CITY FOCUS:Four designs on Surf City signs

After 105 years, Huntington Beach will get a makeover with new signs to welcome visitors and mark its boundaries.

The City Council approved $330,000 in funds for four different signs at seven locations on major roads leading into the city.

“There was not one single image that we could come up with to represent the city,” said Doug Traub, chief executive and president of the Huntington Beach Visitors Bureau.

The result is a set of four signs that would mark the city’s borders, reflect its personality and welcome visitors.

Designs include the iconic Huntington Beach Pier, a 14.5-foot tall surf board, one featuring three terns to be placed on Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue and a fourth design with the initials “HB.”

“The Bolsa Chica has been a big part of our culture and history,” said Councilman Keith Bohr said.

The recent opening of a tidal inlet reconnected the wetlands to the Pacific Ocean after a century of being closed off by duck hunters.

“We thought it was worth tipping our hats to the terns,” Bohr said.

All the signs will bear the “Surf City, USA” moniker, trademarked by the bureau.

“I think it came out really well,” said Bohr, who headed the committee in charge of the entry signs.

The committee received input from members of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Visitors Bureau, Huntington Beach Tomorrow, the planning commission, the art center and historical society, as well as residents.

“We had a lot of different tastes and preferences to narrow it down to just one design,” Bohr said.

Councilwoman Cathy Green voted against approving the signs. A uniform sign would help market the city better, she said.

Traub agreed: “It makes sense to have one sign at different locations, but it would not be fair to all the people who gave their input.”

Opinions were divided about what sign would represent Huntington Beach best.

“Some people believed adamantly in the environment, other people believed that the pier is the best-known icon of the city and there were others who believed in its surfing heritage,” Traub said.

The monument-type signs are slated to be erected in 2007.

The entry signs will be part of the bureau’s branding effort with the “Surf City, USA” trademark, which is reaping huge monetary rewards.

Since November 2004, the number of tourists visiting Huntington Beach has swelled, resulting in a 62% increase in hotel taxes, the bureau stated in a news release.

Hotel tax revenues grew to about $2.2 million, and the bureau estimates in the next three years it will increase up to $6 million to $10 million.

The design renderings portray the city as an upscale, hip community and will cost about $35,000 to $45,000 each.

The custom signs will be made of rust-proof material and will be fairly vandal- and graffiti-proof, which will add to the cost.

The large size of the signs will require some safety measures besides landscaping and lighting costs, Traub said.

The designs are artistic, but not art, city staff said.

After all, “one man’s art could be another man’s junk,” Bohr said.

Next in the works is replacing old signs for Huntington Beach on the 405 Freeway with new, more visible ones.

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