Those eye-catching, colossal building wraps that suddenly appear during Comic-Con are costing some downtown businesses thousands of dollars in fines. For some, the penalties are just the price of doing business.
TV and film studios over the years have been paying fees in the tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of advertising their productions on building facades during Comic-Con’s four-day run this week. Trouble is, the expansive ments aren’t allowed under the city’s sign ordinance.
Last year, four entities — the Hard Rock Hotel, Petco Park, Tin Fish and The New Children’s Museum — were issued violation notices by the city and eventually fined $10,000 each for not complying with the sign regulations, which expressly prohibit building wraps, according to the city of San Diego.
Despite those code violations, the Hard Rock, Petco and Tin Fish are once again covering their facades this week with ads promoting TV network productions, including NBC’s “Emerald City” and ABC’s “Designated Survivor.”
The city’s prohibition of building wraps does not apply to hotels like the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and San Diego Bayside Hilton, which sit on leased state tidelands governed by the San Diego Unified Port District. Because they are subject to the port’s own rules for temporary signs and not the city’s, they are able to get permission to paper their facades with ads. Both are advertising TV shows for this year’s Comic-Con.
“The port can do it, no problem, so it doesn’t seem fair and equitable that across the street you can do it, but not on the other side of the street,” said Dan Kaplan, general manager of the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, which last year featured building ads promoting Lego Dimensions and the Syfy series, “The Expanse.”
Syfy will be finishing up its transformation of the hotel’s restaurant, Maryjane’s Diner, on Wednesday, he said. He expects there will be some kind of building wrap.
“We already committed to these companies to be able to do this, so we just accept we’ll get fined,” he said. “It’s a part of the whole Comic-Con experience. People expect it and love it, and we have people coming every year to see what it is going to be.”
But the law is the law, says Michelle Sokolowski, program manager for San Diego’s development services department. A team of code enforcement investigators have been walking the downtown area, advising businesses of the sign regulations and what they can and cannot do, she said.
For those who do violate the city’s municipal code, daily fines ranging from $250 to $2,500 can be assessed by a civil hearing officer, Sokolowski said.
“Part of our process is to educate people as to what the regulations are and give them a chance to voluntarily comply,” she said. “All of that is done before it gets to the step of fines or formal notices issued. I’m very hopeful everyone re from last year and we don’t end up in this situation again. That would be great.”
Businesses that are accepting advertising on their buildings won’t discuss what they’re being paid, but in a 2011 interview, the bayfront Hilton said it was paid $70,000 by Universal Pictures two years in a row to promote two of its films.
The Padres on Tuesday declined to comment on the Petco Park Comic-Con advertising, which this year will showcase “Designated Survivor.”
Mike Brown, owner of the Tin Fish restaurant, which occupies a high-profile location directly across from the Convention Center, did not want to comment on why he’s choosing to again wrap his building during Comic-Con but said he would like to push next year for a change in the city’s sign regulations.
“Yeah, we got fined, but we don’t think it’s right,” said Brown, whose restaurant is being enveloped with a fabric wrap promoting “Emerald City. “I think the city should change the sign ordinance. It helps enhance Comic-Con and it helps decorate the city. But we will get fined, I can tell you that.”
Unlike the Tin Fish, Hard Rock and Petco, the Children’s Museum will not be doing any exterior advertising tied to Comic-Con this week, said CEO Judy Forrester. Although the Nerd HQ will take over the museum as it did last year, all the branding will be inside.
“We’re in full compliance,” she said. “It’s important for us to be a good partner with the city.”
Meanwhile, the Marriott Marquis is looking forward to the attention and revenue it will accrue from its gargantuan wrap promoting the Conan O’Brien show, which will be broadcasting live from Comic-Con.
“Each year we get approval, and I’ve never been refused,” said general manager Tuni Kyi. “We make a lot of money and it beautifies the building. It looks good as you drive by, and it helps the image of Harbor Drive.”
Comic-Con fun [email protected] (619) 293-2251 Twitter: @loriweisberg
