Prescott board approves variance for large roof decals at Yavapai Landscaping on E. Gurley Street

The City of Prescott Board of Adjustments voted to approve a variance on Aug. 21 allowing two roof decal signs at 1106 East Gurley Street to exceed the code limit for wall-mounted signage. The variance increases the allowed wall-mounted sign area from 50 square feet to 162 square feet for the two roof decals, which were installed without permits.

Jacob Lund, community planner for the city, presented staff's analysis and said the application was reviewed under the six criteria in the Land Development Code (Section 9.13) and that staff found no directly comparable variances in the area. Lund said the city followed notice requirements, including mailing property owners within 300 feet, posting the property and publishing the notice in the local newspaper to satisfy state statute notification rules.

The applicant, identified in the record as the owner of Yavapai Landscaping, told the board the decals had been in place about a year and were intended to help attract customers. The applicant said the markings are vinyl decals applied to a pitched, corrugated roof rather than backlit, boxed signage and suggested the roof shape and corrugation made the signs less visually intrusive. The applicant added, “we've really improved that piece of property,” and asked the board for leniency because the signs support the family business.

Board member Mary Frederickson, who said she drives the route frequently, told the board she did not find the rooftop signs visually intrusive and said the building’s unusual shape weighed in favor of a variance. Frederickson said, “So I'm inclined to accept the variance,” while noting she did not speak for other members.

The staff packet and aerial photos presented to the board show an existing 3-by-6-foot monument sign and a 4-by-6-foot wall-mounted sign that the applicant said would be removed if the roof decals remained. Lund and staff described the site as a commercially zoned corridor; nearby landmarks shown in the staff materials include Scooter's Coffee to the west and Street Dreams car dealership to the east. The approved variance covers two roof-mounted decals that staff said total 162 square feet, replacing the previously installed 4-by-6 wall sign.

No members of the public submitted comment cards at the meeting. The board voted to approve the variance; the motion was moved by Mary Frederickson and seconded by Miriam Haberich. The chair announced the motion carried, 4–1.

The board discussion included questions about whether the rooftop graphics would be considered off-site advertising (billboards). City staff clarified that Prescott does not allow new billboards and that, by definition, billboards are intended for off-site advertising; on-site signs for a business are treated differently under the code.

The approval allows the applicant to keep the two roof decals in place subject to any remaining permit or administrative conditions required by the city.

The Board of Adjustments is scheduled to meet next month; no follow-up dates for this item were announced at the hearing.