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Design Review Board approves internally lit monument sign for 315 West Pine Street
Summary
The Florence City Design Review Board granted a certificate of appropriateness for an internally illuminated monument sign plus wall and awning signs at 315 West Pine Street after staff outlined code triggers and the applicant described a low-glow design; board members noted nearby single-family residences and a 2021 precedent across the street.
The Florence City Design Review Board approved a certificate of appropriateness for an internally illuminated monument sign and accompanying wall and awning signage at 315 West Pine Street during a Design Review meeting.
Staff told the board the request, CaseDRB2025-04, was before the body because the proposed monument sign uses internally illuminated push-through acrylic with translucent, digitally printed graphics; that lighting detail requires board review under the city’s design-review process. The property is identified in meeting documents as Florence County tax map number 90074-12-16 and lies in the D-1 Redevelopment Overlay District within the city’s Central Business District.
The approval matters because the block includes a mix of commercial uses and, immediately nearby, two single-family residences at the corner of McQueen and Pine. Staff noted that the block was intended as a transition from residential to commercial zoning and pointed to a prior sign approval across the street in 2021 that involved internal illumination where the board instead favored external lighting at that time. Staff also said animated signs remain prohibited under the city’s newly adopted sign standards.
Rich Heaton, owner of RSXion Group in Charleston and the applicant’s representative, said the design had been revised after feedback and described the proposed monument sign as a restrained option. “This sign is probably the least, I don’t know the word I’m looking for, offensive illuminated sign you can get,” Heaton said. He added that only the perimeter of the letters would be illuminated to create a halo effect rather than lighting the entire sign face: “It won’t be a beacon, if you will, for people going down the street.”
Board members asked staff to confirm the locations of the nearby residences and discussed the commercial zoning and uses along the block. Staff clarified that the monument sign would replace two existing brick pillars at the front of the property and that the building had been vacant for an extended period. The applicant described materials and workmanship intended to resist visible deterioration over several years.
After the discussion, an unnamed Design Review Board member moved to approve the application “as presented.” The motion was seconded by another unnamed board member and passed by recorded verbal assent. The board issued the certificate of appropriateness at the meeting.
The approval covers the internally illuminated monument sign, wall signage and awning signage described in CaseDRB2025-04. The board’s approval means the applicant may proceed with permits and installation consistent with the approved design and applicable city sign regulations; animated signs remain prohibited under the new standards and would not be allowed.
