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Planning commission recommends denial of Yesco sign permit; staff suggests variance route or ordinance revision
Summary
The planning commission voted to recommend denial of a sign-permit application submitted by Yesco for Sat Brothers, saying the proposed signs did not conform to Toquerville’s existing sign ordinance; staff and commissioners discussed seeking a variance or updating the ordinance to address commercial branding needs.
The Toquerville Planning Commission recommended denial of a sign-permit application filed by Yesco on behalf of Sat Brothers after staff concluded the proposed signs did not meet the city’s sign ordinance.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Emily told commissioners that the municipality’s sign code is restrictive—written to preserve a low-key boulevard aesthetic—and that the applicant’s proposed colors, sizes and lighting choices conflicted with multiple parts of the ordinance. Because the application does not conform, staff advised denial of the permit and explained the applicant’s recourse: apply to the appeals authority for a variance based on a property-specific hardship.
Commissioners and staff discussed two practical paths for the applicant. Emily and staff described that the quickest path is to seek a variance through the city’s appeal authority (an administrative judge), who evaluates hardship claims; commissioners noted that pursuing a code revision is also possible but would take longer.
A Yesco or Sat Brothers representative attended and heard staff explain that many commercial sign styles used on regional highways and at travel centers are not contemplated by Toquerville’s ordinance, which was last substantially adopted or amended in 2012. One commissioner said the city should update the sign code to address highway-oriented commercial sites in the future, but the immediate action at the meeting was to deny the nonconforming permit and direct the applicant to the variance process.
The commission’s denial is a local permit decision and does not prevent the applicant from seeking an appeal or variance; staff estimated the appeal/variance route could take on the order of several weeks depending on the appeals authority’s schedule.
