During last night’s Yucca Valley Planning Commission meeting, the Commissioners reviewed the Black Bear Diner sign permit on the south elevation of the existing commercial building at 57084 Twentynine Palms Highway.
The owners of the Black Bear Diner requested attaching their sign to the same area where the old Sizzler sign went. Because the code was written after that building was built, the regulation had to be reexamined to accommodate the request. Town staff showed slides of different roof types and clarified what followed the current code and what did not. The Commissioners voted to approve the permit.
Then, the Commissioners had a deeper discussion of the sign code, discussing older signage, abandoned signs, and whether it was appropriate to incorporate an amortization schedule, which would put a time limit on how long signage could remain up. Deputy Town Manager Shane Stueckle said the Town would address each sign permit project by project. In addition, the Commissioners suggested discussing assigning historic designation to some of the older signs.
Commissioner Mathew Thomas raised the question of reworking code definitions to include modern architecture. Stueckle said there will always be something that doesn’t fit into the box, and each situation will be addressed as a sign code amendment or sign package.
During the Land Development Update Report, Staff reported Starbucks is working through the Plan submittal process and traffic analyses. The Lomita Bungalow Motel revision has been submitted. Star Café is in the building plan check process. Wine and Rock submitted a revised site plan. Quick Quack is in construction, and Chipotle has submitted a building permit for a shell structure. Travel Lodge/Auto Camp has submitted plans to change a load-bearing wall and put in a beam.
Available STVR permits are holding at 65.
And finally, there has yet to be a current update on the Western Joshua Tree.
