Williamsville Planning Board tables sign permit for 135 Evans, requests revised drawings

The Williamsville Planning Board on Tuesday tabled a sign-permit application for 135 Evans — a proposed double-sided ground sign for a People Inc. residential project — and asked the applicant to return next month with revised drawings.

The board voted to table the item by a 4-0 voice vote after members and staff raised questions about sign area, setback from the property line, lighting compliance and landscape placement. Planning Board member Tom made the motion to table; Planning Board member David seconded it and the motion carried.

Chris McCaffrey, of Allwood Sign Company, the applicant’s representative, described the proposal as a “double sided ground sign” constructed of “a high density” material with “a recessed background, raised lettering” and an aluminum cabinet designed to match the building’s masonry and colors. McCaffrey said the sign as drawn includes a smaller address panel and a phone-number panel that the applicant recently requested be relocated. He said the phone-number panel measures about 1.9 square feet and that the board’s preference would be accommodated.

A staff member cited Section A4-9(b) of the sign code, saying, “In section A4-9(b, all fixtures shall be dark sky compliant and directed so as not to cast an illumination of more than 2 foot candles on adjacent nonresidential properties or 0.1 foot candle on adjacent residential properties.” The board directed the applicant to provide specifications that demonstrate compliance with the dark-sky requirement for the proposed exterior illumination.

Board members and staff also flagged dimensional and safety issues in the submitted drawings. The site plans show the sign base proposed 2.5 feet from the property line where the code requires a 10-foot minimum setback, and the board noted the sign’s current overall copy area measures about 22 square feet — larger than the 20-square-foot maximum cited in the meeting. A staff explanation of measurement noted that the measurement is taken “from the tip of your cabinet to the bottom of your phone number,” with a 48-inch maximum height for that area under the code.

Members raised sight-line and pedestrian-safety concerns because the sign is close to a driveway and sidewalk. One planning board member asked that the standard 15-foot clear sight triangle used for driveway sight lines be applied to the sidewalk edge, not just the street, to ensure pedestrians and drivers have adequate sight lines.

Landscaping around the proposed sign also drew questions. The plans call for shrubs with a minimum 24-inch diameter; board members noted that over time taller plantings could obstruct the sign if not regularly maintained. The applicant’s general contractor said the 24-inch specification refers to the minimum diameter of established shrubs and acknowledged future trimming and maintenance would be required.

Given those outstanding issues, the board approved a motion to table the application and asked the applicant to return with a revised package: drawings that reduce the sign face to meet the 20-square-foot maximum, clarify the phone-number panel’s size and placement, demonstrate dark-sky-compliant lighting fixtures, adjust the sign setback or explain any variance need, and show a cohesive landscape plan that preserves sight lines. The planning board expects the applicant to submit revisions in time for the next month’s meeting.

Votes at a glance: Motion to table agenda item 2025PBO5 (135 Evans sign permit) — seconded by Planning Board member David; vote: aye 4, no 0; outcome: tabled. The board directed staff to review revised drawings against the performance standards discussed and to return the item to the board if the revisions do not meet the conditions the board outlined.