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Friday, February 10, 2012
Signs of Soul in Oak Park halted
by Ed Fogle, published on February 11, 2010 at 1:30 PM
Storyline: Maverick's Misc. Stories
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The City of Sacramento halted efforts to mount Old Soul Co. sign Thursday morning.
Oak Park, Sacramento, CA
February 11, 2010
Excited patrons of the new Old Soul Co. location in Oak Park were eager to see the iconic glistening new sign ready to go up Thursday morning and so was the crew. That eagerness was squelched when a call came to the Alpha Signs' crew, from the city, to halt.
The building at 35th and Broadway is a historical building and though the old Starbucks sign was in the same location, the city won't allow the sign installers to drill new holes in the historic bricks nor is the sign allowed to have any exposed electrical cable. Furthermore, the city wants the sign above the horizontal band of bricks which puts the sign at the level of the 2nd floor apartments rather than the store level where the previous Starbucks sign was located.
Patrons are upset at the "unnecessary hoop jumping" the city is imposing. They pointed out that the well crafted and beautiful sign is a welcome sight over the boarded up building across the street at 3501 Broadway and other "eyesores" in the area. Alpha Signs did the much larger and elaborate sign installation at Guild Theater next door without issue a few years ago. A spokesman for Alpha Signs is hopeful that things will be ironed out shortly and is optimistic that they will be able to install the sign sometime next week.
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The comparison to the vacant building across the street is just tacky--the city didn't close the business, they just told the sign installer they had to follow the rules. If Old Soul has entered Oak Park with nothing but contempt for the rules of the city and the community, I can't expect that they will last long.
And I'd imagine that Alpha Signs was able to install the Guild sign without incident because the business owner got the proper permits first.
The current street view on Google clearly shows that Underground Books and Starbucks followed those conditions of approval on this historic property. The Guild Theater building is a seperate and unique property with a common wall to 40 Acres. Additionally the signage for the Guilsd is unique to it....Apples and Oranges.
It seems to me there was a lot of Public (SHRA) money and possibly historic preservation tax credits that all went into this project back in the early 2000's/
It's pretty obvious how the approved signage for any tenant at 40 Acres is to occur if you look at the building. Why do you think both Underground Books and Starbucks signs are placed where they are and look the way they do?
Meanwhile down the block in OP guys are selling broken dishwashers and stacks of 22" rims right next to the sidewalk, and advertising with signs painted on sheets of plywood.
There reason the city nitpicked this particular "violation" is obvious... the inspectors could write up the infraction report without getting out of the truck! It's good to see folks in the 95817 can sleep easy again, knowing that all their coffee shop signs are at the proper elevation.
Ask yourself, if they did what they were supposed to do to make sure their sign was legal, why isn't the sign legal?
The issue isn't the shape, size or appearance of the sign--it is, as you say, the location, method of mounting, and electrical connections.
Edit:
"The sign itself is in compliance. The issue is the location, method of mounting and electrical."
That means the sign is not in compliance. The planning for the sign is not in compliance. That cord sounds like something to consider ahead of time, too.
Honestly, no. This is not a big issue. It is not a health or safety issue and it is barely a preservation issue. If anyone is going to take this and run with it as a serious disregard for neighbors' concerns, it should be the customers, who-- forgive me if I'm wrong here-- are probably neighbors, and would like the sign to go up.
Props the kids of old soul for supporting Oak Park when a deep pocketed corp turned the other way. Thats the real story
Heck, I'm happy to see a local business in there instead of Starbucks, but that is totally irrelevant to what we're talking about here.
Too bad he doesn't know what he's talking about. It's fine sentiment, all self righteousey and stuff (right up Old Soul's aley) just not based on fact, the record or the history of their business.
They are FAR from "thrown on the garbage heep of fail business." Given their connections and special treatment they've received, at the expense of other businesses and the community, it's quite funny that people are viewing this as some sort of underdog story.
- "Clearly you know nothing about the constant and chronic stream of violations -- of multiple jurisdictions -- by Old Soul Co. since their opening in the alley location...... at the expense of other businesses and public safety" -
This cracks me up! I am aware that when they started out they were operating with appropriate permits for a business open to the public. I am dying with anticipation to hear how "public safety" was jeopardized by their actions. Do you think a permit on a piece of paper actually protects you from something when you visit a coffee shop?
It's this kind of love for mindless bureacracy that kept instutions like the USSR tottering around about 20 years past their right expiration date.
Maybe history books should be updated to point out that O&W Wright, Sears & Roebuck, and the Harleys and the Davidsons had all the permits in order and signs at the proper elevation when they started out... and their actual accomplishments could be relegated to little footnotes at the bottom of the page!
Now, do you want a place where you are buying food to comply with the county health requirements that every other business must comply with or a rogue business that does anything it wants to as OS history clearly shows as Marion points out?
"I am aware that when they started out they were operating with appropriate permits for a business open to the public."
That's a plain lie. Advocate helped you out above. The record is there. Check it out for yourself.
Old Soul was hatched in the same environment that has the City of Sacramento under investigation over the FPP scandal. FEMA may raise all of Sacramento's flood insurance rates because of it. Laughing now?
"Mindless bureaucracy" and health and safety laws are in place to protect the public good. In close quarters, in inner city redevelopment, it's even more crucial to have regulations in place that make sure the new and old fit well together and work for the whole community.
When your neighbors and other residents complain about problem businesses, we ADVOCATE for the "little guy," the business or owner/project developer who do not have those friends in City Hall, who really have to jump through the regulatory hoops. The problem businesses are the ones that operate as if no rules apply to them and continue to do so, defiant and unchanged in behavior even after being corrected.
It is special treatment and selective enforcement that is the problem. The streamlining of Matrix and the abused FPP, on top of the floodplain sprawl developers' tradition of permitless development, has made these problems of scofflaw and problem businesses worse, not better.
Now that these forces are operating in Midtown, there had better be a balance of interests, or there will be no livability and no sustainability. The problem businesses are destructive to the community and to the potential of Midtown to flourish in the long -- not just the short -- term.
Yes, yes O' Advocate of Entangled Overbearing Bureacracies, I probably read the same papers you do. (Except I don't exclaim "there oughta be a law" after I finish each article). I am fully aware that Old Soul didn't have retail permits (nor a cash register either, as I recall). My position is still the same. I could care less if a coffee bean roaster wants to sell some coffee on the side.
But I am pretty wild and crazy like that. Sometimes I even drink coffee from the PTA table at the school fundraiser. And when I am real frisky, I will even accept coffee from strangers.
How many people were injured during this period when Old Soul was a "rogue" business?. Zero. I know I know.... it was just a matter of time until a serious swizzel stick mishap occured. Or someone got their finger caught in the non-compliant toilet paper dispenser. An accident waiting to happen I am sure.
Good luck on your standup routine.
Given the lively discussion your story inspired, did you feel any inclination to "stay on track" and provide the specifics in your follow up story? That didn't seem relevant to you? What does "just as planned" mean?
If -- according to your follow up -- nothing was altered regarding placement of the sign, which was arbitrary: stopping it from going up or allowing it to go up in time for the Grand Opening?
"After the sign's installation was halted Thursday, it was permitted to go up Friday afternoon.
"The sign installation crew was literally about to drill the mounting holes for the new Old Soul Co. sign in Oak Park Thursday morning when a call came in from the city to halt the installation. Due to the building being historical, there was an issue of placement and electrical connections. (see previous article)
"Just a little more than twenty four hours later, the installation was approved and the sign was installed around 3 P.M. Friday afternoon, exactly in the spot intended and electrical hooked up to light the sign just as planned.
"Old Soul's Grand Opening Reception will take place Saturday evening from 6-10PM."
Anyone who would like to delve deeper into the issue is welcome (and encouraged) to write another piece.
I don't care if Old Soul has political juice. For the first time (including all of KJ's fantasies for Oak Park) we have a real business, providing a product the ENTIRE community wants.
And the readers observations about selecting going after anyone that appears to be 'well heeled' is exactly correct. That stretch of Broadway is litterer with hand painted and out of code signage.