Amador County – The Amador County Planning Department set an Oct. 11 public hearing date for an appeal of the Amador County Planning Commission’s 3-2 approval lifting some conditions of approval for the exterior design of McDonald’s restaurant in Martell.

The Amador County Board of Supervisors will hold the public hearing at its first meeting in October. Planner Nate Lishman said the date was set, and no other appeals had been received by the office.

The appeal was filed by a group of a dozen citizens, including Jackson Vice Mayor Keith Sweet and Sutter Creek Mayor Tim Murphy. Lishman said the Planning Department also received a letter of support for the appeal from the Sutter Creek City Council.

The conditions of approval, dated Dec. 8, 1992, include 19 conditions, the 19th of which said “the exterior of the building will be designed so that the material has a wood, stone, or real brick appearance and that the colors are earthtones.” It noted that “this mitigation shall be monitored by the Planning Department.”

Former Supervisor Richard Vinson commented during the Board of Supervisors meeting Sept. 13, when they discussed a temporary directional sign ordinance, sought in part because of economic hard times. Vinson said he thought the whole sign controversy in Martell was resolved when they approved the Jack-in-the-Box sign. He said it dealt with flyover zoning for Amador County Airport, along with the sign’s height and lighting. He said “I thought that was all worked out at that time.”

The appeal, filed by former Amador Planning Commissioner Brian Jobson and Sweet, said they and the co-applicants “wish to retain and improve the scenic quality and historic character of Amador County.”

The Sutter Creek City Council letter, signed by Murphy, said the McDonald’s corporate image campaign proposed a “conversion of the existing facility into a bright red, white and yellow building.” Plans for the remodel project, submitted to Planning Department and Commissioners, did not have any bright red colors. The color appeared to more closely resemble the exterior paint color of the Amador County administration building.

Sutter Creek’s letter said the colors “would be a step backward in our County’s continuing efforts to retain and in some cases, regain the unique local character we all value.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.