San Carlos commission approves new sign program for Honda San Carlos at 268 Industrial Road

The San Carlos Planning and Transportation Commission voted Aug. 18, 2025, to approve a design-review sign program for Honda San Carlos at 268 Industrial Road (APN 046052330), allowing the dealer a consolidated sign plan that includes three wall signs and a monument sign facing Industrial Road.

Emma Goldsmith, associate contract planner for the City of San Carlos, presented the application and staff recommendation. Goldsmith said the site is about 88,000 square feet with approximately 23,000 square feet of tenant frontage. The applicant requested roughly 198 square feet of signage; staff calculations indicate the site could be permitted up to about 289 square feet under frontage-based calculations, but a staff processing cap of 150 square feet means the project required a sign program and review by the commission. Goldsmith also said the project is exempt from environmental review under California Environmental Quality Act Section 15301, which covers existing commercial tenant signage.

Goldsmith introduced the applicant team by name: Kent Putnam (Honda San Carlos, listed as applicant), Andre Kaminski (property owner representative), Adam Sandell (permitting team representative with McDevitt Construction) and Alan Cross (architect). Sandell spoke briefly and said he had nothing further beyond the staff presentation and was available for questions.

Commissioner Anand asked whether the larger signage and internal LED illumination had been studied for light-pollution or pedestrian safety impacts; Goldsmith said no separate illumination study had been conducted but that the existing monument sign had been reviewed previously for sight-line impacts and that staff reviewed wall-sign clearances for pedestrian safety. Lisa Costa Sanders, principal planner, said aesthetics and proportionality to the larger building were central to the staff recommendation and noted dealerships contribute sales tax revenue that the city supports.

Goldsmith noted the existing monument sign is 13 feet tall and is legal nonconforming because current code allows monument signs up to 8 feet; staff added a condition requiring any future change to the monument sign to comply with the current code. Commissioners asked about grandfathering and whether the previous variance that allowed larger signage at the dealer's prior site carried over; Goldsmith explained the prior variance addressed a different lot layout while sign programs are discretionary and assessed based on site size, facade upgrades and director/commission discretion.

After commissioners asked questions and no members of the public spoke, Chair Clemens moved adoption of the resolution approving the design review; the motion received a second and passed by unanimous roll call. The commission set the appeal deadline at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025.

The commission’s action is appealable to the City Council within the stated 10-day deadline. The commission noted conditions of approval in the staff report, including that any future modifications to the monument sign must comply with current code.