Tenants of the Monte Vista Plaza, which plays host to shops such as Amazing Nails and Spa and Dean’s Pizza, will soon be receiving a facelift as their signs will be several inches bigger to increase visibility from the road.    

While the Plaza was established in 2003, the amendment to its conditional use permit has long been a topic of conversation due to the small signage the tenants have in comparison to other shopping centers. Initially the permit allowed the largest, or ‘anchor’ tenant, a 36 inch wall sign with a logo up to 48 inches in height; the second largest, or ‘minor’ tenants, a 24 inch sign with a 36 inch logo; and the smallest or ‘shop’ tenants an 18 inch sign without a logo.

According to Turlock Senior City Planner Rose Stillo, one tenant, Farmers Insurance Agency, took the initiative to file for an amendment that would increase the size of all of the tenants' signs save for the anchor tenant. But why were the signs originally smaller than other local shopping center signs? According to Stillo, the City was aiming to scale back on the size and number of signs around Turlock at that time. 

 “We’re very careful about signage in the city because it can create a cluttered, overwhelming look making the appearance even offensive at times,” explained Stillo. “When signs are constantly competing with each other they begin to blend together and lose their effect.”

With the Planning Commission’s approval to increase the sign sizes at last week’s meeting, all tenant signs, save for the anchor tenant, will be increased by several inches brining the minor tenants and shop tenants’ signs to 30 inches allowing Monte Vista Plaza tenants and those passing by to benefit from increased visibility of the Plaza’s shops.