City council approves Homestore.com sign

By Michael Picarella

Acorn Staff Writer

Westlake Village councilmem-bers don’t want the city to look like the San Fernando Valley.

An example of city priorities goes back to April when Homestore.com tried to get a monument sign approved for its corporate office. Councilmembers found the proposed sign too big and too glossy. Homestore later introduced four other designs.

In a business where bright colors, glossiness and presentation are everything, Homestore had trouble scaling down their business sign. To be a contender in Internet business, the biggest and most eye-popping page on screen seems to be an attraction to potential buyers.

Due to an already established logo for Homestore, whose corporate office sits on Russell Ranch Road in Westlake Village, company officials proposed that same design for their business sign. And because the firm occupies a large building, the sign also needed large dimensions, according to Homestore representatives. But Westlake Village only allows signs as big as 35 square feet.

Homestore first proposed a 62 square-foot sign. During a second proposal, councilmembers became upset about a still excessively large sign and they sent a 50 square-foot sign back to the drawing board. Some councilmembers voiced displeasure with other aspects of the monument sign, including a big red ball in the logo and brushed steel letters of the company name. The big red ball was taller than the rest of the sign, which also drew criticism.

Recently Mayor Mark Rutherford and City Councilman Iraj Broomand went to the Homestore building and studied the four new sign proposals. Rutherford and Broomand were also taken through the building to see the interior and how it relates to the sign originally proposed.

Broomand said that after viewing the building, the 50 square-foot sign didn’t seem excessive. He also said the brushed steel lettering was an important theme carried though the entire building. But the city had to be cautious, Broomand said, about setting a precedent.

"It’s [ultimately] up to the council," said Broomand. The four sign designs were introduced to the entire city council last Wednesday. Broomand and Rutherford were happy with two of the designs, although all four were larger than permitted under the existing ordinance.

The council was somewhat receptive to all four designs. They especially liked that the ball was no longer taller than the rest of the sign. Rutherford and Broomand convinced the council that the Homestore building required a larger than usual sign.

Rutherford still had trouble with the brushed steel on two of the proposals. He preferred masonry instead.

Homestore officials pushed for a sign with brushed steel. Councilmembers eventually approved Homestore’s request regarding the brush steel appearance. As a footnote, Westlake Village approved a sign bigger than the city ordinance allows as an accommodation to Homestore as large single tenant occupant.

Agreements were made that in the event Homestore sub-leases space in the building or if the firm relocates, a new sign cannot be as large.