Regency Outdoor Advertising, Inc. v. City of West Hollywood

Regency Outdoor Advertising, Inc., appeals from the trial court’s order denying its petition for writ of mandate directing the City of West Hollywood to invalidate a zoning amendment because the city did not review the amendment’s environmental effects. We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In the mid-1990’s, West Hollywood adopted its specific plan for Sunset Boulevard to govern that street’s development. One of the plan’s goals was to spruce up bare walls on the sides of buildings. One way to relieve the visual monotony of blank walls was to place “tall wall signs” on them. For our purposes here, tall wall signs are illuminated outdoor advertising signs of at least 5,000 square feet.

Before 1998, the city did not allow tall wall signs on the sides of buildings with windows. In 1998, the city amended its zoning ordinance to allow tall wall signs where windows were less than 15 percent of the “image area.” The city intended the image area rule to mean no more than 15 percent of the sign could cover windows.

Appellant Regency Outdoor Advertising, Inc., is in the billboard and sign business. In 2000, the city permitted Regency to place a tall wall sign on the building…