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ZBA delays decision on Dunkin’/Jimmy John’s signage after board debate
Summary
The Greenburgh Zoning Board of Appeals put over a request by Dunkin’/Jimmy John’s for larger wall and freestanding signs to its April 16 meeting after a split among members over the proposed yard/pylon sign’s size and potential precedent.
The Greenburgh Zoning Board of Appeals delayed action on a pair of sign variances requested by a combined Dunkin’/Jimmy John’s at 182 Sawmill River Road after prolonged questioning and divided commentary from board members.
James Kalinski of Signs Inc., who presented the application, said the project removed an existing third sign and requests two narrow variances: a roughly 10-inch height variance for a wall/monolith sign (applicant stated the wall sign would be about 4.83 feet where 4 feet is permitted) and a 15-square-foot area variance for a freestanding/pylon yard sign. “We’re asking for a very small variance on each one of these signs,” Kalinski said, adding that corporate branding and the corridor’s high-speed traffic make legibility important for customer safety.
Why it matters: Board members weighed the applicant’s visibility and branding arguments against neighborhood character and the risk of establishing a larger-sign precedent along the commercial corridor. Several members said the proposed yard sign would be substantially larger than most nearby signage and urged the applicant to reduce the yard/pylon design. One designer-member noted that changing the lettering layout would likely save only inches, not feet.
During questioning, board members asked for exact letter heights and overall sign dimensions. The applicant reported the building lettering would be about 30 inches high while the existing freestanding letters were about 11 inches; the yard/pylon sign dimensions discussed in the record included handwritten notes approximating 130 inches by 58 inches for one layout and an alternate yard sign of about 5 feet 10 inches high. The applicant also pointed to heavy truck and highway traffic on Route 9 and said the freestanding sign provides north–south visibility that the building-mounted sign cannot.
The board debated three broad options: grant both variances as presented, grant only the wall (building) sign and deny the yard sign, or continue the matter and ask the applicant to return with a reduced yard sign. With no clear four-vote majority in favor of granting both variances, the board announced the application for case 2602 (Omar Holdings LLC / Dunkin’ Jimmy John’s) is adjourned to the April 16 meeting for further consideration and possible redesign.
What’s next: The applicant may return with revised drawings exploring reduced yard sign size or alternative layouts. The board said any future approval would need to be limited to the plans presented and that similar requests elsewhere would be judged on their own facts.
