06-24-1992 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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BELMONT PROPERTIES, INC. JAMES P. STELLICK PRESIDENT June 3, 1992 Kathy Glanzer City of Little Canada 515 Little Canada Road Little Canada, Mn. 55117 -1600 Dear Kathy, Yesterday I signed the Application for a sign variance regarding The Market Place shopping center which will be put on the June 11 Planning Commission agenda. This letter is to provide some background for that application. Snyder Bros. Drug has asked The Market Place for use of part of the pylon sign located on Rice Street in front of the Center. Rainbow Foods already has a large sign, and Snyder Bros. Drug, the second largest tenant in the Center, has no identification from the street. If the Snyder Bros. Drug store were a freestanding store, it would be permitted a rather large sign in view of the size of the store which is 15,000 square feet. While we have the right under the present ordinance to put up a second sign, this would not be very practical because of the relatively narrow site along Rice Street, and the problem of having two signs close together. The drawing that is attached to the Application shows the proposed sign modification that will give Snyder Bros. the exposure without a second sign. The present configuration of the sign is confusing because the sign identifying the name of the center is typically on top, with the major tenants listed below it. As of now, the Rainbow sign is on top, with The Market Place sign below it. This drawing shows a new can on top of the existing Rainbow insert that would read "The Market Place ". It is approximately 1.5' tall by 10' wide. Snyder Bros. would then use the existing The Market Place" sign for its own sign, as drawn. The net effect of this is an addition to the sign of 15 square feet. It seems to me that the present sign ordinance was not designed to take into effect the multi - tenant property larger than about 25,000 square feet. Once a center is over 25,000 feet, it no longer gets a larger sign allowance. The effect of this is that we are bound to the size signage of a 25,000 foot center while in fact being four times that large. This puts the tenants at a disadvantage relative to competition, and therefore puts the Center at a disadvantage because it does not get sufficient exposure. That fact is particularly critical in this Center because the stores do not face the street as is typical. Usually tenants must have sufficient signage to succeed, and presently most tenants of this center do not have it. The existing "Baby's Room" sign needs to be kept available for any future tenants. The Center presently has two 10,000 square foot vacancies and it would be virtually impossible for it to attract any new large tenant without being able to provide sign exposure on Rice Street. Given the fact that the Center is significantly larger than the largest size in the sign ordinance; the new signage would be more readable; and the primary beneficiary is a merchant that provides a valuable service to the community, I respectfully request a variance to allow the new signage. Sincerely, mes P. Stellick General Partner The Market Place Page 10 6600 CITY WEST PARKWAY. SUITE 130 • EDEN PRAIRIE. MN 55344 • (612) 943 -8820. (612) 942 -9419 FAX