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Showoff Motorsports cleared to expand in Escalon with façade and larger signage
Summary
The Escalon Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit amendment allowing Showoff Motorsports to occupy a 9,800-square-foot building at 2043 Jackson Avenue, update the façade and allow larger wall signage subject to municipal illumination and other conditions; the approval also preserved compliance requirements for any future powder-coating operations.
The Escalon Planning Commission voted to approve a conditional use permit amendment allowing Showoff Motorsports to expand into an existing approximately 9,800-square-foot commercial building at 2043 Jackson Avenue and to update the façade and wall signage.
City planning staff told the commission the amendment would allow the business to occupy a vacant building along Highway 120, repaint the façade matte black with accent LED roofline lighting, and install larger wall lettering. Staff said the proposal includes the option to add powder-coating operations at a later date but that the activity is not proposed immediately; staff emphasized that any coating or mechanical work would be required to occur entirely within the enclosed building. The project qualifies for a Class 1 CEQA exemption for existing facilities, staff said.
Commissioners questioned the applicant about signage size and orientation. The applicant said they considered a perpendicular sign to improve visibility from Highway 120 but that budget constraints made a single large wall sign the preferred option; staff confirmed a preexisting monument sign on the site fronts Highway 120 and that the wall sign required planning commission approval. Commissioners and staff discussed brightness and conversions between measurement units; staff noted the sign company had been given the municipal brightness standard in the plans and would ensure the wall signage does not exceed the city's maximum (150 foot-lamberts) and complies with illumination rules.
The applicant described business operations at their Ripon location, said future powder-coating would be small-scale and use modern curing methods (such as UV or LED ovens) that avoid older gas-fired ovens, and told commissioners the expansion would likely add sales staff but would not increase noisy weekend activity. A commissioner asked about parking and traffic; staff said the building's previously designated retail parking would be adequate for the proposed use.
A commissioner moved to approve the conditional use permit amendment, make the required findings under the municipal code, find the project exempt under CEQA Class 1 (existing facilities), and authorize staff to file a notice of exemption. The motion was seconded and carried. The transcript does not contain a full roll-call vote tally in the record.
