Zoning board delays decision on Shell sign variance at 42438 Warren Road

The Canton Township Zoning Board of Appeals on Aug. 14 voted to postpone consideration of a variance request for a ground sign at 42438 Warren Road, a Shell-branded gas station undergoing a rebrand from Marathon.

The applicant, Chris Corati of Aver Signs Company, asked the board for a variance to allow ground-sign lettering below the township's minimum text-height standards; staff recommended denial based on the materials submitted but said the application could be revised and resubmitted. The board approved a motion to postpone so the applicant can work with staff and the building division's sign official on a revised design.

The application (007ZBA8716) concerns a monument ground sign that staff said measures just over 39 square feet, larger than the zoning district's 24-square-foot maximum for new signs; the existing sign's size is a nonconformity allowed to continue. Staff told the board the ordinance requires primary text on a ground sign to be at least…