11-06-1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View Planning Commission November 6, 1996 ID Regular Meeting Page 10 Commission that the applicant is now proposing monument signage and a 50' high, 430 square foot identification sign. Signs existing at the Mendota and Crystal centers were reviewed and were noted to be similar to the request being made by the applicant. Director Sheldon went on to explain that once you lower the sign, even to 50 feet, you cannot see it over the bridge, so from Staffs perspective, you have started to lose the connection between the bridge and the need for a variance. She expressed a concern that granting a variance for a sign of this size would set a precedent, and lead to other shopping centers requesting this type of signage whether there is a bridge or not. She suggested a couple of possible ways to address this issue: S one being to amend our sign regulations to recognize that a shopping center of this size may need more signage than we allow; the other being, the applicant could request a variance for the monument signage at the driveway entrances based on the impact of the bridge, and have a pylon sign of a size that meets the City's code. She explained that another possibility could be to amend our Code to allow for a "sign package" which would allow the shopping center customized sign regulations which would need to be approved by the Planning Commission. She further explained that another possibility would be to grant a "floating box" of signage from the top of the railing up to the 75 feet, with a condition on the variance that the bridge must be built and the City have six months in which to update our sign regulations. If the Sign Code is changed to allow the signage, the "floating box" could not be used. Director Sheldon suggested that perhaps the Planning Commission could table • this item until a firmer proposal is made and more information is obtained from the applicant.