Mural Ordinance Update to the Cultural Affairs Commission

O v e r v i e w

issues resulting in the current mural prohibition

directions for research and developmentto 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

D e fi n i t i o n a l

…is this a mural?

…is this a mural?

…is this a mural?

D e fi n i t i o n a l

…is this a mural?

D e fi 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 fi n i t i o n s


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)


W h a t ? ! W h y ? !

-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


W h a t n o w ?

Staff direction from the Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) andArts, 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 … ?


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.



preservingexistingmurals

V i n t a g e


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?


permittingnew

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 bythe 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



purpose

administrative permit to allow “original art murals”on a content-neutral basis

on certain terms and conditionsin 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 s M u r a l s


• 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 s M u r a l s


-sign district:sign districts are allowed to be established in areas of the

City,to enhance the unique characteristics

LAMC SEC 13.11

D i s t r i c t s

current provisions

-murals are OKwhen specifically permitted pursuant to:

a legally adopted specific plan,supplemental use district

or an approved development agreement.

LAMC SEC 14.4.4 B. 10


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



Process

Outreach & Next Steps


Questions? Comments?

T h a n k Y o u


Tanner Blackman

City of Los Angeles | Department of City PlanningCode Studies | Office of Zoning Administration

[email protected] | 213.978.1195

Mural Ordinance Update to the Cultural Affairs Commission

Business

recent mural

mural signa sign

code vintage mural permithow

new public art

patron of art

original art muralson

wall signany sign

n city property