Southfield Zoning Board approves sign variances and several setback waivers

The Southfield Zoning Board of Appeals voted Aug. 20 to grant a string of variances affecting residential additions and commercial signage across the city.

The board approved a residential side‑yard variance for Jacqueline Pippen at 27055 Lexington Parkway so she can add space to her house to bring her 86‑year‑old mother into the home. Pippen told the board she needs the addition to avoid placing her mother in a nursing facility. Staff recommended reducing the required 8‑foot side‑yard to 5 feet; the board approved the waiver and directed the appellant to secure all required building permits and inspections. Neighbor Cynthia Jaeger spoke in favor of the project. "I live right across the street and I see no problem with the addition," Jaeger said.

Multiple commercial sign requests were also approved. The board allowed a larger wall sign for uBreakiFix at 24508 W. 12 Mile Road, approving an additional 27.04 square feet beyond the 34‑square‑foot limit recommended by staff, with the usual permit and master sign‑plan conditions. Rebecca Godin of Phillips Sign and Lighting said logo geometry and background boxing affected the calculated area; staff recommended, and the board accepted, a conditional approval.

At 26901 Beaumont Boulevard the board approved an increase in allowed wall signage for Beaumont Health/priority health‑branded space, adding 116 square feet (316 proposed, 200 permitted) after staff said the sign would be the only Priority Health wall sign on the property and required a master sign plan and permits. Board members questioned whether the proposed placement qualified as a roof sign; staff explained that a mechanical penthouse behind the proposed sign made it a wall sign under the code.

The board also approved variances for two residential‑lot additions. Michigan Fire Restoration (on behalf of owner Rhonda Berry) won a 10‑foot rear‑yard reduction at 23351 Twining Drive for an approximately 240‑square‑foot addition to an already nonconforming lot; staff had recommended favorable consideration citing hardship and minimal neighborhood impact.

A more contested matter involved a waiver to install two rooftop signs (28.8 sq. ft. each) at 25080 Southfield Road. Staff recommended denial, noting roof signs are prohibited under the current ordinance and that previous rooftop signs at the address had been removed. Board members debated record availability, what constitutes a roof sign versus a wall sign, and whether a chimney/turret would make the sign a wall sign. After discussion the board voted to approve the waiver and asked staff to locate older ZBA records and to coordinate permitting.

At 30000 Telegraph Road, Global Signs and Awning sought a wall sign and a monument (ground) sign for a new Banfield Pet Hospital tenant. Staff recommended denial of a 15‑foot monument sign and approval of the wall sign; the board negotiated a compromise: approval of the north‑facing wall sign and a 5‑foot monument sign (the city permits only three tenant names on a monument sign without a separate waiver). The applicant agreed to submit revised drawings showing only three tenant names and to work with the building department on the monument design and permits.

Finally, the board approved a variance for Whitmore Investments at 25155 Greenfield Road to construct a 2,413‑square‑foot storage building and a 10‑foot privacy fence, reducing the required rear‑yard setback (15 ft required; roughly 10.08 ft proposed) and allowing the taller fence. Staff and the applicant said the project replaces unsightly outdoor storage, includes a windowless rear elevation and adds landscaping intended to buffer neighboring residential property; the board approved the request with conditions to repair an existing masonry knee wall and extend landscaping along the south property line.

All approvals were granted with the standard condition that applicants secure required permits and inspections from the City of Southfield Building Department; several approvals also required submission of master sign‑plan documents or revised drawings where the number of tenant names and mounting details needed clarification. The board approved minutes from July 16 and adjourned the meeting. The next meeting was tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3, pending confirmation and additional applicant materials.

What happens next: applicants must file building permits and any revised sign plans with the building department; staff will pull archived ZBA records where needed for the rooftop sign history and will review master sign‑plan documentation when submitted.