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ARB gives conditional go-ahead for tenant and office signs at The Fitzgerald; building ID sign deferred
Summary
The Bexley Architectural Review Board endorsed pedestrian-scale and office tenant signage for The Fitzgerald at 2200 East Main but declined to approve prominent corner building-identification signs as submitted, asking the applicant to return with smaller, pedestrian-oriented options and materials samples.
The Bexley Architectural Review Board on July 9 recommended approval of tenant and office signage for the Fitzgerald development at 2200 East Main while deferring approval of the large corner building-identification signs.
Staff told the board that the Board of Zoning and Appeals had remanded the signage package to ARB for design input. Applicant representative Jason Hockstock presented a three-part proposal: retail tenant signage at the pedestrian level, office-level blade signs limited to four, and prominent ‘‘Fitzgerald’’ name signage on the east and west elevations. He said tenant letters would use halo illumination rather than internal lighting and that the project team aimed for a restrained, mostly off-white palette to match the building materials.
Board members generally supported the pedestrian- and office-level halo-lit signs, emphasizing a uniform color palette and quality materials, but several members objected to the proposed corner-mounted Fitzgerald nameplates. Miss Toney said the corner signs looked “like an afterthought” on the elevations and urged treating the building name as a pedestrian-scaled feature, suggesting alternatives such as individually mounted letters on the entry band or a small courtyard monument that could read as public art.
Members pressed the applicant for details on sight lines and mock-ups; one member recommended a simple cardboard mock-up to test visibility from the street. Staff and the applicant discussed using administrative review for tenant shop drawings and circulating those drawings to the board to expedite openings for tenants such as Coldwell Banker. The board also advised restricting bright, high-contrast tenant colors and suggested conditions for halo lighting—not internally lit box signs—and that illumination be timer-controlled.
After discussion, the board approved a partial recommendation: tenant and office signage may proceed with the agreed standards and shop-drawing review, but the Fitzgerald building-identification signs must be revised and returned to the ARB for further design review. The motion passed on a roll-call vote.
Next steps: the applicant will submit tenant shop drawings for staff circulation and will return the Fitzgerald building-signage proposals to the ARB for final review.
