Hearing examiner recommends denial of Discount Tire's request for freestanding sign on Michigan Road

The hearing examiner recommended denial on June 12, 2025 of a petition asking to modify zoning commitments and to grant a variance that would allow an eight-foot freestanding monument sign at the Discount Tire outparcel at 8302 Michigan Road (petitions 2025MOD003 and 2025VAR003).

Petitioner Jennifer Wolf, representing Discount Tire, told the examiner the requested sign would improve wayfinding and motorist safety and proposed a reduced alternative (a four-foot monument sign with a smaller copy area) submitted as an alternate the night before the hearing. Wolf said that the site fronts a busy arterial and that a modest ground sign would give motorists reaction time to safely enter the business.

Susan Blair, president of the Pike Township Residents Association, urged denial. Blair told the hearing examiner that PTRA voted to oppose the requested modification and variance because of concerns about sign proliferation, aesthetics and the absence of a demonstrated practical difficulty. Blair said the location already has wall signage and that recent sign-code updates were intended to limit proliferation.

Staff planner Marlini recommended denial. Marlini explained that the parcel's prior commitments prohibit freestanding signs for outlots and that the county's sign rules require 300 feet of separation between freestanding signs; the proposed monument would be within 300 feet of existing freestanding signs along Michigan Road. Staff said the site's visibility and two existing wall signs make a freestanding sign unnecessary and that the petitioner had not shown a practical difficulty that would justify modifying the commitment.

The petitioner argued that a reduced sign would address neighborhood concerns, and in rebuttal reiterated safety and wayfinding rationales. After hearing staff and the neighborhood organization, the hearing examiner said she found the staff analysis persuasive and recommended denial of both the modification and the variance. The examiner placed both recommendations on the Metropolitan Development Commission agenda for July 2, 2025.

No final MDC action occurred at the hearing; the examiner's recommendation will accompany the petitions to the MDC.