Mural Ordinance Update to the Cultural Affairs Commission

Overview
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
intro| definition | background | approaches | next steps MURAL WORKING GROUP

Definitional
…is this a mural?

…is this a mural?

Definitional
…is this a mural?

…is this a mural?

Current Code Definitions
sign
any 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 sign
a 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 sign
any 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
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)

What?! Why?!
-pre-1986 – murals not mentioned in Zoning 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

What now?
Staff direction from the Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) and
Arts, Parks, Health, & Aging (APHA) Committees of the City Council:
preserve & protect existing murals
maybe a “vintage mural permit” … ?
enable creation of new murals
“districts,” “original arts murals,”
“public art easements,” other approaches … ?

Considerations
1st amendment
regulations must be “content neutral”
can only include “time / place / manner” restrictions
implementation
program costs , accessibility to the public, maintenance, etc.

preserving
existing
murals

Vintage
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?

permitting
new
murals

Public Art Easements
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

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

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

Original Arts Murals
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

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

Original Arts Murals
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

Districts
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
-sign district:
sign districts are allowed to be established in areas of the City,
to enhance the unique characteristics
LAMC SEC 13.11

Hollywood Sign District

Districts
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

Process

Outreach & Next Steps

Thank You
Questions? Comments?
Tanner Blackman
City of Los Angeles | Department of City Planning
Code Studies | Office of Zoning Administration
tanner.blackman@lacity.org | 213.978.1195

Mural Ordinance Update to the Cultural Affairs Commission

by LA City Code Studies on Aug 22, 2011

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Mural Ordinance Update to the Cultural Affairs Commission — Presentation Transcript