ILPC approves projecting sign for new restaurant at 308 Stewart Avenue with installation condition

The Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for a projecting sign at 308 Stewart Avenue, subject to a condition on how the sign bracket is attached to the building.

The approval applies to a proposed projecting (blade) sign for a new restaurant at 308 Stewart Avenue in the East Hill Historic District. The applicant was not present; a staff member presented the application and answered commissioners’ technical questions about attachment and materials.

A staff presenter summarized that the applicant proposes to remove existing signage on that portion of the property and install the illustrated projecting sign, and that the applicant would work with the city attorney’s office if the sign is to hang over the sidewalk. "The applicant is not here this evening, so I will be presenting the sign proposal on their behalf," the presenter told the commission.

Commissioners raised a technical concern about anchoring the sign into a brick building. To avoid damage to historic masonry, the commission added a condition that the sign bracket be anchored into mortar joints rather than drilled into brick units. Commissioners also noted the sign is modest in size (about 19 inches wide by about 11 inches tall as described during the meeting) and that a condition allowing future removal would preserve the building’s integrity.

The commission read findings referencing the East Hill Historic District’s period of significance and municipal-code review standards, concluded the proposed sign would not substantially adversely affect the district’s character, and approved the application with the anchoring condition. The commission instructed staff to note the condition in the certificate and to follow up if the applicant requests sidewalk-hanging permission from the city attorney or planning board.