Westminster planning commission backs ban on foam, 3D-printed and cut acrylic storefront letters

The Westminster Planning Commission on Dec. 17 unanimously recommended that the City Council approve a zoning text amendment that would ban foam, 3D‑printed and cut acrylic letters and clarify rules for wall signs and storefront transparency.

Ken Fitzelman, principal planner for the city, presented the staff proposal for Case 2025‑0237. "This amendment would add foam, 3 d printed and cut acrylic signage as prohibited sign types," Fitzelman said, explaining that the city’s building and code‑enforcement staff had found those signs difficult to regulate and prone to deterioration.

Fitzelman told commissioners the prohibited types are lightweight letters and faces that are typically stuck to building façades without a building permit. He said the letters can fall off, often taking paint with them, and that foam and some 3D‑printed materials weather poorly. To provide a measurable standard for storefronts, staff proposed defining transparency as 50 percent light transmittance, which Fitzelman described as an industry standard and one that can be verified with low‑cost tools.

The amendment would also correct an erroneous reference to a non-existent "Table B" in the existing code and set an explicit maximum area for wall signs of 1.5 square feet per lineal foot of building or tenant frontage (for example, a 20‑foot storefront could have a 30‑square‑foot sign). Fitzelman said that metal channel letters or box signs that require permits would remain allowed and are easier for the city to regulate.

Commissioners asked about sign illumination and bright interior lighting visible through storefronts. One commissioner described window installations with intense white lighting and chrome frames and asked whether the code currently addresses that type of illumination. Fitzelman said illumination limits are set by zone and that staff would review other code sections and the full sign‑code update for opportunities to regulate interior lighting that affects the public realm.

Commissioner Tran raised concerns about small businesses for which simple acrylic lettering is a lower‑cost option. "For the small business that just wanna... the previous acrylic sign, those are cheaper method of doing things," Tran said, asking whether new permit requirements would create a financial burden. Fitzelman answered that the proposed prohibition would mainly affect industrial and semi‑industrial buildings where letters tend to peel and that many retail centers already use box signs or channel letters, which are less expensive to update through an existing cabinet face change.

Because there were no members of the public in attendance, the commission opened and immediately closed the public hearing after reading the public‑comment rules. Commissioner Wolpert moved to approve the staff recommendation; Chair Hamadi seconded. The commission recorded unanimous affirmative roll‑call votes and carried a resolution recommending that the City Council adopt the zoning text amendment.

The commission’s action sends Case 2025‑0237 to the Westminster City Council for consideration. Staff said the amendment is not a project under CEQA and that a comprehensive sign‑code update is already underway for next year.

The meeting concluded with commissioners offering holiday thanks and well wishes before adjourning.