counted toward permit limits.
Commissioners characterized the proposal as straightforward and largely an improvement; there were no public comments. The commission approved the permit by unanimous roll call.
The approval includes the CEQA categorical exemptions cited by staff. The planning department will finalize permit documents and conditions of approval, and the applicant may proceed with permitted sign changes subject to building and electrical permits as required.
