community design element CD-6: Community Design Features

Only areas below are considered part of the General Plan.

Community Design Features

Menifee's landscaping, lighting, and signage are all critical community design amenities that, when designed and integrated well, can greatly strengthen the city's sense of place. Landscaping is used to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of streetscapes, outdoor spaces, and buildings. Lighting is necessary to encourage nighttime activity and ensure pedestrian safety; however, lighting must be addressed strategically to ensure it accomplishes its job while avoiding negative impacts of excess light. Like landscaping, signage is also a highly visible component of the city's visual character. Clear, well-designed, and appropriately scaled signage can add character and visual interest to the community or a particular project, as well as aid circulation and movement between and within areas.

Goal

• CD-6: Attractive landscaping, lighting, and signage that conveys a positive image of the community.

Landscaping

• CD-6.1: Recognize the importance of street trees in the aesthetic appeal of residential neighborhoods and require the planting of street trees throughout the city.
• CD-6.2: Ensure that all public landscaping is adequately maintained.
• CD-6.3: Require property owners to maintain the existing landscape on developed nonresidential sites and replace unhealthy or dead landscaping.

Lighting

• CD-6.4: Require that lighting and fixtures be integrated with the design and layout of a project and that they provide a desirable level of security and illumination.
• CD-6.5: Limit light leakage and spillage that may interfere with the operations of the Palomar Observatory.
• CD-6.6: Encourage the incorporation of lighting into signage design when appropriate in order to minimize glare and light spillage while accentuating the design of the signage.

Signage

• CD-6.7: Integrate project signage into the architectural design and character of new buildings.
• CD-6.8: Discourage the use of flashing, moving, or audible signs.