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Zoning board denies variance for Briarwood Harvest Market sign package
Summary
The Ann Arbor Zoning Board of Appeals denied a request for an additional 38.73 square feet of wall signage for a new Harvest Market at Briarwood Mall, finding the applicant had not met practical-difficulty criteria.
The Ann Arbor Zoning Board of Appeals denied a request April 23 for an additional 38.73 square feet of wall signage for a Harvest Market planned at Briarwood Mall.
City planning staff presented the request, saying the project’s sign package would total 238.73 square feet and that the property is zoned C2B Business Service District. The ordinance cited by staff, table 5.24-3, limits sign area in other mixed-use and nonresidential and special-purpose zoning districts to 200 square feet.
The applicant, represented at the hearing by Jay Johnson of Johnson Sign Company, said the storefront’s setback from the main road and partial screening by a new four-story building justified larger identification and wayfinding signs. “These signs are all relatively small as it is, but you need to be able to direct which entrances they need to go to and where they should even park,” Johnson said, arguing that three smaller wayfinding signs together accounted for roughly 45 square feet of the requested increase.
Board members questioned whether the application met the practical-difficulty standard. Several members said the proposed welcome sign appeared to be a nonessential branding element that could be removed to reduce the total area. One board member referenced other high-profile retail locations that draw customers without large exterior signage and said shrinking the signs by the roughly 19% sought would not prevent the business from operating. The board discussed whether directional signs in the parking lot would be considered incidental and therefore excluded from the wall-sign area; planning staff said typical small directional signs in the lot are treated as incidental and are not counted against the wall-sign allotment.
After discussion the board voted on a motion to grant the 38.73-square-foot variance for the Briarwood sign package. Chair Candace Bridal called the roll; Christina Glusack voted yes, and multiple board members voted no. The chair announced the request was denied.
The applicant may reapply or modify the sign package, and any future appeal of a Zoning Board of Appeals decision can be taken to the Washtenaw County Circuit Court on a timely basis.
The Briarwood Mall redevelopment described in staff materials includes a four-story, 354-unit multifamily building adjacent to a two-story grocery store and other retail uses. Staff noted the height variance mentioned in the packet was no longer applicable because the building height allowed signage in the uppermost 15 feet under table 5.24-3.
