DATE: October 7, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: OVERHEAD ARCHWAY MONUMENT PROJECT PRESENTATION OF REFINED DESIGN CONCEPTS AND REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL INPUT
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council receive a presentation on the Overhead Archway Monument project and provide input prior to advancing to the next steps.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
On April 8, 2026, the City Council approved a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Graphic Solutions, Ltd., for analysis, design, and construction management services for the Overhead Archway Monument project, which will establish a gateway landmark for Downtown Oceanside in advance of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
To guide the design process, City staff convened a Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) comprised of representatives from MainStreet Oceanside, the Oceanside Historical Society, Visit Oceanside, the Oceanside CA Cultural District, the Oceanside Arts Commission, the Downtown Advisory Committee, the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, and the Graphic Solutions team. These organizations bring experience with local branding, community identity, and the use of branding and visual elements within Oceanside’s built environment. The SAC serves as an advisory group to provide broad input on identity, design, and outreach, but does not function as a final decision-making body. It’s important to note that the SAC does not supplement the need for broad community input which will take place in the weeks ahead, as further described below. Following the next stage of community engagement, the City Council is expected to make the final decision on design.
To date, the SAC has convened twice. The first meeting introduced the project and focused on Oceanside’s historical and current branding and identity elements. The second meeting included the review of various sign concepts, refined these concepts and narrowed them for further dev...
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