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Design Review Board approves LED panel for Harrington Vision Center sign with 12-month condition
Summary
The Florence City Design Review Board approved a certificate of appropriateness to install a 12-square-foot changeable-copy LED panel in an existing monument sign at Harrington Vision Center, 181 West Chavez Street (Florence County tax map number 90168-02-001), with a condition that the applicant return within 12 months with a proposal to update a second, nonconforming sign on the same property.
The Florence City Design Review Board approved a certificate of appropriateness to install a 12-square-foot changeable-copy LED panel in an existing monument sign at Harrington Vision Center, 181 West Chavez Street (Florence County tax map number 90168-02-001), with a condition that the applicant return within 12 months with a proposal to update a second, nonconforming sign on the same property.
Board members heard a staff presentation that the monument sign sits in the D2 Downtown Central Business Overlay District immediately adjacent to the Downtown Historic District (H1) and that the requested work is a replacement of the sign's central panel with a changeable-copy LED unit. City staff said monument signs are permitted at the site and that corner properties are allowed two signs; the applicant's second sign on Irving Street is currently out of compliance.
The project drew discussion about driver distraction, effects on nearby residents and the timing of a pending update to the city's design rules. City staff and board members noted that statewide standards limit how quickly changeable-copy displays may switch (staff cited the standard that a display remain static for several seconds, with transitions accomplished quickly) and that the Florence City Council had approved the new design standards at first reading, which staff said would prohibit changeable message and internally illuminated signs in overlay districts once adopted.
Applicant Lee Harrington, who identified himself as the business owner of Harrington Vision Center, told the board his family has operated downtown for more than 55 years and that his goal is to "make [the property] better" by updating signage and the corner appearance. "If done tastefully, that it could actually be more attractive," Harrington said.
Board member Bryce moved to approve the application as submitted with a stipulation that the applicant bring back a proposal for the secondary Irving Street sign within 12 months that would meet the applicable provisions of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO); a second was recorded and the board voted in favor. The motion carried and staff said a permit will be issued consistent with the board's action and the stated conditions.
The board and staff discussed possible conditions to limit nighttime impacts, such as requiring the sign to meet the UDO's illumination limits for properties adjacent to residential uses (staff referenced provisions that regulate light levels from sunset to sunrise) or adding timers/dimming controls. Staff also said existing signs not altered by the decision remain grandfathered until they are changed.
The approval comes as the city is finalizing broader sign-code work; staff said the new design standards are expected to take effect in the coming weeks to months, and that the city plans to hire a consultant to review the sign code citywide and bring recommended revisions back to staff and the board.
