Council reviews Mike's Car Wash signage request; planning commission recommended approval with conditions

Councilmembers reviewed a planning commission recommendation for a change of concept plan and a commercial plan development (C-2 PD) district amendment for a 0.97-acre property at 8534 U.S. 42, the site of Mike's Car Wash, primarily to consider two signs on the site.

Todd Morgan, presenting the application, said the request concerns the monument sign along U.S. 42 ("Sign A") and a directional sign at the Harvey Quas Drive entrance ("Sign B"). "When they originally came to the plan commission, they were looking for a 15 foot tall, 96 square foot monument sign with a 39.27 square foot electronically changeable message center," Morgan said. He noted signs C and D had already been approved by the planning commission in November and are not part of the current request.

The planning commission voted unanimously in February to recommend approval with conditions. Morgan reviewed the conditions discussed by planning and zoning: reducing the monument sign height to 14 feet, providing a 2-foot-tall brick base, ensuring the electronic message center (EMC) meets section 3408.5b of the zoning regulations, and minimizing lighting or glare impacts. He said EMC standards the city enforces include a minimum hold time for messages (10 seconds), a limit of one still photo or three lines of text per message, no off-premise advertising, no animation or scrolling effects, and pixel-pitch requirements to avoid highly pixelated displays.

Council questions focused on timing of the prior approvals and local context. Councilmember Whelan asked why two of the signs had been approved in November but the monument sign and the directional sign required additional approval. Morgan explained the monument EMC was not approved in November and that larger or electronic signs require special approval through the PD process. Councilmembers noted a Culver's EMC exists nearby and said the city typically scrutinizes EMC requests to avoid driver distraction.

No city council vote on final adoption occurred during the meeting; the item was presented as a recommendation from the planning commission and a subject for council consideration. The planning commission conditions Morgan described include the 14-foot monument height limit, a 2-foot brick base, EMC compliance with section 3408.5b, minimum message display time of 10 seconds, and restriction to one still photo or three lines of text per message.

Background and site details: Morgan said the property was formerly occupied by Soft Touch Car Wash and sits next to a McDonald's and backs the old toll road. He described site topography and noted the property's zoning is consistent with the comprehensive plan'forecast for commercial use.

Next steps: The planning commission's recommendation will be before the council for further consideration; no final council action on the PD or sign variances was recorded at this meeting.