Board backs 120-square-foot monument sign with digital panels at Kimball Avenue property

The Waterloo Board of Adjustment voted Sept. 23 to recommend approval of a variance allowing a 120-square-foot monument sign with two digital message boards at 3430 and 3434 Kimball Avenue in an R-4 Multiple Residence District. Staff said the monument sign will be V-shaped with LED panels on both sides and would be placed near the northeast corner of the lot. Planning staff explained the R-4 sign rules limit freestanding monument signage by street frontage (one square foot per five feet of frontage), and that with about 110 feet of frontage the property is currently limited to 22 square feet of sign area. Staff said existing language in the ordinance treats several sign types under a single 64-square-foot cap and that the department is preparing amendments to clarify allowable signage in R-3 and R-4 districts, but that amendment work has no firm timeline. Michael Southall, owner of the property at 3434 Kimball Avenue, told the board he has discussed the sign with the dentist who currently leases the front building and said he can reserve part of the LED display to keep that business name visible. Southall said the monument structure will be purchased from a vendor in Jacksonville, Florida, and that he will secure a local contractor and sign permit for LED installation before construction. Planning staff recommended approval on grounds that the lot sits along a major road and is flanked by other businesses; the board’s recommendation includes a condition that the existing sign be removed within six months of the new sign’s completion. Board members asked about sight lines and whether approving a variance now would be premature while staff considers ordinance changes; planning staff said there were no line-of-sight concerns from the proposed location and that waiting for ordinance amendments could take many months. The board moved, seconded and approved the recommendation by voice vote.