Clayton ARB approves larger blade sign at 190 Carondelet Plaza

The Clayton Architectural Review Board on May 5 approved a sign modification permitting a 20.4-square-foot blade sign at 190 Carondelet Plaza, a size larger than the 1-square-foot blade sign normally allowed under the city's sign rules. The board's vote followed a staff report concluding that, despite the larger blade sign, the building's total primary signage would remain below the maximum permitted for the property.

Staff told the board the site, in a planned unit development, is a mixed-use commercial and office tower with traditional brick and stone materials that constrain typical signage placement. Staff said those materials and the building's detailed form make creative placement appropriate and recommended approval as submitted.

Applicant Richard Tapp said the blade sign was requested to acknowledge a new major tenant who signed a lease and that the sign style matches existing building signage. Tapp said the building owner has discussed signage allocations and that, "as far as I know, from all the discussions we've had with the building owner, they're not planning on any more" blade signs.

Board members discussed the discrepancy between the code limit for blade signs and the building scale. Several commissioners said the proposed sign is in scale with the tower: "A 1 foot by 1 foot sign would be lost," one commissioner said, adding that the 20-times difference from the standard requirement appears appropriate on a multi-story facade.

A motion to approve the staff recommendation was made and the board voted in favor. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript for this item.