Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 2 approved a permit for a monument-style off-premise sign to be placed near Highway 191 for the Hole in the Rock Foundation, after a narrow vote and a detailed discussion about how the town measures sign size.

The permit, moved by Commissioner Brian Whitney and seconded by Commissioner Gary Hawes, passed 3–1. Commissioner Malia cast the lone “no.” The applicant, Rick Jones, told the commission the sign face would be cast concrete finished to resemble stone and that the Fort (the site the sign will advertise) and the parcel for the sign are owned by the Hole in the Rock Foundation. Jones said, “It’ll be concrete,” when asked about the material.

Commissioners spent most of the discussion resolving whether the ordinance’s square-foot limit for off-premise signs applies only to the sign face or to the entire ground-mounted structure (including masonry pillars). The Bluff code defines “off-premise sign” and contains size tables (referred to in the meeting as Table A and Table B). In A-2 zoning, the commission noted, Table B lists 32 square feet as the maximum for an off-premise sign. Commissioners and the building official agreed the code’s current definition of “height of a sign” explicitly includes support structures for height purposes, but the ordinance does not clearly define whether square footage limits include structure elements such as masonry pillars.

Commission members reviewed the applicant’s drawings and exchanged measurements on the record: the applicant and staff described the visible sign face and the overall structure in different ways during the meeting. Commissioners estimated the complete monument (pillars plus sign face) could measure as high as roughly 7 feet by 14 feet—close to 98 square feet—if the pillar faces were counted, while the applicant repeatedly described the sign face itself as much smaller (the face was described in the staff discussion as approximately 3.5 feet by 8 feet in one exchange and as 6 feet 6 inches by 12 feet in another). Planning staff and the building official advised the commission that, historically, the town has measured the sign face (the functioning advertising surface) for square-foot limits, and several commissioners said they were inclined to follow that practice for this application while flagging the ordinance language as ambiguous and in need of clarification.

The commission also required the applicant to confirm the placement is not within the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) right-of-way and to obtain any necessary UDOT encroachment permit. Building Department staff (Kristen) advised that adding electrical illumination later would require a building permit; she said on the record that “if in fact you do go to electrify your sign in some way and light it up, you will need a building permit.” The motion that carried included the explicit direction that any future changes (including lighting/electrical work) must be returned to the commission or building department as required.

The commission’s approval was conditioned on: verification of UDOT right-of-way/encroachment requirements, compliance with the town’s dark-sky and lighting standards if illumination is later proposed, and that any material change to the submitted design be brought back to the commission or building department for review. The building official confirmed no building permit is required for the current non-electrified monument structure as presented; electrical work would change that.

Commissioners said the sign appears consistent with the town aesthetic and that the more pressing task is to clarify the sign ordinance language to avoid future ambiguity. Several members asked staff to add a clearer definition of “sign square footage” (whether it includes support structures) to a future code revision.

For next steps, the applicant must confirm UDOT right-of-way clearance/encroachment and proceed with construction consistent with the approved design; any electrical work must be permitted. The commission directed staff to place possible clarifications to the sign ordinance on a future agenda.