PL MINUTES 06181985 - Laserfiche WebLink

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l> -6- 1 company for the St. Anthony Shopping Center'.. In.:his .June :l4th memorandum, Mr, • 2 Childs had discussed some of staff's concerns about the addition .of a second sign 3 on a store with no access or window on the* side for which the sign was requested, 4 but said he perceived this to be neither a 'black or white issue as related to 5 second signs which had recent°ly'' been:permi'tted for stores interpreted to have 6 two frontages, an interpretation which had been requested by the bookstore owners. 7 8 Al Lenius, .who identified himself- as an. ordai,ned minister and manager of the 9 Cooksbury Book Store., said this is the newest of50 stores owned by the Methodist 10 Church in which the -Pr.esbyterian 'and Church of Christ churches also have an 11 interest. The store provides church' related supp+Tries, furniture, and printed 12 matter, primarily to-'churches and° clergy-with the closest other stores in Des Moines 13 and Chicago. The_mi.nisterAndicated they"had already had inquiries and visitors 14 from other states' and the -store owners percei-ved they needed identification on 15 the highway. s-ide as ,'well as the front because most of their customers would be 16 from out of the erea. - `The store closes at, 5:00 P.M. ; and the signs would not 17 be lit past 11 :00 P.M. , Mr. Lenius said. 18 19 No one spoke either for or against the request and the hearing was closed at 20 9:06 P.M. for Commission consideration of a recommendation to the Council ._ 21 22 Commissioner Wagner indicated he was concerned about granting a variance for a 23 sign for a side which had-neither an access or -window, but al-so perceived this 24 particular store might need 'more exposure since they get their clientele from out 25 of the area. 26 27 Commissioner Madden recalled that when he had served on the Kenzie Terrace Task 28 Force the conclusion- had been that the center would only have a limited attraction 29 for people from far away and -he wondered if this type of store might attract . 30 out of town buyers who might also make purchases from some of -the other center 31 merchants at the same time, so a -sign ,on the highway 'side might be considered 32 advantageous to the City if it drew more buyers into the center. 33 34 Commissioner Bjorklund said-theJact that the store had two street sides might 35 be considered an extenuating circumstance and; although he was apprehensive that 36 granting another variance of this type might result in a flood of requests for 37 buildings like the "stilt" building in 'Apache, which was only permitted one sign, 38 and percei-ved the City would be allowing "signage on top-of signage on that corner", 39 he personally-found this signage to be fess offensive and smaller in size than 40 the Curtis Mathes sign the Counci-1 had just approved in the same center. 41 42 When Chai.r Franzese indicated she wanted to encourage any merchant with the 43 capacity to draw to stay 'in the center; Commissioner Bjorklund reiterated that he 44 has never believed signage made that much difference in whether a tenant stays or 45 leaves. Commissioner Wagner's reaction to this was to say he perceived the presence 46 of more solid tenants ,i n the center,;�woul d tend to bring the center closer to a 47 complete upgrading. 48 49 Motion by Commissioner-Madden and 'seconded by Commissioner Wagner to recommend 50 the Council grant 'the petition from the Cooksbury -Book Store, ,2955 Pentagon Drive, 51 for a variance to the. Sign Ordinance which would allow the erection of a 4 foot 52 X 12 foot single face sign on the southeast corner of the building facing Highway 53 88 on the condition that the sign not be lit past 11 :00 P.M. , finding that : 54 55 1 . Nobody spoke against the request;