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Board approves variance for 415-square-foot Newell Brands sign at 1427 William Blunt Drive
Summary
Members approved a variance allowing Newell Brands to install a 415-square-foot illuminated wall sign that exceeds the zoning codes 100-square-foot limit after a company representative explained sightlines and building scale; no public opposition was recorded.
At a meeting, members approved a variance allowing Newell Brands to install a 415-square-foot wall sign at 1427 William Blunt Drive in Maryville, Tennessee, after staff said the request exceeded the zoning ordinances sign-size limit.
The item drew brief discussion from staff and a company representative before the board moved, seconded and voted to approve the request. Staff told the board it could not issue the permit without a variance because the code limits wall signage to 100 square feet; the company asked to place a larger illuminated sign given the buildings scale and setting.
Cameron, a staff member who read the zoning memo, said, "Our regulations allow for a max of 100 square feet in their their request is for a 415 square foot sign. So, I I can't issue the permit unless the board approves a variance for the the sign requirement in the, zoning ordinance." Cameron identified the size discrepancy and said a permit could not be issued without the boards approval.
Bill Coleman, who said he recently retired as facility manager at Newell Brands and is now contracting on the project, told the board, "We are not replacing a sign on the building. This is a new sign." He described the building as having no current signage and said reducing the sign to meet the 100-square-foot limit would make it nearly indistinguishable on the façade. "We have over 900 feet linear frontage on our building, and our building is 40 feet tall," Coleman said, noting the building sits near the center of a 99-acre parcel and is surrounded by trees.
Coleman said the proposed sign is backlit as designed but offered an alternative: "I can uplight it from the bottom to where the letters aren't lit if that's a issue." When asked about visibility from the road, he said the sign would sit roughly at a 30-degree angle to William Blunt Drive and that the building likely would not be visible from the road. He also said there is one residence across a dry creek bed near the property line and added, "The trees it would be below the tree line, but as far as what they could see, I couldn't tell you."
No members of the public spoke in opposition during the public comment portion recorded in the transcript. After brief questions from board members, a motion to approve the variance was made and seconded; the transcript records that members voted and the motion passed. The transcript does not provide the names of the motions mover and seconder or a roll-call vote tally.
The record in the meeting transcript does not specify conditions attached to the approval, any required permits or building permit issuance timelines, nor whether the board imposed lighting restrictions beyond the discussion about uplighting. The transcript also does not identify the board by formal name or state whether the approval is subject to further reviews or permits.
Votes at a glance: variance approved for a 415-square-foot illuminated wall sign at 1427 William Blunt Drive (Newell Brands). Mover: not specified. Second: not specified. Vote tally: not specified in transcript.
