6.5. SR 4-15-2002City ~
River
Item ~6; 5.
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Mayor and City Council
Scott Harlicker, Senior Planne~
April I S, 2002
SUBJECT:
Case No. CU 02-10
Request by Checker Auto Parts for Conditional Use Permit
For Signage
Request
Consider a request by Checker Auto Pans for a conditional use permit to allow a second wall
sign and to exceed 128 square feet of total sign area.
Location
508 Freeport Avenue; Lot 5, Block 1, Elk River Plaza 2nd Addition
Zonini~/Land Use
PUD (Planned Unit Development) / HB (Highway Business)
Attachments
Location map
Site plan
Building elevation with proposed sign
Photo of existing sign
Overview
Background
The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit to allow a second wall sign and to
exceed 128 square feet of total sign area. They would like to place the sign on the rear of the
building facing Highway 169. The proposed sign is 4 feet tall by 30 feet long (120 sf.). There
Memo to Mayor and City Council/CU 01-10
April 15, 2002
Page 2
is an existing wall sign on the front of the building. On January 24, 2000 the applicant was
issued a sign permit for a 75 square foot sign for the front of the building and a permit to
install a new face on the 64 square foot freestanding sign.
On June 20, 1988 the City Council approved a sign package for this building that included
the existing freestanding sign and 128 square feet of wall signage for each occupant on any
side of the building. The applicant is seeking to amend this package to allow 195 square feet
of signage and to put signs on 2 sides of the building. For comparison, the wall sign
requirement for the C3 (Highway Commercial District) is up to 3 signs totaling 2 square feet
of wall signage for every foot of linear building frontage. This occupant has 65 linear feet of
building frontage, which would permit 130 square feet of signage if the property were zoned
C3.
Analysis
Staff agrees with the applicant that a sign on the rear of the building is needed to identify the
business from Highway 169. The following other businesses in the center have made the
same argument and were allowed signs that faced the highway:
* Buffalo Wild Wings ......... 72 sf.
· Northstar Access ............ 40 sr.
* 1st Barber ..................... 35 sf.
· Mann Theaters
· The Gym ..................... 42 sf.
However, staff does have a concern with the size of the sign.
The existing wall sign on the front of the building is 3 feet tall by 25 feet long. If the square
footage of the existing sign (75 sf.) were subtracted from the maximum allowed (128 sf.), the
applicant would be allowed an additional 53 square feet of signage. The applicant is
proposing an additional 120 square feet of signage.
The total square footage for both signs would be 195 square feet which exceeds the
maximum allowed by 67 square feet or about 50%. A second wall sign slightly shorter than
the existing sign would be a more reasonable alternative. A sign 3 feet tall and 20 feet long
would be 60 square feet. This could be accomplished by reducing the size of the sign box;
the actual message of the sign and size of the letters and logo would be the same as the
existing sign. The total sign area for these two signs would be 135 square feet, exceeding the
maximum allowed by only 7 square feet.
A second alternative, and equally acceptable, would be to use individual letters. When
individual letters are used, the area is measured by drawing a square around the letters and
logo. The area of that square is then the square footage of the sign.
S:\PLANNING\Case Files\CU 02-10 Checker\CU02-10CC.doc
Memo to Mayor and City Council/CU 01-10
April 15, 2002
Page 3
Planning Commission Meeting
At the Planning Commission meeting held on March 26th, no one spoke at the public
hearing. The Commission discussed existing signage on the mall and for this business. They
agreed that signage on the rear of the building was needed and felt that a 60 square foot sign
is sufficient. When questioned, the applicant did not have a problem with the smaller sign.
Recommendation
The Planning Commission and staff recommend that the City Council approve the
conditional use permit for a wall sign on the rear of the building with the following
condition:
1. The square footage of the wall sign not exceed 60 square feet.
S:\PLANNING\Case Files\CU 02-10 Checker\CU02-10CC.doc
ELEMEI~TRY
SCHOOL
[" STREET
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SITE --~
STREET
River
Location Map
Case Number'. CU 02-10
CHECKER AUTO PARTS
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Existing 4'-0" x 30' SF wall sign
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