Board allows expanded signage at Family Safety Center; applicants cited campus wayfinding and safety needs

The City of Tulsa Board of Adjustment on Sept. 9 approved variances to increase the number of street‑facing signs and to raise the allowable aggregate sign area for the Family Safety Center campus at 2829 South Sheridan Road.

Francis (Sayed) Wilmore (noting a recent firm name change to Ethos Architects) appeared for the Family Safety Center and described three signage elements at issue: a large monument sign facing Sheridan and two wayfinding signs located within the parking lots pointed toward different building entries, including a court entrance and the main public entrance. Wilmore said staff had interpreted the two wayfinding signs as street‑facing signs under the IL zoning portion of the property, which reduced the number of allowed street signs and lowered the aggregate allowed sign square footage under the applicable table.

Wilmore explained the campus operates with multiple partner agencies and separate lots—the Family Safety Center and the Child Advocacy Network are adjacent, informally coordinated properties—and the monument sign was designed to serve the campus identity and to include both tenant logos. He also said wayfinding signage helps keep distinct user groups (victims, court users, staff) moving to discrete entries for safety and trauma‑informed operations. "It's really needed to direct people back there," Wilmore said, explaining the court entry is around the corner and not obvious from the street.

The board discussed the underlying zoning complexity—multiple underlying zoning districts across the property—and the operational need to maintain discreet circulation for vulnerable populations. After deliberation, the board approved a variance to increase the maximum number of street‑facing signs in the CH/IL context (from 2 to 3) and approved an increase in allowed aggregate sign area from the staff‑calculated 295 square feet to approximately 596 square feet for the conceptual plan shown in the packet.

Board members observed the hardship arises from the campus arrangement (two separate lots acting as a single campus, multiple entries and tenants, and underlying zoning district boundaries) and the need to protect victims and visitors through clear wayfinding. The board found the variances would not substantially alter neighborhood character and voted to approve them. The Family Safety Center plans to use the approved signage for wayfinding and to display partner logos as part of a campus identification strategy; final sign permits will be handled through the building permit process.