As Council is aware, there was a mural constructed on the western wall of the building located at 5404 Main Street. The mural infuses the words "Welcome to New Port Richey" and various images from the City's rich history. Unfortunately the applicant, Nicholas Petrantoni, did not submit a request for permission to create a mural before the mural was constructed. If that had been the case, the mural, albeit very appealing and a vibrant welcome to the city, would have had to be denied as the text of the mural exceeds the allotted 2% as outlined in Section 7.22.04 of the City's Code of Ordinances, a copy of which is attached for reference.
In order to attempt to meet the provisions of the mural ordinance, Mr. Petrantoni finally submitted his proposal which outlined the theme, size specifications for the mural and the materials that were used for mural on March 15, 2023. Staff then forwarded the proposal to the New Port Richey Main Street Design Committee for their review and recommendation per the City's Code of Ordinances. The New Port Richey Main Street Design Committee recommended in favor of approving the mural without deference to the City's ordinance.
At this point, the mural is in violation of the City's ordinance therefore the request is for the City Council to determine whether or not they want to amend the ordinance to allow for more text area on murals.
Should the consensus of Council be that the mural should remain on the building as is, then an amendment to the current mural ordinance would need to be drafted by the City Attorney. If that is the case, then once the amendment has been adopted, this proposal will be brought back before City Council for formal approval. If it is not the consensus of City Council that the mural ordinance should be amended then the mural will remain in violation of the ordinance.