Monterey ARC Meeting Summary - March 19, 2025
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Monterey Architectural Review Committee Meeting Summary - March 19, 2025
The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) of Monterey, California met on March 19, 2025, to consider two items: a sign permit application for a hotel on Munras Avenue and a permit amendment with tree removal for the Monterey Beach Hotel. Committee members present: Hunter, Ostabar (Chair), Palmer, Sanders, and Polly; member Turgeon was absent. Staff included Planning Manager Hill, Principal Planner Roveri, and Recording Secretary Argonbright.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No general public comments were made. During the second item, applicant representatives spoke: Jeremy Ross, Vice President of Construction at KD Landscaping, acknowledged the accidental removal of four trees and expressed willingness to work with the city on replacement or fines. Steve Alan clarified that the horizontal slats on the fence were not climbable due to minimal spacing and that the sauna equipment is not under health department purview for pool fencing requirements.
Discussion Item 1: 1150 Munras Avenue – Sign Permit Application SI-24-0239
- Staff presented a request to replace two of four existing vehicle-oriented signs at America’s Best Value Inn with new square wood signs (5 ft by 5 ft, 25 sq ft, at 8 ft height) and remove the other two. The only guideline inconsistency was that the sign did not have a full-width solid base. Staff recommended approval.
- Committee members expressed mixed feelings about the design (“feels cheap,” “unappealing”) but noted the reduction from four to two signs and compliance with most guidelines made approval appropriate. A motion to approve carried unanimously.
Discussion Item 2: 2600 Sand Dunes Drive – Permit Amendment PA-25-ARP-24-0028 and Tree Removal Permit TR-24-0249
- Staff described unpermitted work at the Monterey Beach Hotel: new fencing with horizontal slats, sauna equipment, lighting, speakers, furniture, relocated parking, and removal of four magnolia trees. The applicant corrected fencing to vertical slats to meet health standards. Staff recommended approval with a condition authorizing the city forester to determine replacement tree requirements (zero to three per tree removed).
- Committee members praised the hotel’s overall improvements, acknowledged the tree removal as a good-faith mistake, and supported adherence to city rules. A motion to approve with conditions carried unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Sign Permit Approved: The ARC approved sign permit SI-24-0239 for two replacement signs at 1150 Munras Avenue. The decision is appealable to the planning commission within 10 days.
- Permit Amendment and Tree Removal Approved: The ARC approved permit amendment PA-25-ARP-24-0028 and tree removal permit TR-24-0249 with conditions, including city forester determination of tree replacements. The administrative penalty of $1,000 per illegally removed tree may be applied separately. The decision is appealable to the planning commission within 10 days.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for April 2, 2025 (note: committee member Hunter will be absent).
Meeting Transcript
Committee member Hunter. Present by Chair Ostabar. Here. Committee member Palmer. Here. Committee member Sanders. And we have uh Chair Polly and committee members Turgeon committee member Turgeon absent today. Staff present is Planning Manager Hill, Principal Planner Roveri, and recording Secretary Argonbright. Information on participating in this meeting in providing public comment, including it remotely or by Zoom or telephone, is on this meeting's agenda, which is online at Monterey.gov forward slash agendas. Remote commenters will be muted until it is their turn to speak, and a timer will be shown on the screen. If you are connected on Zoom, the timer is accurate with accurate with no delay. Let me share my screen. 1150 Munras Avenue is a sign permit application for two vehicle oriented signs. Staff's recommendation is that the ARC adopt a resolution to approve the sign permit application as submitted. The site is again 1150 Munras Avenue. The general plan and zoning designations for the site is visitor accommodation facility. The hotel is America's best value in. Currently, there are four signs on the property at various locations. They're numbered one through four on the image. And the proposal is to replace two of them. So two vehicle oriented signs, and to remove the other two that are not being replaced. So signs one and three on the image would be replaced, and signs two and four would be removed. Sign one would be replaced. The current sign is a vehicle oriented sign. And it is currently at nine feet one inch above grade. And the proposal is to lower it to eight feet, but make it bigger, make it 25 square feet, and that's five feet by five feet. It would have the new branding reflected on the sign face. And it would be replaced with a bigger sign, again, 25 square feet, five by five, and the it would be at eight feet from grade, which is the maximum allowed by the sign guidelines. So again, sign one is along Munras Avenue. Sign three is at the corner of Munras and CAS. Other than that, the proposal is achieves the purposes and objectives of the sign ordinance in that the signs are not a proliferation of signs. There would be only two. The sign guidelines allow one vehicle-oriented sign per street frontage. And this lot has two frontages, one on CAS and one on Monrest. The sign's purpose is to identify the business from the street. And the proposal is also consistent with the general plan in that the signs serve to promote a hotel use, which is a permitted use. Again, not a full width solid base, but the applicant's desire is to have the wood post because they reflect the wooded nature of that portion of the site, which is the corner of Cass and Munras, which has more than more than one tree at the corner. And with that, staff recommends that the ARC adopt the resolution. I'm available for questions, and the applicant also said that they would be here. Thank you. Thank you. Any any questions from any? I was just curious what the sign is signed are made of. Sorry about that. Let me hold that up. They would be wood signs. Are they routed kind of with raised lettering as well? I saw there were wood, but I didn't couldn't tell. No, they it does not the application does not say that they're routed. So it just says wood sign.
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