Council approves Alton Medical Center signage changes after neighbor concerns over south‑facing sign

The Palm Beach Gardens City Council on Thursday approved a set of signage modifications for the Alton Medical Center campus, adopting a revised plan that removes a south‑facing wall sign residents had opposed and adds a north‑facing hospital wall sign and a temporary grand‑opening banner.

Ken Tuma of Urban Design Studio, representing the applicant, told the council the proposal evolved after neighborhood feedback and late‑day coordination with hospital leadership. "We're keeping the three signs that were already approved in the exact same spot, and we're asking for a fourth sign on the north side facing the Carrier building," Tuma said, describing the north sign as intended to improve wayfinding for stressed patients and visitors.

Planning staff described additional waivers requested to increase letter height and copy area on several approved wall signs to accommodate the hospital’s official name, Allen B. Miller Medical Center. Staff and the applicant also committed to substantial landscape enhancements along the I‑95 (western) buffer and the southern boundary, including a 75‑foot combined buffer with a 6‑foot berm and a 6‑foot wall. Planning staff said the enhanced buffer will include a mix of oaks, hollies, sable palms, coco plums and other species intended to provide visual and noise screening.

Neighbor testimony highlighted remaining concerns about light and noise and the adequacy of existing plantings. Lisa Deckelman, whose home faces the southern buffer, said the planted sable palms "do not provide much coverage at all" and asked the council to revisit the south wall landscaping, recommending larger live oaks and tighter maintenance. Liam Quinn and Naish Patel, nearby residents, asked that any approval be conditioned on demonstrable maintenance and evidence‑based mitigation to address light pollution.

City staff and the applicant responded that the proposal removed the contentious south‑facing sign and that additional plantings would be installed within 60 days of approval. Planning staff noted the site was previously modified to increase setbacks and that the project already includes a double‑width southern buffer that joins the residential buffer to total 75 feet of separation.

Vice Mayor Middleton praised the applicant's responsiveness: "I commend staff and the applicant on their proactivity to making these arrangements to change the signage at the last minute," she said. Council moved to approve the resolution as presented and amended by the applicant and staff; the motion passed unanimously, 4‑0.

The resolution authorizes the amended signage program, associated waivers for sign area and letter height, the temporary grand‑opening banner, and conditions for landscape installation and maintenance. The project team said the temporary banner will advertise an anticipated grand opening in April 2026.