A-frame signs approved for Balboa Village test
Balboa Village businesses are a step closer to being allowed to use A-frame signs to attract customers.
The Newport Beach City Council voted 6 to 0 without discussion Wednesday night to allow Balboa Village businesses to use the street-level mini-billboards to advertise daily specials and grab the attention of passersby. Councilwoman Leslie Daigle was absent.
Council members voted in October to lift a citywide ban on the signs for the commercial areas of Corona del Mar. At the time, Councilman Mike Henn asked city staff to bring forward a proposal that would allow Balboa Village businesses to test the signs for a year.
Provided the ordinance for Balboa Village passes its second reading Nov. 25, merchants will be able to post A-frame signs beginning Jan. 1 within 10 feet of the “primary entrance” of their businesses, as long as they’re at least 3 feet from other portable signs and don’t block doorways necessary to enter or exit a building, according to a city staff report.
Businesses will be allowed one sign that is not more than 48 inches tall or larger than 10 square feet. The signs also can’t have any attention-attracting devices attached, such as balloons or flags.
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Special Olympics
Newport Beach will serve as a host town for 100 athletes and coaches participating in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.
The city will provide lodging, food and training space for the three days before the opening ceremonies July 25. The event will showcase athletes from 177 countries.
The City Council voted to authorize up to $10,000 to participate as a host city.
A Newport Beach Host Town Organizing Committee is being assembled to include staff from the Recreation and Senior Services and police departments to help with planning and fundraising.
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Condominium development
Council members corrected a 4-year-old oversight that could have inadvertently allowed for condominium development on Balboa Island and Little Balboa Island.
The council voted to amend the city’s zoning code to again ban condominium development in those areas.
In June 1997, the city adopted a zoning amendment that prohibited new condominiums and conversions on residential portions of Balboa Island and Little Balboa Island. The ordinance was adopted out of concern that such development was inconsistent with the lot sizes and historical pattern of building projects there, according to a staff report.
When the zoning code was updated in 2010, the prohibition on condo development was accidentally omitted.
Uniforms
The City Council approved a three-year agreement with clothing brand Quiksilver for Junior Lifeguard uniforms at an annual cost of $181,095.