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Council to rescind permit for University Town Center neon sign

Judge Timothy Taylor nails staff for double standard.

Photo from vimeo.com
Photo from vimeo.com

On Tuesday, city councilmembers will rescind a permit granted to shopping mall conglomerate Westfield Group to hang a 672-square-foot neon sign at Westfield's UTC Shopping Mall.

City staff as well as city councilmembers granted the permit despite complaints that the City had failed to give the public proper notice of the proposal to install the massive sign, nearly double the size allowed for in the City's sign ordinance. Lobbyists hired by the Westfield Group spent months lobbying city councilmembers to approve amending the sign ordinance to make room for the massive sign as well as a number of hours convincing council to deny the subsequent appeal from some residents. Their work paid off when council signed off on the sign in March 2013.

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Shortly after, attorney Cory Briggs representing San Diegans for Open Government challenged council's approval.

"The project has the potential to cause significant direct, indirect, or cumulative adverse impacts on the environment, including, among other things, aesthetic impacts, traffic impacts, and inconsistencies with Respondents' land use policies and regulations," Briggs claimed in the lawsuit.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor agreed. In his final decision, issued on November 5, 2013, Taylor nailed city staff and elected officials for using a double standard in regards to the public notice.

"The City properly insists on exacting compliance with deadlines when it is the beneficiary of them. The public has the right to expect that the City will show equal respect for timing deadlines when it is the party burdened by them."

Now, four months after Taylor's decision, city council will settle the issue once and for all.

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Photo from vimeo.com
Photo from vimeo.com

On Tuesday, city councilmembers will rescind a permit granted to shopping mall conglomerate Westfield Group to hang a 672-square-foot neon sign at Westfield's UTC Shopping Mall.

City staff as well as city councilmembers granted the permit despite complaints that the City had failed to give the public proper notice of the proposal to install the massive sign, nearly double the size allowed for in the City's sign ordinance. Lobbyists hired by the Westfield Group spent months lobbying city councilmembers to approve amending the sign ordinance to make room for the massive sign as well as a number of hours convincing council to deny the subsequent appeal from some residents. Their work paid off when council signed off on the sign in March 2013.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Shortly after, attorney Cory Briggs representing San Diegans for Open Government challenged council's approval.

"The project has the potential to cause significant direct, indirect, or cumulative adverse impacts on the environment, including, among other things, aesthetic impacts, traffic impacts, and inconsistencies with Respondents' land use policies and regulations," Briggs claimed in the lawsuit.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor agreed. In his final decision, issued on November 5, 2013, Taylor nailed city staff and elected officials for using a double standard in regards to the public notice.

"The City properly insists on exacting compliance with deadlines when it is the beneficiary of them. The public has the right to expect that the City will show equal respect for timing deadlines when it is the party burdened by them."

Now, four months after Taylor's decision, city council will settle the issue once and for all.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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