Agenda - Council - 05/31/2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

CC Regular Session Meeting Date: 05/31/2011 By: Jo Thieling, Administrative Services 7. 3. Title: Request for a Conditional Use Permit to Exceed Sign Size Restrictions at 7231 Sunwood Dr NW; Case of Allina Medical Clinic. Background: The City received an application on May 4, 2011 from Allina Medical Clinic requesting a conditional use permit to exceed sign size restrictions for the new Allina Medical Clinic building located at 7231 Sunwood Drive NW. The proposed signage includes multiple wall signs, a monument sign and two directional signs. Notification: In accordance with State statute, Staff attempted to notify property owners within 350 feet of the subject property of the public hearing via Standard US Mail. The Public Hearing was also noticed in the Anoka County Union, the City's official newsletter for public notices. Observations: The COR zoning district sign regulations, excluding the COR-2 subdistrict, have distinctly different architectural standards than those for the general Business and Employment zoning districts within the community. These regulations were developed with the intention of applying them to the central areas of The COR where there will be many multi -tenant buildings, with each individual tenant having very limited frontage. Consistent with all sign regulations in the City, the City has built in flexibility in its sign regulations through the use of the CUP process. The site is located in the COR-3 zoning district, which restricts wall -mounted signs to a maximum of five percent (5%) of the ground floor building facade area or twenty-four (24) square feet, whichever is less (in this case, twenty-four [24] square feet would be the maximum allowable area per City Code). Furthermore, lettering, numbers, and graphics are restricted to a maximum height of twelve (12) inches. One freestanding sign, not exceeding six (6) square feet in area nor six (6) feet in height, is permitted within the COR-3 zoning district. Finally, one directional sign, facing a rear parking lot, is permitted. Businesses with frontage on more than one public road are allowed the permitted sign criteria for each street frontage. The applicant's sign package proposal includes two (2) wall signs, a monument sign (mounted on one of the sitting walls) and two directional signs. Both the wall and monument signage consist of brushed aluminum, flat cut letters and graphics and will be externally lit (either up -lit or down -lit). Proposed letter height of the wall signage ranges from six (6) inches to fourteen and three quarters (14.75) inches and the proposed logo would be thirty-six (36) inches in height. The 'primary' wall sign would total approximately thirty-seven and a half (37.5) square feet and the 'secondary' wall sign would total approximately eleven (11) square feet, resulting in a total of forty-eight and a half (48.5) square feet of wall signage. Originally, the monument sign included a logo similar in size to that of the 'primary' wall sign (close to thirty-six [36] inch height) and an area of approximately thirty-two (32) square feet. But, based on discussion with the Planning Commission, the applicant reduced the proposed monument signage to a twenty-three (23) inch tall logo, letter heights ranging from four (4) to ten (10) inches, and an area of approximately twenty-five (25) square feet. However, the applicant has since informed Staff that their preference would be to pursue a logo height of thirty (30) inches, which was the maximum allowable height recommended by the Planning Commission. The request also includes two (2) double-faced, non -illuminated directional signs. Each sign is approximately three and three quarters (3.75) square feet in area and will be mounted to a six (6) foot tall post. The proposed signage would help direct traffic movement within the parking area.