Planning Commission unanimously approves electronic sign at Community Center, funded by donation from long-time residents Chuck and Missy Sheldon
The Hermosa Beach Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a new electronic monument sign at the Community Center, clearing the way for the first replacement of a corner marker that has sat empty since the previous sign was removed in 2019 over structural safety concerns.
The commission's 4-0 vote came after a brief public hearing and presentation from Assistant Planner Angelique Chavez, who told commissioners the dual-sided sign will rise at the southwest corner of Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway — the same gateway location where the old sign once stood. At 8.5 feet tall and 12 feet wide, with a roughly 4.7-by-8.9-foot digital display, the structure has been designed to echo the Art Deco lines of the Community Center itself, which is a locally designated historic landmark.
"The sign combines a traditional monument sign with a digital message display that allows the city to communicate information to the public," Chavez told the commission, noting the display is intended exclusively for city business — community events, public meeting notices, and emergency alerts. Commercial advertising and political messages are explicitly barred under the sign's conditions of approval, and the display will be restricted to static messages only, with no flashing, scrolling, or animation permitted.
City staff say the project has been years in the making and is part of a broader, citywide Capital Improvement Program to modernize signage. Funding traces back to a donation from residents Chuck and Missy Sheldon, whose contribution commissioners repeatedly credited with getting the project off the ground.
"It can't be said too many times that their generous donation is what has allowed the city to get a major start on this particular project," Vice Chair Flaherty said during the meeting.
Commissioners were largely effusive about the design. Commissioner Kate Hirsh said she was pleased to see the project reach this stage after "hearing about it for a couple of years," adding that the design's nod to the Community Center's historic architecture would "further beautify Hermosa." Chair Steve Izant called it "a tremendous improvement" over what previously existed at the site.
The commission did acknowledge receiving two letters ahead of the meeting, raising questions about how the sign would be used and financed. Commissioners noted the concerns but said weighing in on those issues fell outside the panel's role, which is limited to the sign's physical design, its location, and a determination that the project is exempt from further environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
The project qualifies for a CEQA exemption because it is considered an accessory structure at an existing institutional facility, a determination the commission formally adopted as part of Tuesday's vote. With the resolution now approved, the sign is expected to move forward for construction, joining a series of signage upgrades staff say have been rolling out around the city over the past several weeks.
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