Commission sends Manchester Road comprehensive sign plan to subcommittee after size, visibility and code concerns

The Planning and Zoning Commission on July 10 moved the comprehensive sign plan for the shopping center at 8500 Manchester Road to a site-plan subcommittee after commissioners raised several design and safety concerns.

Applicant Michael Studia described a proposed 60-inch-by-12-foot ground monument sign to mark the center entrance adjacent to a new MoDOT sidewalk/island. He said the sign would use black Helvetica with ample white space and provide panels to accommodate up to 12 tenant bays; he asked for flexibility to keep an existing Budweiser rooftop sign if a bar-and-grill leases that space.

Staff recommended removing the Budweiser rooftop sign because the code prohibits roof-mounted signs and because the sideline bar has been closed for more than a year. Staff also flagged code language about ground signs: the street number must be displayed and the overall maximum height is 5 feet above grade and the base should not count toward sign area per staff’s interpretation. Staff raised visibility concerns where a parked vehicle in the spaces near the monument sign could block sightlines for drivers backing out.

Commissioners debated whether a 12-foot-long monument sign is appropriate given the required setback and argued that cutting the sign to 6 feet would reduce intrusion into the setback and improve visibility; the applicant said reducing to 6 feet would necessitate halving letter size and could make the sign unreadable at highway speeds. Commissioners also discussed color choices and the fairness of allocating panels to tenants based on bays. Given the unresolved design and code-interpretation issues, the commission voted to refer the proposal to a subcommittee; the meeting of that subcommittee was set for July 31 at 6 p.m.