Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Signage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Middleton Zoning Board denies Culver’s elevated pylon sign relocation, allows most building signage
Summary
The board voted to block relocation of Culver’s older elevated pylon sign to a new Parmenter Street site, concluding it must be replaced by a monument-style sign, but approved most of the applicant’s wall/awning signage after dropping a rear-facing sign to meet code.
The Middleton Zoning Board voted to deny relocation of an existing elevated pylon sign for a proposed Culver’s on Parmenter Street while approving most of the restaurant’s requested wall and awning signage conditioned on removing a rear-facing sign.
City staff and the applicant described two variance requests: moving a longstanding on-site elevated sign and allowing five wall/awning signs totaling about 156 square feet (roughly 6.17 sq ft over the 150-sq-ft aggregate the ordinance allows). City staff noted the sign code limits pylon signs and sets a monument-sign standard for non-highway street frontages; the ordinance language read at the meeting states pylon signs “do not allow pylon signs in any zoning district,” and the code’s monument-sign standard is an 8-foot height and 36 sq ft size for the base comparison.
Why it matters: The decision enforces Middleton’s revised sign ordinance intent to shift from tall pylon signs to lower monument signs as former highway corridors become neighborhood-scaled streets. Board members said the outcome preserves street character and prevents a precedent that could lead to more elevated signs along Parmenter.
During the public portion, Trey Watts, the applicant’s sign representative, said the existing elevated sign has been in place since about 1990 and that Culver’s seeks to reuse much of the sign’s cladding and components while meeting new structural and engineering requirements. Watts said the additional side and canopy signage is intended to preserve brand standards and improve visibility for approaching traffic: “we're not asking for something huge or obnoxiously large on the side of the building,” he said, and described how side and drive‑thru signs aid motorists approaching at angles.
Board members questioned the necessity of a back (west) elevation sign that would primarily serve local traffic on Lisa Lane and pressed the applicant to demonstrate a hardship that would justify a nonconforming relocation. One committee member moved to deny the pylon (pilaster) sign relocation and remove the west/rear elevation sign while approving the southern-facing wall and canopy signs that serve approach and drive-thru visibility. That motion passed; the motion was seconded and carried with no recorded opposition.
The board’s action leaves the applicant with options to: (a) construct a monument-style sign that complies with the ordinance and landscaping requirements, or (b) resubmit a revised variance application removing the rear elevation sign and altering the sign plan. The board also directed the applicant to work with city staff to finalize compliant sign specifications.
The meeting closed after the vote; the applicant was invited to follow up with city planner Daphne for next steps on resubmission or compliance details.
