Council delays decision on Boulder Inn sign

The sign at Boulder Inn and Suites, on Nevada Way at Date Street, is bigger than the city’s ordinance allows. The city will hold workshops next month to get input on how to refine its rules for business signs.

By Cassie Tomlin

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 | 11:37 p.m.

The City Council Tuesday night postponed deciding the fate of the large sign hanging at Boulder Inn and Suites.

The council voted unanimously to discuss the advertising sign, which exceeds the city's size standards, after getting input from two planned city workshops to refine its sign code.

The first public workshop is Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Los Angeles Water and Power Building, 600 Nevada Way. The second is March 18 at 5 p.m. in City Hall, 401 California Ave., before that night's Planning Commission meeting. The city invited business owners and citizens to suggest changes to its sign rules, which aren't clear.

Bret Caruso, who owns Boulder Inn and Suites at 704 Nevada Way, Tuesday night asked the council to overrule the Planning Commission's January decision to ask him to remove the large banner.

Caruso had asked the commission to grant a variance for his nearly 400 square-foot sign, which exceeds the 50 square-foot size limit.

The sign, which hangs on the east-facing wall of the three-story hotel, advertises rooms and displays the hotel's pool.

Caruso said he would attend the city's sign workshops.

"There may be a compromise that comes out of these meetings," Councilman Mike Pacini said.

Last year, the city denied Caruso a permit for the sign because of its excessive size. He had applied for the permit retroactively.

Caruso gave the city a list of 20 other signs that violate city rules, and the city decided to refine the ordinance to reflect what is now commonly accepted.

Cassie Tomlin can be reached at 948-2073 or cassie.tomlin@hbcpub.com.