This is the second part
of a series about design standards for businesses along Valley Center
Road.
Signs & Fences
The County Dept. of Public Works is required to relocate on private
property, all signs and fences that the road widening disturbs—whether
or not existing signs and fences comply with the zoning code. Evidently,
DPW and Code Enforcement work independently. (This dashes the dreams
of many that the road widening would automatically eliminate the abundance
of code violations along VC Road—such as chain link fencing and
razor wire, and signs that are too-many, too-cluttered, too-big, too-tall,
and/or internally lit.)
Roadside signs and fences are as important as landscaping to the “feel”
of our community.
While Valley Center’s Design Guidelines leave plenty of room for
individual creativity, they also promote dimensions and materials for
signs and fences that have a rural flavor. The underlying big idea is
for the built environment to fit into and harmonize with the natural
environment. Generally, earth tones or secondary colors are preferred
to primary colors.
Fences, walls and gates along Valley Center Road should be constructed
of natural stone, wood, stucco, or wrought iron.
Long stretches of fence should be “broken up” by landscape
features—trees, shrubs, rock formations, or variations in topography.
Fences should not be more than 42 inches high, and walls less than 36
inches. Property developers will be asked to install lodge-pole fencing
along pedestrian pathways that abut their frontage as commercial and
residential properties are built, and remodelled.
Guidelines for signage are:
• Monument sign or a freestanding single pole hanging sign; limited
use of wall signs.
• Wood, with painted or raised letters or logos.
• Colors coordinated with buildings, limited to three, plus black
and white
• External lighting – projected & shielded.
• One sign per 250-feet of frontage; one additional sign for properties
with more than 250-feet of frontage.
• Properties with more than one establishment should consolidate
their signs into a common sign panel.
• Height limits: monument sign is 42–inches; pole sign is
10-foot pole with a panel at 8-feet.
• Area limits: monument sign Face is 18SF; pole sign face is 15SF;
wall sign is 10% of elevation area to a maximum of 100 square feet per
building
• Dimensional limits: Mon-ument Sign: Length is 6-feet; width
is 3.5 feet. pole sign: length is 4-feet, width is 4-feet.
Architectural Styles & Details
New building and extensive remodeling projects are required by the County
Zoning Ordinance to be in compliance with local Design Guidelines.
Again, the big idea is to build in a way that reflects our town’s
history and country heritage, and most importantly, retains the human
scale, variety and individualized details that typify California country
towns that have been built over time.
Valley Center’s Design Guidelines for architecture leave a lot
of room for individual preferences and creativity by encouraging a variety
of “early California” styles, as well as modern interpretations
of these. Architectural styles include Adobe, Mission, Classic Western,
and Monterey; Monterey style combines the Classic Revival architecture
that characterizes the eastern United States with early adobe and mission.
The point of the Guidelines is to assemble the sort of pastiche that
characterizes Ojai, Montecito and Old Palm Springs —rather than
the architectural uniformity, for instance, of Rancho Bernardo.
Good Examples
Good examples of properties – built or renovated recently –
that differ greatly from one another but are still in accord with the
Design Guidelines are easy to find.
On Cole Grade Road: Valley Center High School and Theater (building
and landscaping); St. Stephen Church (building, landscaping and signage);
Countryside Veterinary Hospital (building, landscaping and signage);
and the Valley Center Library (building and landscaping).
On Valley Center Road: The Country Skillet (building, landscaping, and
signage—except for the spot of neon); The Courtyard (building,
landscaping and signage); Fat Ivor’s (building); and Wynn Engineering
(building and signage).
Elements to Be Avoided
The Guidelines pointedly discourage: chain link, razor wire, unfinished
concrete and concrete block, dumpsters, artificial turf, neon and illuminated
plastic signs, and highly reflective or garish colored surfaces.
New construction and renovation project plans need to show substitutes
for these in order to comply with the County Zoning Code and secure
building permits.
Code Compliance
Code compliance in Valley Center has been a mite relaxed along Valley
Center Road since the road construction started.
People say, why put energy into landscaping, signs, and fences when
the entire heart of town is torn to shreds?
Well, true! But, this is the ideal time for planning. In a year, or
so, the road will be finished, existing properties refreshed and remodeled,
and new enterprises built. (In the last year, or so, we’ve seen
some nice looking plans at the Design Review Board!)
Some renovation projects are already in the works. Property owners who
recognize that it’s time for a makeover are getting a jump on
a friendly visit from County Code Enforcement!
The Design Guidelines can help create a distinctive and traditional
small town flavor that most residents value—but it will be Valley
Centerites who do the work! It will take everyone’s enthusiastic
cooperation to make the heart of town as attractive as possible.
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