After years of planning, the City of La Center took a major step toward installing a city sign near Interstate 5. On Wednesday, May 14, the City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 2025-01, revising the city’s sign regulations and finalizing a development agreement with Minute Management LLC that allows for a new entrance sign to be placed at the northeast corner of La Center Road and the northbound I-5 on/off ramp.
The ordinance reduces the required distance for freeway business complex signs from 500 feet to 50 feet from the La Center Road centerline, a change needed to ensure the new sign will be visible to drivers exiting the freeway. During the early stages of this project, Bryan Kast of Crescent Design & Engineering, formerly the city’s public works director, presented the ordinance to the Council.
“This agreement with Minute Management has been in the works for well over a year at this point,” Kast said. “The original conversation was working together... to have them put up a business complex sign for their businesses... and then also a separate sort of complimentary sign that matches the style that would be the city sign.”
The city’s new sign will include an electronic reader board capable of sharing emergency updates, community alerts, and promotional messages for local events.
“One of the examples that came up was... when we had the fires and evacuation notices,” Kast said, referring to the city’s 2023 fire evacuation. “But [including] any message that the public needs, as well as welcoming people and kind of getting them to come down into downtown.”
To secure the sign’s location, the city will purchase a 400-square-foot piece of land at the junction for $14,000, based on its appraised value. In addition, the agreement includes a swap of about 350 square feet of right-of-way between the city and Minute Management to support both the future roundabout in the area and the placement of a private Shell station sign.
“There will be no budget impacts for that, and similarly, no budget impacts for the sign code update,” Kast confirmed.
Public comment during the hearing expressed both support and concern. Resident Al Phillip questioned the long timeline for the project and what it might signal for others trying to work with the city.
“If it’s this hard for the city to get something done, what if it’s some private developer trying to negotiate whatever?” Phillip said. “Right now it seems like... It’s ridiculous.”
Mayor Tom Strobehn responded that the delay was due in part to negotiations with the private landowner. He noted that the city has had the sign on its budget since at least 2019. He confirmed the sign’s total cost is estimated to be under $100,000 with The Reflector.
The vote to approve the ordinance passed unanimously. The land purchase and sign construction will be addressed in a future council decision.
