PL MINUTES 04161985 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-2- • 1 Sam Czaplewski , President of 99� Video, Inc./Curtis Mathes, was present and 2 reiterated much of the information he had attached to his application for the 3 variance, including the fact that the larger sign was the standard factory sign 4 which Curtis Mathes insisted should identify their franchise operations. The 5 petitioner said he and his partner had to pay $5,000 for the sign whether they 6 used it or not. He told the Commissioners the sign, which was an off grey and 7 green, was a "quality sign" which would enhance the front of that 27 foot wide 8 and 20 foot high .store. The store owner indicated his partner, who had been with 9 Curtis Mathes -for 13 years and, who was just that evening picking up that sign 10 which had been shipped to them, could better answer Commissioner Bowerman 's 11 question whether the sign was a condition for them getting the franchise, but 12 Mr. Czaplewski said that had been his understanding. When the Commissioner indi- 1 3 cated it was hard for him to believe a large firm like Curtis Mathes would insist 14 on signage which might not meet local ordinances, Mr. Czaplewski' said he guessed 15 the sign "would have to be reconstructed at our own expense". 16 17 The store owner then said $35,000 had been spent renovating the new store which 18 he perceived to be the nicest store in the mall. He said although the store is 19 only 27 feet wide, it is 127 feet deep, with a total of 3,000 square feet in all , 20 and, if it had been proportioned better, there would have been no problem with 21 the signage they needed to identify. both- operations. The store owner indicated 22 he did not believe the signage was out of place, considering the signage other 23 stores, especially Warners, have. 24 25 Mr. Czaplewski said the first sign on that building had taken up the whole front 26 of the building and because of this, when he had talked to the City Manager about 27 his signage, Mr. Childs had indicated there would be no problem getting a sign 28 variance under those circumstances. When asked if those were the Manager's exact 29 words, the petitioner said they were. 30 31 He and his partner had taken it upon themselves to have the sign required for the 32 franchise included in the lease for the store and Mr. Czaplewski said Gordy Fox 33 of the Eberhardt Company, had assured him that he would have no problem with that 34 signage seeing the size of -the signs on other stores in the shopping center" . 35 The applicant later stated that Mr. Fox had actually indicated that, if the City 36 approved the signage, it would be al:.I right':with him. 37 38 Commissioner Hansen told the applicant the Ledwein sign had been "grandfathered in" 39 when the new Sign Ordinance was adopted in 1983. He indicated he had not ob- 40 served many stores in the center which exceeded the signage which was permitted 41 for this store, and the Commissioner said, it had been signs like the first sign 42 on that store, which was "unsightly, overlarge, and poorly maintained" which had 43 probably caused the City to rewrite their sign ordinance. The Commissioner also 44 told the store owner that Warners had double the frontage of his store and 45' acknowledged that there were probably many legally non-conforming signs in the 46 Village which the City could do nothing about until the existing occupants left. 47 48 Commissioner Bowerman told Mr. Czaplewski ' the City had granted minor variances 49 for signs in the past but he was concerned that a sign which was almost three times 50 larger than the ordinance permitted, would set a precedent which some larger store 51 owner might cite as a justification for a ratio just as- large. He also said the 52 proposal was for two sign's where only one is permitted per business establishment. . 53 The Commissioner told the applicant he had not seen the hardship demonstrated which 54 would justify a variance of the size requested and also told him he did not have _ 55 the option of just retaining the sign area which had been utilized by former 56 . tenants, as Mr. Czaplewski had indicated he might do.