Big LED sign test in Fountain Valley worries Costa Mesa residents
When concerned Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley residents looked to the water reservoir off Euclid Street on Thursday morning, they feared the worst.
A truck — giant crane attached and dangling a wide pole high in the sky — was working in front of the Shop in Fountain Valley reservoir at 10955 Ellis Ave., off the 405 Freeway and near the southbound Euclid onramp.
They thought the equipment was there to install a hotly contested, 79-foot-tall electronic advertising billboard that, only weeks before, Fountain Valley planning commissioners had condemned as a bad idea.
Turns out, that wasn’t quite the case.
According to Costa Mesa officials, who were alerted of the activity by residents, the proposed sign’s builder, Clear Channel Outdoor, was using the crane to test out new locations and heights for the sign within the Ellis Avenue property, potentially easing some of the negative impacts to Costa Mesa residents while also keeping the sign in a spot visible from the freeway.
Fountain Valley’s planning director and a Clear Channel representative were not available for comment Friday.
Costa Mesa residents in the State Streets neighborhood across the Santa Ana River have been contesting the sign for months.
Afraid that its two light-emitting diode (LED) displays — each 672 square feet — would be both a visual nuisance and property-value killer, they packed Fountain Valley City Hall on Aug. 12 to give city planners a piece of their mind. Hearing the harsh words, the Planning Commission unanimously disapproved of the sign before sending it up to the Fountain Valley City Council, which is scheduled to consider it next month.
The council had been slated to vote on the sign Sept. 15, though the item has since been postponed to at least Oct. 6 so Clear Channel can continue experimenting with the sign’s location.
In addition to Costa Mesa residents, Costa Mesa City Hall has expressed concern about the matter as well. They note that while it will give Fountain Valley about $150,000 annually, it comes at the price of disturbing many neighbors across the Santa Ana River.
According to the project’s environmental impact report, the sign is not expected to affect any Fountain Valley residences with glare, only a handful in Costa Mesa.
“We’re extremely happy that [Clear Channel and Fountain Valley] are trying to work with us,” said Gary Armstrong, Costa Mesa’s deputy chief executive and economic and development service director.
“We don’t want to be flippant but I’m still doubtful that they can put it in the reservoir location, have it be visible on both sides of the freeway and not have an impact on our residents.”
