ZBA Minutes 2006 11-01-06 Page 1 of 2
PPRO VED 12/6/06
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING
Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 7PM
Council Chambers
Board Members in Attendance
Bill Davis Ryan Woods
Dean Bromann
Other City Staff in Attendance
Travis Miller, Community Development Director
Charles Wunder, City Planner
The meeting was called to order at 7:10pm by Chairman Bill Davis. Roll call was taken
and it was determined there was no quorum.
Previous Meeting Minutes: October 4, 2006
Since there was no quorum, the minutes were not reviewed..
Public Hearings:
None
Old Business:
L Sign Code
Mr. Wunder said that he had made a few revisions to the ordinance and also eliminated
some variance criteria. Chairman Davis requested that italics and strikeouts be included
in the drafts in the future for easier review,
Sign height was briefly discussed again and it was noted that the measurement is taken
from the crown of the road. Mr. Wunder reviewed the height of a few sample signs in
town. All of these signs included a`9eaderboard" (the small message below the sign
name) for which there are no restrictions. However, he noted that there are some
restrictions on electronic leaderboards (except time and temperature). Mr. Miller said
there are restrictions in place since this type of sign could be a safety hazard. Those
messages must hold for a 90 second interval.
Page 2 of 2
Mr. Miller asked the Board to review some aerial photos of signs and they determined
they would propose all monument signs. After viewing the photos, the Board members
discussed possible restrictions that should be put in place. It was noted that Oswego still
allows some pole signs while Elburn allows only monument style.
Mr. Bromann suggested developing a formula to determine sign size, taking into
consideration the amount of frontage and the area of the building. Some maximums
would also be needed and the sign would need to be proportional, It was determined that
the actual sign area be considered as well as height. The Board members also discussed
whether a large business should have sign sizes the same as a smaller business.
Mr. Miller,said the staff recommendation is to formalize an ordinance and then pre-
existing non-conforming signs can be considered.. Possible property tax abatements
could be offered to businesses with non-conforming signs so that business owners could
come in to compliance. Mr. Miller said the current incentive policy is based on sales tax
revenue with the maximum being 50%towards infrastructure improvements. Mr.
Bromann suggested that all businesses should be brought into compliance in one calendar
year.
Mr. Bromann said he was comfortable with a 48 square feet maximum sign size while
Bill Davis said he wished to see more examples first. In the proposed ordinance, it
requires that a certain percentage of the sign should match the building material of the
main structure that requires some masonry. Mr. Woods requested the dimensions of two
signs in Elburn that he felt were adequate sizes and use them as examples.
In conclusion, Mr.. Miller recommended that the proposed draft be placed on the EDC
agenda for discussion at the November 21" C.O.W. Council feedback will be requested,
anew staff report will be compiled and it will be brought back to ZBA in December. He
also suggested a workshop in January or February to invite businesses to provide
feedback on visuals. It was noted that the last sign ordinance draft was done 2-4 years
ago.
Additional Business:
A proposed schedule of meetings for 2007 was given to Chairman Davis for approval and
inclusion in the official meeting calendar. The schedule was approved.
There was no further business and the meeting ended at 8:25pm.
Submitted by
Marlys Young, Minute Taker