Angola BZA approves electronic message board and increased sign height for Pleasant View Church of Christ

The City of Angola Board of Zoning Appeals on March 24 approved two variances allowing Pleasant View Church of Christ to replace its existing monument sign with an electronic message center and to increase the sign height to just under 10 feet.

Planner Grace Essman told the board the church’s property is zoned institutional and the current sign is a legal nonconforming 8-foot monument sign. The Unified Development Ordinance allows a 6-foot maximum for ground signs in the institutional district; the church requested roughly a 4-foot height variance and an exemption from the rule barring illuminated electronic changeable copy within 300 feet of a residential unit. Essman said the church’s proposal includes automatic ambient-light dimming and scheduling features designed to meet the ordinance’s illumination standards.

Why it matters: The church said the new sign is intended to advertise community events and increase visibility because the building is not visible from the main thoroughfare. Nearby new quadplexes and a parsonage prompted staff to recommend additional dimming or an evening shutoff to reduce light trespass.

During the hearing, Diana Chambers of Commercial Signs, representing the petitioner, confirmed the proposed EMC has factory presets for automatic dimming and can be scheduled to turn off or drop below the nighttime brightness limit of 500 nits. Applicant Dan Pulver of Pleasant View Church of Christ said the design element at the top of the sign accommodates the church’s updated logo and noted the sign would replace the need for temporary signs.

The board read required findings for both requests. For illumination, the board found that the proposed EMC can meet the ordinance’s light‑trespass and glare standards and that the sign’s dimming capability mitigates potential impacts on nearby residences. For height, the board found the increase would not create line-of-sight or safety issues and that commercial signage along South Wayne Street already includes similar heights, so adjacent property values would not be substantially adversely affected.

Outcome and conditions: The board approved the EMC variance and the height variance by voice vote. No formal roll-call vote was recorded in the meeting minutes; the approval was made by unanimous voice vote of the members present. Staff recommended—and the discussion referenced—the expectation that the sign be scheduled to dim at night or be turned off by late evening because of nearby residential windows, though the board did not record a specific time condition on the approval.

The church was advised to submit the final permit materials to planning staff following the approval.