Planning commission approves 12-foot replacement sign at 5240 Old Dixie Highway

The Forest Park Planning Commission on Jan. 16, 2025, voted to approve a sign-height variance allowing a freestanding ground sign at 5240 Old Dixie Highway to be 12 feet tall instead of the 10-foot maximum in the light industrial district.

Staff planner Latima Richards recommended approval of the variance, telling the commission the application met the ordinance criteria for public safety, health and welfare and would not cause an "egregious harm" to adjacent properties. The proposed replacement sign would total 32 square feet and replace an existing structure at the same location; staff identified the parcel as 13077BA005.

Applicant Jennifer Wolf described the existing sign as "in very rough shape" and said the business preferred replacing the entire structure rather than simply refacing the current sign. Wolf said the new sign would remove the static reader board and reduce overall square footage compared with the current sign; she asked the commission to allow the replacement at the existing 12-foot height. In presenting project materials, Richards directed commissioners to the zoning map, survey, sign locations, renderings and photos included in the meeting packet.

A motion to grant the variance carried unanimously. The commission members present — Vice Chairman Clint Scales, Michael Klingscales, Roderick Jackson, Donald Williams and Lois Wright — all voted "aye," producing a 5-0 approval. The motion, as recorded in the meeting, approved the requested increase in maximum freestanding-ground-sign height from 10 feet to 12 feet at 5240 Old Dixie Highway (Parcel ID 13077BA005).

The replacement sign will be subject to standard permitting and any electrical work required for the new structure. The commission concluded the agenda item with no additional conditions; the matter will proceed to whatever permitting and inspection steps the city's code requires.