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P25-0300, 4191 First Street Planning Commission <br />5 of 6 <br />Over the course of the following weeks, staff communicated with the applicant several times to <br />review possible sign design options, lighting options, etc. The applicant decided to switch <br />brands from Sunoco to Shell. <br /> <br />After switching brands to Shell Gasoline, the applicant resubmitted a sign package on January <br />15, 2026 (See Figure 3). This submittal included less franchise branding colors than the <br />Sunoco design, which featured about 25 percent franchise branding color, but still featured a <br />predominant amount of yellow and red franchise branding colors on the canopy (approximately <br />66 percent of the canopy fascia). As a compromise, staff reached out to the applicant to <br />request that the franchise branding color bands be reduced such that franchise branding colors <br />do not exceed 33 percent of the total canopy band fascia on each side of the canopy. <br /> <br />Figure 3: Shell Branding <br /> <br />The applicant was unwilling to further modify the canopy signage and requested that the <br />Zoning Administrator take action on the application as proposed. As such, the Zoning <br />Administrator issued a denial letter on February 25, 2026 (Exhibit B). Note that the Design <br />Review findings were updated following the project submittal and Zoning Administrator denial. <br />As such, the Zoning Administrator denial letter includes findings for the former Design Review <br />criteria outline, whereas the resolution (Exhibit A) utilizes the updated Design Review findings. <br />The applicant filed a timely appeal on March 5, 2026, pursuant to PMC Section 18.144. <br /> <br />ANALYSIS <br />As proposed, the signage fails to meet the intent of two General Plan policies: <br />• Community Character Element Policy 15, Program 15.3: <br />o Attractive sign design and higher quality sign materials <br />o Attractive colors, minimizing bright franchise colors <br />• Community Character Element Policy 16, which "discourages franchise and prototype <br />architecture and signage". <br /> <br />Moreover, the project site is located at a prominent entryway to Downtown, where the visual <br />character of the streetscape contributes to the City’s community identity. The Downtown <br />Specific Plan states that “signage is a factor in the overall aesthetic of downtown’s commercial <br />district, and attractive signs can reinforce downtown’s pedestrian scale and traditional design.” <br /> <br />Page 178 of 214