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Board approves LED message sign at Bridal Time with hours restriction
Summary
The Maryville Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to add an LED message center to an existing sign at 3112 West 80 First Avenue for Bridal Time Auto Finance, with a condition that the display operate only during business hours.
The Maryville Board of Zoning Appeals on an August meeting approved a variance of use to allow a two-sided LED message center on an existing sign at 3112 West 80 First Avenue, subject to a condition that the digital display operate only during the business’s posted hours.
The variance was requested by Ahmed Zagol, the petitioner and owner of the property, and represented at the hearing by Theresa Peron of Bridal Time Auto Finance. The board’s approval allows an 8-by-4 digital message center to be added beneath an existing 6-by-10 sign; staff reported the total signage would be 92 square feet and said the LED panel would advertise dealership sales and — when requested — town events.
Board members and the petitioner discussed hours of illumination after staff and a nearby resident raised concerns about brightness. Theresa Peron said the petitioner initially preferred a 24-hour display for advertising but offered to limit operation so the sign is dark outside business hours. Peron said, “We could be able to turn it off after business hours.”
A letter from nearby property owners, signed “the Colemans,” was read into the record expressing concern that prior exterior lights at the site had “blared into the whole backyard and into the bedroom window” and that additional brightness would be an annoyance. The Colemans’ letter said the brightness could “make it difficult for us to relax or maintain regular sleep schedule.”
After public comment produced no speakers, a board member moved to approve the petition with the stipulation that the LED sign be illuminated only during the business’s hours; another member seconded. The board’s recorded vote was unanimous in favor.
The board’s approval was limited to the variance of use for the LED message center at this location; the motion specified the lights operate only during posted business hours (the petitioner identified business hours as 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday). The board did not change the sign’s physical dimensions beyond the described placement beneath the existing sign.
Staff indicated the petitioner would remain responsible for compliance with any other applicable town codes or permits related to signage and illumination.
