Board approves signage variances for Amplify Bio at Innovation Campus Way

The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a package of signage variances (Variance 46-2024) for Amplify Bio at 9885 Innovation Campus Way after staff said the building's length and scale make the requested signs not substantial in context.

Staff told the board the 33-acre site sits on the west side of Innovation Campus Way and fronts only one street; the applicant requested three variances: (a) signs of 215 square feet where code allows 75 square feet, (b) three signs per business frontage where code permits one, and (c) lettering height of 39 inches where code permits 36 inches. Staff said the signs are symmetrically integrated on a long building and that similar large-scale properties have received comparable variances.

Mr. McFarland, representing Columbus Sign (whose client was Amplify Bio), told the board that at the distances involved and given future tree growth, larger lettering and multiple signs support readability and wayfinding. He said the proposed graphics represent "just over 1% of the building elevation" and noted that the International Sign Association recommends 36-inch letters for roadway readability but argued the larger scale is justified here. Staff told the board it has started research on a code update to address building-scale signage.

A board member moved to approve the three variances as a package; the motion was seconded and passed with four votes. Board members and staff observed recent precedents and signaled a possible code update would be reviewed separately by staff.