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Porter County approves taller digital sign for Craft Auction with lighting and message limits
Summary
The Porter County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance letting Craft Auction Service replace an older billboard with a taller, double-faced sign and expanded electronic message center, subject to conditions including no illuminated 'headlight' effects on a decorative car and limits on message frequency and duration.
The Porter County Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday approved a variance allowing Craft Auction Service to replace an existing billboard with a double-faced sign that increases permitted height and expands the size and frequency of electronic messages.
Petitioner Jonathan Craft and sign contractor Tom Steinler asked the board to remove an old billboard near U.S. 30 and replace it with a modern double-faced sign and an electronic message center. "We're just wanting to get it updated," Craft said, arguing the new sign would help passing motorists know the business.
Staff and the Development Review Committee flagged safety concerns about lighting, especially because a railroad runs nearby. A staff member noted the DRC had previously told petitioners they could not include headlight-style illumination that might be confused with railroad signals. "They did have headlights on there, but they were also told they need lights. They have to clear that because there's a railroad that passes through there," a planner told the board.
Board members focused on lighting and visibility during their discussion. Petitioners agreed to eliminate any headlight-style or uplighting on the decorative fiberglass car mounted on the sign and to revise lighting to down-lighting or internal cabinet illumination. The board set operational limits for the message center: no more than eight distinct messages in a 24-hour period and message display durations in the range petitioners proposed (the board discussed a 30-second to two-minute rotation; members settled on language limiting individual message length and overall rotation characteristics to the sign permit).
A motion to approve the requested height and electronic-message variances carried with the conditions discussed: no headlight-style lighting on the car, limited message frequency, and that lighting design meet DRC and railroad‑safety guidance. The petitioner and contractor said they would prepare final drawings reflecting the conditions.
The board closed the hearing and moved on to the next agenda items.
