Design review board approves two ground signs for RL Lofts at former Roosevelt and Lincoln schools

SALINA, Kan. — The Salina Design Review Board on Sept. 11 voted to approve a staff-recommended certificate of compatibility allowing two new ground signs at RL Lofts, the apartment conversion of the former Roosevelt and Lincoln school buildings at 220 S. Seventh St.

The two signs would sit adjacent to the courtyard entrances for the former Roosevelt and Lincoln buildings and are described in the application (CC 25-17) as 5 feet by 2 feet limestone plaques with engraved lettering identifying each building. Planning staff told the board the signs are non-illuminated, 3 feet tall and were reported in the applicant packet as about 10.4 square feet each — well under the R-3 district maximum of 32 square feet for ground signs.

Planning staff said the proposed signs are coordinated with the building facades, use compatible materials and colors, will not obscure architectural features and are proportionate to the pedestrian scale of the property. The staff presentation noted the property sits in the Business Improvement District, which requires design review board approval before a sign permit can be issued, and that the Salina Heritage Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for the broader renovation on Sept. 10.

Kristen Anderson, an architect and design project manager for Hutton representing the applicant, said the signs are intended to help people identify which building and address they have reached when in the parking areas. "If someone is in one of the parking lots, they can quickly identify on the campus where they're at, what building, what property, and the street address number," Anderson told the board.

Staff also noted that a Planned Development District (PDD) amendment to expressly allow two ground signs on the combined campus was recommended for approval 7-0 by the Planning Commission on Sept. 2 and is scheduled for the City Commission meeting on Sept. 22. The design review board approved the certificate of compatibility under option 2 — approval with staff-recommended conditions — and voted 4-0 to authorize staff to proceed with issuance of a sign permit after the city commission action and the close of the board's 14-day protest period.

The board's conditions require that any significant changes to the approved sign design or materials be returned to staff to determine whether additional review is required, and that a separate sign permit application be submitted and approved for all exterior signage. Planning staff said the required 14-day protest period for this board's action would end after the city commission's Sept. 22 hearing; staff can issue a sign permit only after city commission action and expiration (or resolution) of the protest period.

The board did not receive public comment on the item during the meeting.