Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing - First Reading of Case No. 2025-0237, A Request to Amend Section 17.330.040 Prohibited Signs with Respect to Prohibiting Foam, 3D Printed and Cut Acrylic Signage; Section 17.330.085 Standards for Specific Sign Types with Respect to the Allowable Size of Wall Signs; and Chapter 17.700 Definitions of Specialized Terms to Add a Definition for Transparency/Opaqueness.
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publichearing
• Staff Report
• Mayor and City Council Questions for Staff
• Public Comments
• Mayor and Council Member Discussion
• Council Action
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From: Steven Mendoza, Interim Community Development Director
Requested by: Administration
Prepared by: Ken Fichtelman, Principal Planner
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
The Planning Commission recommends that the Mayor and City Council consider and introduce for first reading an Ordinance entitled, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT (CASE NO. 2025-0237) AMENDING CHAPTER 17, SECTION 17.330.040 PROHIBITED SIGNS, SECTION 17.330.085 STANDARDS FOR SPECIFIC SIGN TYPES AND SECTION 17.700.010 DEFINITIONS OF SPECIALIZED TERMS OF THE WESTMINSTER MUNICIPAL CODE WITH RESPECT TO PROHIBITING FOAM, 3D PRINTED AND CUT ACRYLIC SIGNAGE, CLARIFYING THE ALLOWABLE AREA OF WALL SIGNS AND TO PROVIDE A DEFINITION FOR TRANSPARENCY AND OPAQUENESS,” read by title only and waive further reading.
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BACKGROUND
Chapter 17.330 of the Westminster Municipal Code (WMC) regulates signage within the City. Recently, staff has identified three portions of the chapter which have proven problematic for planning and code enforcement staff. The changes proposed by staff will provide clarity around specific sign types and define transparency and/or opaqueness.
On December 17, 2025, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 to recommend approval of the Case No. 2025-0237 to the City Council.
Analysis
This Zoning Text Amendment is proposing to amend three sections of the code. Section 17.330.040 lists the types of signs prohibited within the City. Staff is proposing to add foam signs, 3D printed signs, and cut acrylic signage to the list of prohibited signs.
Foam and 3D printed signs are inexpensive three-dimensional signs that are either color molded or painted before installation. Both types of signs are not normally permanently mounted to the building but rather are attached using adhesives. These signs weather poorly. Because these signs are mounted using adhesives, they do not require building permits to install and the City is therefore limited in its ability to monitor their installation.
Cut acrylic signs consist of acrylic letters which are cut and mounted directly to a building. These signs are often visually unappealing and can also weather poorly. It is important to note that this amendment is not proposing to prohibit all acrylic signs. Sign faces made of acrylic, and which are part of a sign box or channel letter installation, would still be allowed.
Section 17.330.085, Standards for Specific Sign Types, addresses the standards for specific sign types. Within the Section, Table 3-11 provides the number of signs that may be allowed and the maximum area of these signs. For wall signs, the table reads “See Table B” for the maximum area of wall signs. Table B, however, does not exist in the code. To determine the maximum size for wall signs, staff currently must look at two other sections of the chapter to determine the maximum area for a wall sign. To simplify this process, the proposed ordinance would add a defined maximum sign area of 1.5 square feet for every lineal foot of building frontage. This number is in line with what other nearby cities allow and provides a clear maximum area for tenants, building owners and sign contractors to follow.
The proposed zoning text amendment will also amend Chapter 17.700 Definitions of Specialized Terms to add definitions for transparency and opaqueness. Several sections of the WMC call for windows to be transparent or opaque, but the code currently does not define either term. The amendment proposes adding a definition for both terms which states that transparent and opaque windows must allow for 65% transmittance of light. This means that 65% of available light can pass through the subject window. This definition would allow for tinted windows, but not windows which are tinted to prevent any light from passing through, which in turn limits visibility through the windows. This also provides an objective and measurable definition of transparency, which will allow Code Enforcement the ability to effectively regulate window transparency.
A draft version of the City Council ordinance showing all proposed text changes has been provided in Exhibit A to Attachment 1. New text is shown in blue and deletions are struck through and shown in red.
Environmental Review
This Zoning Text Amendment is not a project per Public Resources Code § 21065 as it is an administrative procedure which will not cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed amendment will not have a direct fiscal impact on the City.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
The proposed text amendment will provide clarity for planning and code enforcement staff and help ensure consistent interpretation of several problematic zoning code sections found within the Signage section of the WMC. The Planning Commission recommends that the City Council approve Case No. 2025-0227 through the adoption of the proposed Ordinance by first and second reading.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Ordinance
2. Planning Commission Resolution No. 25-018
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager