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Tustin Corridor: City smashes business owner’s plan to use Incredible Hulk statue
June 4th, 2009, 5:22 pm · 38 Comments · posted by EUGENE W. FIELDS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The owner of an LA Boxing gym said Orange officials made him remove a statue of the Incredible Hulk he was using to promote his gym.
Bryson Miller bought the 9-foot-tall, 80-pound statue made out of polyurethane foam from a company that made 240 “The Incredible Hulk” statues as decorations for theaters showing the 2008 movie, starring Edward Norton.
Miller paid $7,000 for the statue, which now features the Hulk in boxing shorts and gloves bearing the LA Boxing logo.
Miller said the statue was on a trailer in the gym’s parking lot facing traffic along Tustin Street on Monday and Tuesday — before a code-enforcement officer made him remove it on Wednesday.
“I had contacted my landlord and he gave me approval,” Miller said. “He’s been here for a long time, so I assumed it would be no big deal.”
City spokesman Paul Sitkoff said the statue violates multiple zoning-code ordinances.
“Apparently besides from the sign regulations we have in the city, that shopping center also has a planned signage program,” Sitkoff said. “The fact that it takes up four parking spaces is also a problem. And it violates the size and location for signs.”
In an e-mail, Sitkoff said the height for portable signs is limited to 42 inches.
Miller said city officials told him the statue didn’t jell with the ambiance of the city.
Sitkoff said LA Boxing would have to have the shopping center’s sign program amended, as well as apply for a variance, or waiver, from the city.
“There are issues that would have to be addressed, such as that the business is already identified on the center’s free-standing sign,” Sitkoff said. “The Hulk statue doesn’t seem to be architecturally integrated into the center’s design.”
LA Boxing has been open for two years but has suffered along with other businesses during the recession, Miller said.
“I feel like its hard to run the business as it is with the economy,” he said. “The Hulk was going to make this do well.”
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(To see other stories in the Orange City Watch blog, about the happenings in the city, click here.)
(To go to the Register home page, click here.)
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Tustin, has bigger problems to worry about then a friggin statue.
The code enforcement officer should be a regular cop and patrol areas for grafitti and place tickets on illegally parked cars to increase revenue for the city…
c’mon Tustin, get real…
Omar reread article before you put your two cents in they are talking about the City of Orange…
That sucks!! It’s a great idea and good advertising. Hope you can work something out with the city.
The statue didn’t jell with the ambiance of the city. We have about 150 illegal alien day labors standing out in front of our business, which is an eye sore. Maybe we can get code enforcement to do something about it.
Bob, you may need to take your self back to your communist country, what you see is what you get when you get. ts the old same stuff. am sure mow your own lawn do all your labor work.haha
Amen !
I like the statue, he paid $7,000 dollars for it. Enjoy it and let it be. It is a great addition and promotes physical fitness!!!!!
Everyone knows the hulk is into grappling not boxing.
“LA Boxing has been open for two years but has suffered along with other businesses during the recession, Miller said.”
.
.
Your first mistake was renting from those landlords of yours, greedy bunch of they know who they are
God I hate it when the ‘stepford wives’ homeowners/business center associations piss on creative guys like this because of their own silly aesthetic vision.
I’ve always subscribed to the theory of valuing utility over aesthetics. A profitable business contributes to the tax revenue, while a vacant shop produces less. I hope the gym owner wins swift approval of his requests for waivers and his portable Hulk wins a place in view of traffic. Some codes should be rolled back for a 36 month grace period. Economic recovery depends on it. More business drives employment, and we all know wages are spent locally.
“…city officials told him the statue didn’t jell with the ambiance of the city.”
Ummm, it’s Orange…maybe if the statue had a broken arm, Brady Bunch colors from the 70s, and holding up some not-so-sophisticated craftsman style (which is an east coast thing by the way) rafters then maybe it would pass muster.
Insane. This is an example of how we are destroying the free enterprise system. The OWNER of the lot assented to allowing the statue, but the GOVERNMENT forced him to take it down.
We need to WAKE UP. Our republic is in danger…
Reagan was correct when he said government’s philosophy is, ““If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And If it stops moving,
subsidize it.”
Why not try freedom again???
I hate the one in fullerton! they are a bunch of thugs! When I parked in their precious parking lot to drop someone off there, they ran out and screamed and threatened to call the police on me! I was like, dude’s chill, I am dropping a customer of yours off.
Maybe the city could buy the statue and scare the people into avoiding the council meetings.
put the big guy on the roof
So this is “front page” news on the OCR??? Nice job as usual.
I feel for you Bryson, but you should always check with the city first.
City councils are a pain in the backside. HB has the worst… They love playing the power game.
Signage does need to be controlled, but how about if he is allowed to put it up for ‘occasions’ as in membership drives, and takes it inside otherwise.
It’s hard enough for small businesses in this economy. Would they rather have an empty building and no tax revenue?
Nobody ever said you have to be bright or creative to be on the city council.
AND as for the design issues, council members should not be the ones to judge that.
“The statue didn’t jell with the ambiance of the city”
And who determines that? I’ll bet if a council member had an interest in the business they’d find a way to get a variance at least.
This Incredible Hulk statue will bring nothing but drugs and prostitution to our community.
“The Hulk statue doesn’t seem to be architecturally integrated into the center’s design”.
LOL! We should put the governmental personnel in charge of Hollywood marketing teams so they can come up with some sort of superhero that is shaped like a box, is tan or off-white, and boring as hell! Then maybe a future super-hero can be easily “architecturally integrated” into a design of any city center
Hey, the city could adopt a Gamma Ray distribution program. I’m sure over time the city’s ambiance would more readily accommodate the acceptance of a Hulk statue!
Nevertheless, this quote made my day!
Didn’t “gell” with the ambiance of the city . The city doesn’t “gell ” with the freedom we are suppose to have in this country.If the figure was a provable hazard ,then the city might have a point but if not…..go stick you code enforcement up your ………………..!!
A $7,000 ‘Punch Drunk’ idea down the drain.
Business is hurting, but I bought $7000 ugly statue…
Haha, seriously. He should’ve spent some of that on shampooing the carpets. I feel like i’d get athletes foot just looking at it now.
The ambiance of the city? Maybe he should have put up a statue of a gangbanger
The owner should tell the city: “Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
I’m here to comfort you if you need it, Bryson.
Welcome to the new Police States of America. Where the government will dictate every aspect of your business and your life.
Put it on the roof of the building.
A statue is not a sign. it’s not a sidewalk sandwich sign. Nobody is waving the Hulk at passing cars. What about countless “inflatable” zepellins, gorillas, balloons, and figurines used to draw attention to everything from stores to car dealerships? Are they subject to code approval?
Nor is it on public property. The last I checked, aesthetics is subjective and a value judgment. No one is forcing anyone to look at it. Would a parking lot sale need city approval?
Where in the code does it say that such a statue is a “sign” and subject to city approval? It has no lettering. It’s just a statue. The gym I used to go to had a gorilla that said “World Gym” and was their trademark. Who cares?
Now some cars and vans have magnetic signs or lettereing and are rolling advertising. Are they subject to ever-vigilant code-enforcement approval? Of course not. They’re vehicles. What if some city official doesn’t like my car, or the van with the name of my donut shop parked out front? It’s none of his business.
The larger issue is why the owner needs “permission” to park a trailer on private property. Because some bureaucrat got a bee up his butt?
Down with local government regulators squashing our freedom to have tacky oversized Hulk statues and giant air blown novelty tube men in front of every business in town.
“Miller said city officials told him the statue didn’t jell with the ambiance of the city.”??
The ambiance of the city is old people who can’t drive. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is what it is.
My son attends the gym in Orange. The City of Orange has some of the most rediculous ordinances. Good luck buddy.
“The fact that it takes up four parking spaces is also a problem. ”
Really? Give me a break, that parking lot is big…and no one is in Pepperland!
Attach the trailer to a truck and move it every few hours, then parking enforcement & code enforcement will have field day.
Don’t make me mad…. You wouldn’t like me when I’m mad
It takes parking space??? this parking lot is close to being a ghost town – and what about the statue’s that were on the sidewalk at the Orange circle for years-what some are ok and others are not. Orange officials need to focus on priorities, don’t make our tax dollars look like a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How is the canon in front of city hall aesthectically compatible to the 60 style builidngs, next to the 70′s wood sided fasade for the city parks and recreation bulding. What about tearing down butt ugly old earls grill that has been empty forever. The stripmall in question needs a complete overhall, but is still fully functionally and should not be forced to do so.
Wait what about the extremely outdated, outragous, “massage” sign at the old J&B Auto parts store that I have to look at 24 hours a day. How does this sign escape the tustin corridor sign requirements. What a lovely sign to mark the entrance to our wonderful residential neigborhood.