Mural gets 2nd chance in front of DRC

ATASCADERO — After the Atascadero Design Review Committee denied the ARTery a permit after the business installed a mural on the side of its building, Mayor Bob Kelley asked for a reconsideration of the vote.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 24 at 3:30 p.m. in Council Chambers. Castillo said that while DRC meetings are normally held on Thursdays, the Council Chambers were already reserved so the date was moved.

City planner Alfredo Castillo said that ARTery co-owner Bill Arkfeld has proposed changes to the mural, which prompted the reconsideration. Castillo said the matter will go before the DRC at no cost. He said no appeal has been filed at this time because it is a reconsideration of the committee’s earlier decision.

The owners of the art supply store had a large mural painted on the side of the business, the side that faces Palma Avenue, in May. Co-owner Bill Arkfeld said that he was aware of the need to get the permit, but the opportunity arose of a particular artist, Reilly Baker of Santa Cruz, to paint the mural on a Friday without a lot of advance notice because he happened to be traveling through the area. He is now traveling around Europe and will not be available for another six months.

The design review committee, made up of Mayor Bob Kelley, Councilwoman Roberta Fonzi, Planning Commissioner Chuck Ward, Cooper and member at-large Susan DeCarli, was asked to look at the size and location of the mural to decide whether or not to approve the Administrative Use Permit.

Castillo said that city staff are looking into some of the suggestions made on the ARTery’s Facebook event page.

“We’re not going to be mum and put our heads in the sand,” Castillo said. “We want to see how we can properly address those issues [that have been raised].”

He added that it is not an appropriate forum for city staff to respond to such comments. Instead, he said staff is working on a staff report that will be available in advance of the July 24 meeting.

Some issues that will be looked at are the AUP process, the mural policy and if a mural should be considered a sign or not.

For more information, go to www.atascadero.org.

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