Valparaiso board delays sign variance after residents cite sightline, safety concerns

The Valparaiso Board of Zoning Appeals on March 17 continued a petition from Legacy Sign Group asking to replace an existing 15-foot-tall monument sign at 2305–2307 Roosevelt Road with a new 5-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide monument sign and to allow off-premise advertising. The board voted to postpone final action until its April meeting so the petitioner can investigate alternatives.

Luke of Legacy Sign Group said the proposed monument sign would be “drastically lower” than the existing 15-foot sign and modernize the appearance of the site. He told the board the new sign would use the existing foundation if practicable, but moving the sign closer to the building would require excavation and a new foundation that his client’s initial estimate did not include.

Nearby residents told the board the corner sign at Roosevelt and Cars Brook has blocked sightlines for years and constitutes a safety hazard when making left turns. “The sign at the corner of Roosevelt and Cars Brook has been a problem for 20 years. It blocks your view when you are making a left turn onto Roosevelt,” said Phyllis Nelson, who identified herself as a property owner at 1319 Roosevelt Place. Alice Guston, president of the Roosevelt Place condominium association, said she and other residents were not provided supporting documents with the mailed notice and had to obtain them at City Hall.

Planning staff said the ordinance requires new signs to stay at least 5 feet out of planned right-of-way and that advertising the neighboring property from the sign would require an off-premise variance whether the sign is new or kept. Staff also noted that future streetscape or federal-aid projects could require right-of-way acquisition that might force relocation of signs in the right-of-way.

Board members repeatedly flagged public safety and future right-of-way projects as key considerations, and several urged the petitioner to explore building-mounted signage or reducing the sign face to advertise only the business facing Roosevelt. The petitioner said he would check with estimators about shifting the sign a few feet or reconfiguring the foundation and was open to exploring wall signage.

After discussion, a board member moved to continue the public hearing to the April meeting to give the petitioner time to return with options; the motion was seconded and carried 5–0.

The hearing remains open and the board asked staff and the petitioner to return with details on potential relocation, alternative signage designs and any cost considerations at the April meeting.