PL PACKET 12161997 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

STAFF REPORT DATE: December 16, 1997 TO: Planning Commission Members FROM: Kim Moore-Sykes, Management Assistant ITEM: 97-12 -- Petition for Sign Variance for Valvoline Instant Oil Change, 3701 Silver Lake Road. BACKGROUND: City Staff have received a request for a variance to the Sign Ordinance from Betsy Jensen, Crosstown Sign, for the Valvoline Instant Oil Change service station. Currently, Valvoline Instant Oil only has wall signs on the building along 37th Avenue NE and along Silver Lake Road, where they have business frontage. Because the business is not a gas station, by Ordinance they are not allowed a pylon sign and they have not installed ground signs. Ms. Jensen is requesting that Valvoline Instant Oil be granted a variance to install a ground sign that is larger than allowed by City Ordinance. Ms. Jensen is proposing to install a double-sided monument sign that is approximately 8 -feet by 6 feet, or 96 square feet of surface area. Section 1400.10 Ground Signs., Subd. 3-Surface Area, (2), states that [ground] signs with two or more copy surfaces may have up to 68 square feet for all surfaces. Because the proposed sign exceeds the surface area dimensions of the Sign Ordinance, Ms. Jensen is requesting a variance of 28 square feet. As stated in the letter from Mark Gilbertson of Valvoline Instant Oil Change, his business is completely hidden from traffic approaching from the east along 37th Avenue NE until it gets to-St.-Anthony Dry Cleaning, which is located directly-east of Valvoline Instant Oil° Change' building. Because of this and other visual distractions, there is no visibility for the business until the customer is almost past. Ms. Jensen and Mr. Gilbertson contend that the larger sign would be more visible at a greater distance, thus alleviating many of the difficulties encountered by customers unsure of the location of Valvoline Instant Oil Change. ANALYSIS: Minnesota Statutes and the City Ordinance require that the variance request not be detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to another property in the neighborhood; that a particular hardship would result if the regulations were strictly adhered to; and that the conditions necessitating the variance request is unique to this parcel. Mr. Gilbertson states in his letter that not having the proposed ground sign is creating a situation that may be detrimental to the public welfare because potential customers seeing the store too late may be tempted to perform dangerous maneuvers getting into the driveway that could be