City officials say sign is too large for Westlake Village

Acorn Staff Writer


Homestore.com is going back to the drawing board. In a business where bright colors, glossiness and presentation are everything, Homestore has been asked to scale down its business sign.


Last week at the Westlake Village City Council meeting, the Internet company that specializes in media and technology in the home and real estate industry proposed a sign for its corporate office at 30700 Russell Ranch Road. But Homestore’s sign didn’t comply with city law.


"It’s just way too big," said Mayor Mark Rutherford.


Homestore.com was founded in Westlake Village in 1996 with double-digit emploees. The company has since grown nationwide and in Westlake Village alone, the firm employs more than 700.


According to Homestore representatives, their corporate office on Russell Ranch Road is one of the largest employers in Westlake Village.


To justify the bigger sign, Homestore representatives explained that they’re in a league with the top 10 Internet companies including e-bay and America Online. Of the top 100 Internet companies in the world, the proposed sign is smaller, Homestore officials said, than all other corporate offices.


Westlake Village has ordinances that govern signage. City Councilwoman Betty De Santis said the city looks nice because of its laws. A weak code, she said, leads to signs and buildings that resemble Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley.


"I do not wish that upon any city," said De Santis.


According to code, no sign shall be bigger than 35 square feet. Homestore’s sign was originally designed as 62 square feet on grounds that it was compatible with the firm’s large building. After it was shot down in a meeting prior to the city council meeting last week, a modified 50 square foot version was brought forth.


The sign is still too big, according to the city. Homestore representatives explained that if the sign were any smaller, it would be embarrassing. They showed the council some advertising on the Internet; big, flashy and with depth.


Rutherford explained that the ordinance recognizes signs as a means to identify a company, not to advertise it.


Another problem was the large spherical red ball that would sit on the edge. It’s the core of the Homestore logo, but is too large, critics said, for Westlake Village. Councilmembers agreed the proposed sign didn’t meet their artistic taste, but said they might consider a smaller version.


A condition was set that the ball couldn’t exceed the highest portion of the backdrop. As it stood, the ball was 10 inches taller than the highest point of the sign. Homestore officials seemed willing to compromise on that issue.


To substitute for the bright colors of red, yellow and blue of its logo, Homestore’s sign originally was designed to have stainless steel to replace the colors. When the idea was rejected at a previous meeting for being too shiney, brushed steel was the result. But the council still wasn’t happy. They didn’t want a sign that stood out.


While City Councilman Chris Mann and Planning Director Robert Theobald accepted the proposed sign, the rest of the council did not.


Homestore was given a continuance and told to work closely with Theobald because he knows what the council wants.


The sign cannot be voted on until the next city council meeting.





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