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BZA grants second-floor sign variance for Fitness on High at 13 East High Street
Summary
The Oxford Board of Zoning Appeals granted a variance to allow a wall sign positioned higher than the 18-foot limit for Fitness on High, after the applicant obtained a certificate of appropriateness from the historic commission.
The Oxford Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to allow a second-floor wall sign for Fitness on High at 13 East High Street, where code limits wall signs to a height between 9 and 18 feet above adjacent ground in the Uptown (UP) District.
Planning staff said the proposed metal sign measured 26.59 square feet (207 inches by 18.5 inches) and that the applicant had already received a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic and Architectural Preservation Commission on Sept. 11 for the sign’s design. Zachary Moore, planning staff, explained that the code’s height restriction was written primarily with ground-floor tenants in mind and that the building’s architectural features made the submitted sign location a logical, non-substantial exception to the 9–18-foot rule.
"This sign has already successfully obtained COA approval," Zachary Moore told the board, and staff recommended the variance after applying the variance criteria (A–G). Staff found the request supported by the property’s architecture, the practicality of identification for a second-floor tenant, and the absence of detrimental impacts to the Uptown district’s character.
Applicant Jackson Tresser said the temporary banner over the balcony would be removed once the permanent sign is installed and confirmed the sign would not be illuminated. He told the board, "that banner will be taken down as soon as we get approval." The applicant said the intent was to finish installation promptly if the variance was granted.
Board members asked whether the COA process had been completed; staff confirmed the COA had been granted administratively. The board then voted to approve the variance, adopting the staff report and the applicant’s testimony. Roll-call votes recorded unanimous approval (see action record). The variance is limited to the height/location provision; future sign replacements remain subject to COA review and standard administrative permitting, staff said.
The decision allows the business to install a permanent, non-illuminated wall sign in the band above the second-floor windows where a temporary banner currently hangs. The variance attaches to the property and will apply to subsequent tenants at that location unless a different sign proposal is subject to a new COA or variance process.
