mural presentation
DESCRIPTION
Councilmembers Ed P. Reyes and Paul Krekorian held a special joint meeting Oct. 12, to continue charting a course for the future of murals in the city of Los Angeles. Krekorian, chair of the Arts, Parks & Neighborhoods Committee, and Reyes, chair of the Planning & Land Use Management Committee, held their joint session to hear this presentation and discuss amending the City's sign code to permit murals on private property. At issue is a May 2002 ordinance approved by the City Council that amended regulations governing prohibited signs to include Supergraphic Signs, Inflatable Devices and Murals Signs. The City Council is crafting an ordinance, consistent with the First Amendment, that permits fine art murals on private property, and thus restores Los Angeles as the "mural capital of the world." During Wednesday's meeting, the City's Cultural Affairs and Planning departments delivered this presentation on possible avenues for mural permitting. Their presentation is the result of ongoing meetings with muralists, art organizations and other stakeholders.TRANSCRIPT
O v e r v i e w
issues resulting in the current mural prohibition
directions for research and development
to preserve existing murals and permit new murals
procedural next steps toward adopting a mural ordinance
public outreach efforts
direction from the joint-committee
intro| definition | background | approaches | next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
…is this a mural?
…is this a mural?
…is this a mural?
D e f i n i t i o n a l
…is this a mural?
D e f i n i t i o n a l…is this a mural?
…is this a mural?
…is this a mural?
…is this a mural?
…is this a mural?
…is this a mural?
signany whole or part of a display board, wall, screen or object, used to
announce, declare, demonstrate, display or otherwise present a
message and attract the attention of the public.
mural signa sign that is painted on or applied to and made integral with a wall,
the written message of which does not exceed three percent of the
total area of the sign.
wall signany sign attached to, painted on or erected against the wall of a
building or structure, with the exposed face of the sign in a plane
approximately parallel to the plane of the wall.
LAMC SEC 14.4.2
C u r r e n t C o d e D e f i n i t i o n s
intro | definition | background | approaches | next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
Are murals banned in LA?
YES (sadly) … and … NO (kind of)
currently, murals may be permitted:
-on city property
-on county, state, or federal property
-on private property pursuant to
a legally adopted specific plan,
supplemental use district,
or development agreement
(LAMC SEC 14.4.4 B. 10)
intro| definition | background| approaches | next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
W h a t ? ! W h y ? !
-pre-1986 – murals not mentioned in LA Municipal Code
-1986 – murals first mentioned in sign ordinance, exempted
-2002 – general ban on murals, creation of “sign districts”
-2007 – most recent mural approved on private property
intro| definition | background| approaches | next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
W h a t n o w ?
Staff direction from the Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) and
Arts, Parks, Health, & Aging (APHA) Committees of the City Council:
preserve & protect existing muralsmaybe a “vintage mural permit” … ?
enable creation of new murals“districts,” “original arts murals,”
“public art easements,” other approaches … ?
intro| definition | background| approaches | next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
C o n s i d e r a t i o n s
1st amendment
regulations must be “content neutral”
can only include “time / place / manner” restrictions
implementation
program costs , accessibility to the public, maintenance, etc.
intro| definition | background| approaches | next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
preserving
exist ing
murals
V i n t a g e
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
existing mural stock
city, extra-jurisdictional, & private property
pre-2002 murals presumably “grandfathered”
but not clear in code
“Vintage Mural Permit”
how to establish date created:
copyright, historic news clippings, records/receipts, other?
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
permit t ing
new
murals
P u b l i c A r t E a s e m e n t s
purpose
program to create new public art on private property by
the City becoming “patron of art” through easement approach
features
-building owner grants easement on wall to the City
-requires arts commission approval
-competitive selection for funding available through the City
-no limitations regarding size, material, etc.
-mural must remain in place for 5 years
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
P u b l i c A r t E a s e m e n t s
sample selection criteria
-artistic quality
-context
-media
-scale
-diversity
-feasibility
-originality
-structural and surface soundness
-building owner easement
-building owner maintenance agreement
-community support
-public safety
-accessibility
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
benefits
-opportunity for creation of enormous murals
-different media and surfaces
-City investment in art and beautification
-balanced approach if combined with Original Arts Murals
issues
-tight budgetary times
-unease with easement approach
P u b l i c A r t E a s e m e n t s
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
purpose
administrative permit to allow “original art murals”
on a content-neutral basis
on certain terms and conditions
in a simple, accessible way
definition of mural
a hand-produced work of visual art
which is tiled or painted by hand directly upon,
or affixed directly to
an exterior wall of a building
Title 4 Original Art Murals, Charter and Code of the City of Portland, Oregon
O r i g i n a l A r t M u r a l s
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
•mural to remain in place for 5 years
•building owner cannot receive compensation
•no mechanical parts or changing images
•historic & design overlay protections
•no murals on stone walls or brick
•no murals on residential with < 5 units
•neighborhood involvement process
•administrative application & small fee
benefits
-encourage murals citywide (“let art happen”)
-separates art murals from signs
-potentially simple and cheap to administer
-content-neutral, time / place / manner restrictions
issues
-training & implementation
-assessing public sentiment
-new legal approach
O r i g i n a l A r t M u r a l s
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
-sign district:
sign districts are allowed to be established in areas of the City,
to enhance unique characteristics
LAMC SEC 13.11
D i s t r i c t s
current provisions
-murals are OK
when specifically permitted pursuant to:
a legally adopted specific plan,
supplemental use district
or an approved development agreement.
LAMC SEC 14.4.4 B. 10
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
Hollywood Sign District
benefits
-promote unique character of communities
-murals of different types and materials in different neighborhoods
-may serve as pilot programs
-legal defensibility
issues
-equity in establishment of districts
-limited geography
-two-step adoption process
D i s t r i c t s
intro| definition | background | approaches| next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP
intro | definition | background | approaches | next steps
MURAL WORKING GROUP
P
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DCP Public Participation Policy
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MURAL WORKING GROUP
release
draft
ordinance
day 1 day 60
end of
comment
period
day 90
CPC
hearing
day 76
release
finalized,
signed
staff
recommendation
report
conduct
workshop /
staff
hearing
between day 1
& day 60
Questions? Comments?
T h a n k Y o u
intro | definition | background | approaches | next steps
MURAL WORKING GROUP
Tanner Blackman
City of Los Angeles | Department of City Planning
Code Studies | Office of Zoning Administration
[email protected] | 213.978.1195