Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager Office

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
CC:	Amy Kelly, Chair, Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission
Date:	October 20,2010
RE:	Graphic Design Project Request from Lawrence Arts Center

Please place the following item on the City Commission consent agenda for consideration at its October 26, 2010 meeting:

Approve Sign Permit for Mural Installation at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire, as requested by the Lawrence Arts Center, if appropriate. 

Project Background. 

The sign permit application for this project was submitted to the Department of Planning and Development Services on September 10, 2010. The project is for a graphic design to be located on the north wall of the Lawrence Arts Center, at 940 New Hampshire.  The structure is owned by the City and the mural will be provided by the Arts Center.  The Arts Center also submitted some additional narrative information regarding its request. 

The City regulates signs through the sign code and also regulates murals as part of the sign regulations. As a piece of graphic art with this scale, the City doesn’t have a designated process for the consideration of the Arts Center’s proposal.  However, staff advised that the mural process would likely best fit the proposed project at the Arts Center. The mural review process calls for the review by the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission, in accordance with criteria set forth by the Cultural Arts Commission, and then approval by the City Commission.  Because the Arts Center is within the environs of a historic district, the Historic Resources Commission also provides comment and recommendation on the request.  Its comments will be provided under another staff memo after its meeting is held on Monday, October 25. 

Project Status.

The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission reviewed the proposed graphic design project at its October 13, 2010 meeting.  Attached are draft minutes from the meeting.  The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the City Commission approve the sign permit and the graphic design project as proposed by the Lawrence Arts Center. 

Action Requested.  The Lawrence Arts Cultural Commission recommends that the City Commission approve the proposed graphic design project and sign permit.