New Designs in Play for Rancho Bernardo Welcome Sign

Inspired by—but dissatisfied with—Refresh RB's welcome sign recommendation, some residents have inked their own designs that are set to go before a community committee next month.

At issue is not just the recommended design itself but that it was chosen without a public vote. So far, three designs have been put forth as challengers to the "compromise" design the Refresh RB Committee unanimously selected last week.

The committee opted for the compromise design—blending elements of the two options—after it became apparent the public runoff had been overrun by repeat voters. Over two weeks, more than 6,400 votes were cast in the online runoff, compared to only about 800 during a month-long first round vote.

The compromise adds a portion of the tile roof in the traditional option to the top of the contemporary design, which received the most votes. The compromise was circulated among Refresh RB members and the RB Community Council for informal input during the runoff but was not voted on by the community.

The compromise design is set to go before the Rancho Bernardo Planning Board on April 21, its chair said this week, but the RB Community Council won't vote on it until at least May.

The current plan for choosing a design calls for both groups to sign off on the recommendation before it is forwarded to the city for final approval and implementation.

Community Council protocol requires the design to first go before the Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) Committee, which can then make a recommendation to the council, said Robin Kaufman, head of the council.

MAD had already held its April meeting before Refresh RB made its recommendation, and the issue is not so urgent as to require a special meeting this month, Kaufman said.

The Council was split on the compromise design when it was informally circulated during the runoff.

But now the compromise design will be on the table along with at least three other designs submitted by people in the community, Kaufman said. With Refresh RB choosing a design the community did not vote on, some have felt that they, too, should now be able to suggest a new design, she said.

One design extends the tile roof across the entire contemporary design; another reshapes the middle portion of the structure from a wave to a rounded look.

The Council is open to these suggestions, Kaufman said. MAD could recommend the compromise design, one of the new choices, or none at all.

It is unclear what the next step will be if the Community Council and Planning Board do not agree on which design should be forwarded to the city. There is no set deadline for picking a new design.

The former welcome sign was destroyed by a motorist. The Refresh RB Committee was created with representatives from various community groups to help figure out how residents and business owners want the new sign to look.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter @RBPatch.