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Planning Commission restricts phase 1 signage for Boardwalk/arena area, delays tower sign approvals
Summary
After lengthy debate about scale, digital displays and visibility, the Planning Commission approved Phase 1 of the Boardwalk/arena-area sign package with technical evaluations that limit residential tower signage to one sign per elevation, hotel tower signage to two per elevation, ban billboards, restrict EMD/digital signage above the podium, and defer super-tall tower signage (phase 2) for later review.
Following an extended presentation and multi-hour discussion, the Planning Commission on Dec. 11 approved Phase 1 of the sign package for the Boardwalk/Bricktown development and set limits on tower and digital signage while deferring the largest, highest-elevation ("super-tall tower") signage decisions to a later phase.
Rob Beadetti of AO Architects walked the commission through a detailed package that divides signage into monument/wayfinding, tower identity, tenant/retail signs and podium-level electronic-message displays (EMDs). Beadetti told commissioners the submission "removes the signs off the super tall tower" from earlier material and clarified that project identity and tenant signage in the package are intended as traditional channel-letter or internally lit signs rather than electronic boards.
Staff and commissioners stressed guardrails: Sarah Welch (Planning Department) noted how the sign code applies at the ground plane and the code’s standard allowances for monument/ground signs ("for ground signs ... you can have 75 square feet of sign area"), while members repeatedly said they wanted to avoid billboard-like outcomes visible from nearby residential areas.
After several commissioners asked to phase approval, Commissioner Govine moved to approve the Phase 1 sign package with technical evaluations that: limit residential-tower signage to one sign per elevation, limit hotel-tower signage to two signs per elevation, remove Phase 2 (super-tall tower) signage from the current approval so it will be reviewed separately, rename "LED" references to "EMD" for clarity, cap maximum letter heights on the non-super-tall towers at 20 feet, and prohibit EMD signage above the podium level. The motion was seconded and carried.
Why it matters: The package establishes a sign-permit framework for a major downtown development near the new arena and rail corridor. It attempts to balance tenant branding needs with neighborhood visibility concerns by delimiting where and how large signage may be. The commission left the most visually consequential element — the super-tall tower identity signage — for later approval when hotel branding and final building heights are clearer.
Next steps: Staff will incorporate the approved technical evaluations into the SPUD sign language and enforce the package through sign-permit review. Any future signage outside the approved package or any Phase 2 signage will return to the commission for review.
