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Lompoc commission OKs staff-level review for many sign programs
Summary
The Planning Commission voted to let city staff administratively review and approve routine shopping-center sign programs previously requiring Planning Commission sign-off, approving Resolution No. 100820-24 to streamline sign approvals and notify affected property owners.
The Lompoc Planning Commission voted Sept. 11 to allow city staff to review and approve most existing site-specific sign programs that formerly required Planning Commission approval, adopting Resolution No. 100820-24.
Planning staff presented AMND 2024-0002, a city-initiated amendment intended to remove the requirement that certain sign programs and site-specific sign conditions be returned to the Planning Commission. The staff presentation cited recent cases—such as a Tractor Supply sign at Mission Plaza Shopping Center and signage programs at center locations including the Foods Co/Walmart center and a Stillman’s Building in Old Town—as examples of programs that could be processed administratively going forward. “If approved…staff would be able to review and approve the program or sign consistent with the zoning code,” a staff presenter said in the record.
Commissioners asked whether the change would eliminate opportunities for appeals and whether new or larger signs that exceed code standards could still come before the commission. Staff answered that routine sign requests would be handled at the staff level, but applicants may still pursue appeals under the municipal code to the Planning Commission or City Council if they are dissatisfied, and proposals that require changes to the zoning code (for example, very large signs beyond code limits) would require a formal code amendment and higher-level review.
A commissioner noted that the amendment was initiated by staff after the Tractor Supply review and said staff would send letters to property owners informing them about the streamlined approach. The commission approved the resolution; the transcript records the motion passing, but an explicit roll-call of individual votes for this motion is not clearly recorded in the transcript.
The action is intended to speed routine sign approvals and provide staff-level consistency with the municipal zoning code. Staff told the commission it would notify property owners whose sites include legacy sign-program conditions and would include an explanation of the process and any exceptions.
Next steps: the resolution was adopted by the Planning Commission to enable administrative processing; affected property owners will be notified and staff will implement the streamlined review under the zoning code.
