Planning commission approves sign variance for Northwestern Federal Credit Union

The Bridal Planning Commission voted to approve a sign variance Monday allowing Northwestern Federal Credit Union to install a 60-square-foot double-sided electronic reader sign at 234 North Main Street, 20 square feet larger than the city's 40-square-foot limit.

The variance was requested after the bank proposed removing an existing ATM lightbox and replacing it with an 8-by-3-foot changeable message center. Commission members heard staff explain that city code allows up to 40 square feet for the site; the proposed sign would increase total sign area to roughly 60 square feet. Notices were sent to property owners within a 250-foot radius prior to the meeting.

Why it matters: The commission's decision permits a larger, illuminated electronic sign on a block that already includes several oversized or nonconforming signs, a factor commissioners cited during discussion. Commissioners also raised sight-line and truck-route concerns because the bottom of the proposed sign would be just over 8 feet above the sidewalk.

Planning staff said they measured the existing sign area and that the ATM lightbox occupies about 7.5 square feet; the identity sign on the pole measures roughly 9 by 4 feet (about 36 square feet). The proposed reader board would add roughly 24 square feet compared with the removed ATM box, bringing the overall pole sign area to about 60 square feet, approximately 20 square feet above the code limit.

Andrew, a city staff member who presented the item, told the commission that he had received a phone call from a corporate representative for the nearby Pennzoil quick-lube business; that caller said the business had no concerns and did not plan to attend the meeting. Andrew Schulenberg, a signage contractor with Baldis Company, said the new unit would be a Watchfire-manufactured changeable message center and described it as "the highest quality." Schulenberg also confirmed the sign would be double-sided and said the bottom would be lowered about two feet from its current height.

Commissioners asked about sight lines for vehicles turning on red and whether large trucks or snowplows on Mulberry, a truck route, could temporarily block visibility. One commissioner said that while a pickup truck could see under the sign from the stoplight, a semi or other large truck might obstruct the view to the south. Commissioners also noted nearby commercial signs that exceed the code limit, including a recently replaced 64-square-foot sign at a nearby business, which staff said made the proposed 60-square-foot sign smaller by comparison.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the variance; another commissioner seconded. The roll-call vote recorded the members present voting to approve, and the commission chair declared the motion carried and the variance approved.

The commission did not attach additional conditions to the approval. Staff did not state a required implementation date for the sign, nor did the applicant provide an installation schedule during the meeting.

Votes at a glance: Motion to approve the sign variance for 234 North Main Street (Northwestern Federal Credit Union) ' outcome: approved. (See actions array for the recorded roll-call.)

The commission then moved on to other business and adjourned after brief administrative items.