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BZA approves sign variance allowing larger monument sign at 215 Don Knotts Blvd.
Summary
Board granted variances for a 9-foot monument sign to exceed height and area limits by 3 feet and 58 square feet after applicant said replacement cabinet will fit within existing pre‑cast base; planning staff said sign has been present in some form since at least 2005 and replacement removed its nonconforming status.
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a request to replace and enlarge a monument sign at 215 Don Knotts Boulevard, allowing a 3-foot increase in permitted height and 58 additional square feet of sign area.
Planning staff described the change as replacement of a sign cabinet inside a preexisting sign base; the base and pillars remain, and the applicant proposed a new illuminated cabinet that the applicant said fits inside the existing frame but has an arched top that accounts for the extra height. Staff said the prior sign appears to predate 2013 and that the cabinet’s replacement moved the sign out of its previous nonconforming status, bringing the proposal before the BZA.
Steve Zellehay of Band Sign Company presented structural drawings and visual renderings showing the new cabinet designed to sit in the existing sign base. Zellehay said the new cabinet will be internally illuminated with LED fixtures and that engineering review found no sight-line or traffic-visibility concerns because the sign is set well back from the roadway.
Staff cited code sections for permitted sign height and area and reported the application requests 3 feet of height variance and 58 square feet of area variance under section 1369 of the city planning and zoning code. The packet noted that replacement and maintenance standards required under 1369.11.b apply; staff also referenced sign-sight rules under code 1350 9.02.f and said engineering had no objection to the proposed placement.
No members of the public spoke. The board accepted the staff findings of fact and voted to grant the variances. Planning staff told the applicant they will receive written notification in seven to 10 business days and reminded the applicant that the decision can be appealed to the Circuit Court of Monongalia County within 30 days and that work performed during that period would be at the applicant’s financial risk.
Clarifying details from the hearing: the proposed cabinet restores signage to an existing base that staff traced to mid-2000s records; the replacement cabinet is internally illuminated with LED fixtures; engineering found the sign placement outside required vision triangles; staff listed requested variances as 3 feet in height and 58 square feet in area.
