Hop Yard Ale Works seeks blade sign and extra wall signs; Plan Commission schedules exception hearing

Staff introduced a sign-exception request from Hop Yard Ale Works on Main Street seeking two additional wall signs and a projecting blade sign; staff said the property sits in the Village Center overlay and that the exception will be considered at a public hearing at the Plan Commission next month.

Oliver Behm, who identified himself as representing the tenant (Hopperdale Works), told the commission the business is not adding more logo panels than previously existed but wants to install a smaller 20-inch metal projecting blade sign on existing brackets to improve wayfinding for patrons who park at the nearby park. "We're not actually adding more signs and we were already there," Behm said, adding that the pole for a blade sign was already in place and that the new blade would be smaller than the previous tenant's.

Commissioners asked whether additional signage could set a downtown precedent. Staff and commissioners noted the building's unusual layout—effectively three storefronts—and that the particular configuration makes this case different from typical Main Street signage issues. Commissioners generally signaled support for the request but reserved formal action for the scheduled public hearing next month.

No vote was taken tonight; the Plan Commission will hold the public hearing and take action on the sign-exception request at the next monthly meeting.