Call it the icing on the cake.
The Point Loma Association plans to add a “gateway” sign leading to the Point Loma Village business district, designed to boost the area’s already festive ambiance.
The sign, to be placed on the median south of the intersection of Rosecrans and Lytton streets, will be the latest enhancement to the area. In 2022, the PLA installed the Village Lights, a canopy of lights strung across two blocks of Rosecrans between Talbot and Canon streets. That project also includes pavers and plaques to commemorate local residents, sites and donors.
The concept for the sign was shared with PLA through its digital newsletter and social media platforms and was presented at the group’s annual gala.
JT Barr, managing partner of the association, said the idea for the sign resulted from a discussion with the board and PLA . When they were asked what visual enhancement they would like to see, a gateway sign rose to the top of the list.
The planned sign’s cursive font “evokes the rich history of Point Loma while creating brand consistency between all our community gateways,” Barr said. “The lettering rests on an oversized historic acorn light fixture. The light fixture draws inspiration from the Loma Portal community of Point Loma, whose residential streets are adorned with historic streetlights in their intersections. Collectively, the light pole structure and ‘Point Loma’ lettering work in concert to create an elegant gateway into our community.”
The location choice is strategic. “Point Loma already has existing entry signs at Nimitz Boulevard and Harbor Drive,” Barr said. “Rosecrans Street is the last remaining prominent avenue into the Point Loma community that does not have some kind of monument that reinforces a sense of arrival.”
Barr said the Point Loma Association anticipates the cost will be about $500,000 and expects to fund the project through community donations.
The sign is in the final design and engineering phase, and the association will submit plans to the city of San Diego for permitting in coming months.
Once the plans are approved by the city, the association will seek bids from contractors that specialize in manufacturing and installing gateway signs.
The sign is planned to be installed by next spring.
