Artist Chris Cott has replaced the Mission Beach sign with a newer, more colorful version on the north side of West Mission Bay Drive, near the Bahia Hotel. Twenty years ago, Cott received a request by the Mission Beach Town Council to design and make a Mission Beach sign. That sign became weathered, so he recently built and painted a bright new sign to replace the old one. “The sign was battered by the weather conditions in the beach area and it had to be replaced,” said Cott. “It is nice to improve the community in any level and I get a lot of compliments on it,” said Cott. He is a former Mission Beach resident and he fondly remembers his time in Mission Beach. Cott owned Chris’ Custom Airbrush business on the boardwalk of Mission Beach for 24 years. He is now working on location and is decorating bars and restaurants in San Diego. He is also working with removing graffiti from the streets and is making signs. When Cott designed the Mission Beach sign 20 years ago, he wanted it to reflect the Mission Beach community.
“I wanted to capture some of the elements of Mission Beach. The pelicans and the palm trees. The sign is symbolic to Mission Beach I think,” said Cott.