Commission recommends limits on two rear facade signs at 2832–2834 U.S. Route 34, sets 58.2‑square‑foot cap

The Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a major‑PUD amendment that will allow two tenants at 2832–2834 U.S. Route 34 to place rear‑facade signs on a single protruding wall face, but the commission capped the total combined area of the two signs at 58.2 square feet.

Staff described the property, formerly a West Suburban Bank, as a roughly 1.45‑acre B‑1 parcel with a 6,987‑square‑foot multi‑tenant building. Current tenants include Bibi Bop, Candy Cloud and Sherwin‑Williams. Jeff Lind, planning staff, said the applicant requested both that the Sherwin‑Williams and Candy Cloud rear signs be located on the same rear wall face and that the Sherwin‑Williams sign be 49.4 square feet while Candy Cloud’s be 25.3 square feet. Lind noted that under the Unified Development Ordinance those rear signs would generally have been much smaller — about 27.1 square feet for Sherwin‑Williams and 11.8 square feet for Candy Cloud — and staff proposed holding the two tenants to the same sign‑area standard Bibi Bop received under a prior allowance (1 square foot of sign area per linear foot of building facade), creating a compromise.

Petitioner Richard Silverman of MJK Real Estate said the building’s alcove and rear elevations created a unique visual context and that both tenants and sign companies had crafted renderings to balance the signs. Silverman said his applicants preferred the larger sizes to make rear signage legible to patrons approaching the outlot from the rear service drives.

Commissioners debated how sign area should be measured, and staff clarified that colored backers count toward sign area under the code. Commissioners and the petitioner discussed multiple visual renderings during the hearing; several commissioners requested accurate, to‑scale renderings showing the two signs together before the village board would consider final approval.

After deliberation the commission moved to accept the findings of fact and recommend approval of the PUD amendment to change the locations and increase the size of two rear‑facade signs, with the condition that the total square footage of the two signs together does not exceed 58.2 square feet. The motion passed on a roll call vote with all members recorded as yes. Staff also said it will submit confirmed renderings showing sign sizes and proportions to the village board before final village board action.

The commission framed the 58.2‑square‑foot cap as a compromise: larger than what the current code would ordinarily permit for two separate rear signs, but smaller than the sizes initially requested by the petitioner. The village board will review the recommendation and the required renderings before any sign permits issue.