A meeting regarding design elements of a proposed south Napa fitness center became a debate on government regulation Thursday night.
The Napa Planning Commission discussed for a second time in a month whether to allow the In-Shape Health Club adjacent to the new South Napa Century Center and movie theater. Some of the elements in the proposal do not meet city code and thus require Planning Commission approval.
During the nearly two-hour-long discussion, Joe Fischer, a representative for the Gasser Foundation, which is leading the development of the project, encouraged the commissioners to use discretion in its design review.
Fischer said the Gasser Foundation believes the In-Shape proposal, as presented, would beautify the area and complement the future Hampton Inn & Suites hotel that will be constructed adjacent to it.
Commissioner Arthur Roosa said he is “not really a big government regulator type,” but there is a place for design standards, and it is because of such regulation that cities are aesthetically pleasing.
“Other cities or towns that are attractive are not attractive by accident,” Roosa said. “They’re not attractive because the people coming into them or the companies coming into them have decided that they want to fit into that particular neighborhood or look. They’re doing that because they’re regulated to do it.”
At the heart of the debate was the question of whether In-Shape could apply its logo sign to three of the building’s walls at a larger-than-standard size, and with a blue background.
In-Shape proposes three signs to be applied to the north, south and eastern walls. White letters that spell out “In-Shape” would be affixed to a blue strip that wraps around the upper part of the building.
On the east side, lettering would be 4 feet tall, while the blue background would be 5 feet tall. Lettering on the south and north sides would be smaller.
The height of the largest lettering is 2 feet taller than the city’s permitted 24-inch sign allowance. In the past, the city has made exceptions for larger signs if they are proportional to the building and fit with the surrounding area.
“The hotel sign actually fits the building and it’s not in your face, whereas with this sign, you have this big, blue background that just kind of clobbers you all at one time,” said Commissioner Tom Trzesniewski, drawing comparisons between the proposed In-Shape sign and the sign approved for the Hampton Inn & Suites.
“There’s elegance when it comes to the hotel sign and intrusiveness when it comes to the fitness sign, and I think that’s the difference,” he said.
Brendan Kelly of In-Shape defended the proposed size, saying the sign needed to be seen from Soscol and Imola avenues. The design is based on the corporate logo and is what is seen on the face of nearly every In-Shape center, he said.
“We have a brand, and part of our brand is what we look like,” he explained. “We don’t want to look different with our sign. ... When Target goes to Berkeley, it’s red and gray and white. This happens in cities all over the country. Our corporate colors are blue and white.”
“This is what we are proposing; this is our normal signage,” Kelly said. “If you don’t like the sign, that’s OK. We’ll take it to the City Council and talk about it then.”
The commission ultimately did not allow the signs as proposed, so the matter will be left to the discretion of the City Council. Commissioners gave comments on many aspects of the signage so the council would have their input.
Additionally, there was debate regarding the fitness center’s window applications intended to feature active Napa Valley lifestyle images, placement of a garbage enclosure and level of landscape requirements.
The commission and applicant came to agreements on placement of the garbage enclosure and amount of landscaping, but the council will also have to rule on the window applications.
Trzesniewski said despite the disagreements, he is supportive of the project.
“We had some issues this evening, but I want everybody to know I truly support a fitness center there,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful business model, I know they’re very successful and they also have a lot of Napa people going to the American Canyon site. ... Regardless of what happened this evening, I want you to know it’s a great business that’s going in there.”
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