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Planning commission recommends approval of Blue Agave illuminated signs, urges council to consider hours limit
Summary
The City of Victoria Planning Commission voted to recommend City Council approve a conditional use permit for two internally illuminated 94-sq-ft signs for Blue Agave at 7980 Rose Street, subject to staff conditions; commissioners asked the council to consider limiting hours of illumination.
The City of Victoria Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council approve a conditional use permit for two internally illuminated commercial signs for the Blue Agave restaurant at 7980 Rose Street.
Associate Planner Travis Bryley told commissioners the application was deemed complete on Feb. 27, giving the city a 60-day review window that runs to April 28, and that public notice was posted in the Wakona Patriot on March 5 and mailed to properties within 350 feet of the site. Bryley said the proposal calls for two internally lit signs of about 94 square feet each and that staff received one phone comment today opposed to illuminated signage because it “detracts from the cleanliness of downtown.”
Bryley described proposed conditions the planning commission can recommend to council: illumination that is not plainly visible on the sidewalk, no exterior projection lighting methods, prohibition on moving or color-changing displays, routine maintenance obligations and a requirement to record the conditional use permit with the county within 180 days before a permit for installation is issued. Bryley said the intent is “one solid glow more or less,” rather than dynamic or attention-seeking lighting.
No one spoke in chambers during the public hearing. During deliberations commissioners discussed whether to add a time limit on illumination—several commissioners suggested limiting operating hours (for example, allowing illumination only up to about an hour after business closing) to preserve downtown character and to avoid potential driver distractions along Highway 5. Commissioners also raised enforcement questions: the current code does not set a numeric brightness cap for internally lit signs, so staff recommended relying on nuisance/hazard language and clear permit conditions to address excessive intensity.
A motion to recommend approval to the City Council, subject to the staff-recommended conditions and with a recommendation that the council consider limits on hours of use, was seconded and carried with no recorded opposition. The matter will next appear before the City of Victoria City Council.
