Planning commission deadlocks on US Bank multi-tenant sign variance; recommendation goes to Village Board

The Vernon Hills Planning & Zoning Commission failed to reach a majority recommendation on a sign‑code variance requested by US Bank for a multi‑tenant monument sign along Milwaukee Avenue, leaving the final decision to the Village Board.

At the Jan. 28 public hearing, Ken Busick of Design Group Signage and Kevin Chung, branch manager for the US Bank location, asked the commission to allow a larger monument sign and multiple tenant panels so the bank and nearby businesses would be visible from Milwaukee Avenue. Busick said the existing sign is “buried behind a tree line,” and Chung told commissioners customers have "never seen US Bank in this location" until they took over the branch and tried to locate it online.

Commissioners questioned whether listing an address on Milwaukee was useful for drivers, where to site the sign for safety and visibility, and whether the proposed base, height (8.417 feet per the application) and a total sign area of roughly 67.336 square feet exceeded sign-code standards. Staff said the application would allow US Bank to lease tenant panels to adjacent properties if those owners agreed and noted the sign could be shifted within code setbacks and that landscaping must be configured to keep address numbers visible.

After discussion and proposed conditions—requiring landscaping configured to preserve visibility, removing the existing bank monument sign, allowing the sign to be shifted within setback limits, and permitting an address range if multiple properties are represented—the commission voted on a motion to recommend approval. The vote was split and the motion failed; staff said the recommendation package to the Village Board will nonetheless include the conditions and the commission's comments from this hearing.

The Village Board will receive the commission's record and the applicant may revise location or design details before the board's final action.