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Home My WebLink AboutZ-7524 Staff AnalysisOctober 27, 2003 ITEM NO.: 9 File No.: Z-7524 Owner: Market Row LLC Address: 323 President Clinton Avenue Description: South side of President Clinton Avenue, between Cumberland and Rock Streets Zoned: UU Variance Requested; Variances are requested from the sign provisions of Section 36-353 and 36-557 to allow a wall sign without direct street frontage and which does not conform to the River Market District standards. Justification: Present Use of Property Proposed Use of Property: STAFF REPORT A. Public Works Issues: No Comments. B. Staff Analysis: The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter. Commercial Commercial The UU zoned property at 323 President Clinton Avenue is occupied by a two-story brick commercial building. The ground floor is occupied by The Flying Saucer restaurant. There is a parking lot immediately east of the building, between it and Rock Street. The restaurant is proposing a sign to be painted on the east wall of the building with the words "Flying Saucer Draught Emporium Est. 1998". There is also a silhouette of a finger pointing downward that is considered part of that same sign. There are 2 signs for the business already in place. The sign over the front door has a sign permit #19963 issued October 27, 2003 ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont. 5/15/98. There is a sign on the front door that does not have a sign permit. The sign is proposed to be a sign without street frontage. The sign is composed of two parts: the first being the rectangular sign the words "Flying Saucer Draught Emporium Est. 1998" and the second being a large hand with a finger pointing to the entrance. The text portion of the sign will be in colors of maroon, green and gold. There are five (5) variances sought for the proposed signage. The current ordinance language is in bold. 1. Section 36-353(a)(1)d. Signs shall not be painted directly on the face of the building. The applicant proposes to paint the sign on the east side of the building. 2. Section 36-353(c)(1)a. Except as permitted in Sec. 36-353(2), the maximum sign height on a building shall not extend above the second floor window sill or above the overhang of a single story building. This sign is proposed to be above the window sill of the second story window. 3. Section 36-353(c)(2)a. Signs shall not exceed one quarter of a square foot of sign area for each linear foot of primary street building frontage, not exceeding 25 square feet per sign. The text part of the sign has total dimensions of 10'-0" wide and 12'-3" tall which is 122.5 square feet of face. The hand measures 7'-0" tall and 31" across for a gross area of 13.25 square feet. For calculations purpose, the height of the sign was calculated from the top of the cuff to the bottom of the knuckles. This sign, in two parts, has a total square footage of 135.75 square feet. With 53 feet of frontage, the maximum wall sign size allowed for their business is 13.25 square feet. The maximum wall sign size allowed in the district is 25 square feet. 4. Section 36-353(c)(3)a. Letters shall not exceed V-6" in height. The size of the letters are more than the ordinance allows. The "F" and the "S" are 36 inches tall, the "y" is 33 inches tall, the "aucer" is 2 October 27, 2003 ITEM NO.: 9 (Co 26" tall. The words "Draught Emporium" are 15" tall and the "EST. 1998" range from 12" to 14" tall. 5. Section 36-557(a) All on -premises wall signs must face required street frontage except in complexes where a sign without street frontage would be the only means of identification for a tenant. The proposed sign is located on the east side of the building which is adjacent to a parking lot (separate ownership) and not a street right-of- way. The River Market Design Review Committee met on September 2, 2003 and reviewed the requested variances associated with the proposed sign. The DRC voted 3 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent and 1 recusal to recommend approval of the variances. (See attached letter from DRC). Staff supports variances 1, 2 and 5 as noted above. Staff has no problem with sign being painted directly on the side of the building, and above the second floor window sill. Staff also has no problem with the sign being located on a side of the building without public street frontage. Staff feels that the style and antique appearance of the sign will fit well in the River Market District. However, staff feels that the overall size of the sign as proposed is too large for this pedestrian -oriented district. Staff feels that the text portion of the sign should be reduced to no more than 60 square feet (122.5 square feet proposed), and that the hand portion should be reduced accordingly (approximately 7 square feet). Staff feels that the larger sign is more intended for vehicular traffic, and that a smaller sign would be more pedestrian -oriented and come closer to meeting the intent for signage in the River Market District. C. Staff Recommendations: Staff recommends denial of the requested variances, as filed. Staff recommends approval of the requested variances, subject to the following conditions: 1. The maximum sign area for the text portion of the sign must not exceed 60 square feet. 2. The maximum sign area for the hand portion of the sign must not exceed 7 square feet. 3. A sign permit must be obtained for the sign and any other unpermitted signs for the business. K October 27, 2003 ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont. BOARDOF ADJUSTMENT: (OCTOBER 27, 2003) Tim Heiple was present, representing the application. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item with a recommendation of denial, as filed. Staff noted that the variances would be supported if the overall size of the sign were reduced by 50 percent. Tim Heiple addressed the Board in support of the application. He noted that the sign was a wall mural and that it was a historically appropriate sign. He noted that the River Market DRC had approved signs above the second story window sill in the past. He stated that he was willing to compromise on the size of the sign. He noted that he would reduce the area of the letters/text (not including the painted edges of the sign) to approximately 45 square feet, eliminating the wording "Draught Emporium" from the sign. Andrew Francis asked if there would be any sign lighting on the side of the building. Mr. Heiple stated that would not be any lighting. There was additional discussion related to the size of the proposed sign and the sign location. Fred Gray stated that he once had a financial interest in the building at 323 President Clinton Avenue, but that was no longer the case. There was additional discussion related to the proposed sign. Terry Burrus stated that he liked the idea of the type of sign and the artwork associated with the sign. He stated that a 50 percent reduction in the sign size was too much. Mr. Heiple stated that the sign could be reduced by 30 percent. There was additional discussion regarding this issue. Mr. Heiple revised the application as follows: 1. The maximum sign area (upper component) will be 85 square feet (10 feet by 8.5 feet). 2. The wording "Draught Emporium" will be eliminated from the sign. The remaining wording will remain the same size as originally proposed. 3. The hand/finger component of the sign will have a maximum height of seven (7) feet. 4 October 27, 2003 ITEM NO.: 9 4. Sign permits will be obtained for all signage. There was a motion to approve the revised application with the conditions as noted above. The motion passed by a vote of 5 ayes and 0 nays. The revised application was approved. 5 September 2, 2003 ITEM NO.: 1 t:�]Z Name: Flying Saucer Location: 323 President Clinton Avenue Request: Sign permit Source: Tim Heiple, Weidower Architects PROPOSAL / REQUEST: The proposal is for a sign to be placed on the east wall of the building with the words "Flying Saucer Draught Emporium Est. 1998". There is also a silhouette of a finger pointing downward that is considered part of that same sign. There are 3 signs for the business already in place. The sign over the front door has a sign permit #19963 issued 5/15/98. There is a sign on the front door that does not have a sign permit. The last sign is a sign hung from the awning that does not have a sign permit either. The sign is proposed to be a sign without street frontage. The sign is composed of two parts: the first being the rectangular sign with the words "Flying Saucer Draught Emporium Est. 1998" and the second being a large hand with a finger pointing to the entrance. The text portion of the sign will be in colors of maroon, green and gold. ANALYSIS OF ORDINANCE AND VARIANCES SOUGHT There are four variances sought for the proposed signage. The current ordinance language is in bold. (3) Signs located on or facing Markham Street, Commerce Street, Rock Street, Sherman Street, Cumberland Street and Second Street. (A) Location. 1. Except as permitted in Sec. 36-353 (2), the maximum sign height on a building shall not extend above the second floor window sill or above the overhang of a single story building. This sign is proposed to be above the window sill of the second story window. 2. Signs shall not number more than three (3) per business. Currently, the business has 3 signs, one of which is non -conforming. See above Currently, statements concerning number of signs. (B) Appearance. 1. Signs shall not exceed one quarter of a square foot of sign area for each linear foot of primary street building frontage, not exceeding 25 square feet per sign. The text part of the sign has total dimensions of 10'-0" wide and 12'-3" tall which is 122.5 square feet of face. The finger measures 7'-0" tall and 31" across for a gross area of 13.25 square feet. For calculations purposes, the height of the sign was calculated from the top of the cuff to the bottom of the knuckles. This sign, in two parts, has a total square footage of 135.75 square -feet_ With 53 feet of frontage, the maximum wall sign size for their business is 13.25 square feet. The maximum wall sign size in the district is 25 square feet. (C) Lettering. f' 1. Letters shall not exceed V-6" in height The size of the letters are more than the ordinance allows. The "F" and the "S" are 36 inches tall, the "y" is 33 inches tall, the "aucer" is 26" tall. The words "Draught Emporium" are 15" tall and the "EST. 1998" range from 12" to 14" tall. Above is an elevation of the second floor of the building with proposed signage. Above is an illustration of the text portion of the signage. Below are existing conditions. Wall where sign is proposed. 1. Existing sign with ATM on back and Flying Saucer on front. The DRC ordinance states "Signs sha.l.l- be confined to the flat surface of the building and shall not project more thari`fve (5) inches from`the building facade." This sign is not mounted on the flat'`surface of the building but suspended from a horizontal arm of the awning support. This sign is non -conforming and should be removed or the applicant apply to the DRC for approval. •—,y C i'L11t sl�lnl,3Jilrrr Si�ei rs.af Opcnlloa ' ij I _ I .a'H i T-P�-1iyl�lf IAM . 5 Lkm.. +q � I jj i-r.l7SRf11Ck DOOM � iVl �. I 1...•.. fir.. i i .�