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Chair leads approval of Bank 1st signage but restricts halo/backlit illumination
Summary
The body approved a certificate of appropriateness allowing Bank 1st’s rebranding signs but required any illumination be direct, external lighting rather than halo or backlit systems, citing code consistency and past precedent.
The Chair opened the first item and said the application was for “approval of certificate of appropriateness for Bank 1st” to allow signage after the bank’s sale and rebranding. The Chair noted that “they do have 2 signs that are backlit” and recalled the commission’s past practice of not allowing backlit signs.
Committee members agreed the proposed halo or letter lighting looked acceptable but flagged consistency concerns. One committee member said the packet included a zoning memo and described the longstanding practice as permitting external illumination to remain, not new internal/backlit signage. The Chair recalled a prior case where a downtown bank substituted an uplight or sconce: “They came with signage that was backlit, and we proposed that they just had a sconce.”
Staff suggested a motion phrased to approve the signs but require “direct external light.” A committee member moved to “approve all the signage except the backlit sign unless it’s externally lit,” and another member seconded. The Chair called for the vote; members answered “aye,” and the motion passed.
The Commission’s action allows Bank 1st to install the proposed signage for its rebrand provided the signs use direct external illumination; the commission declined to approve halo or internally backlit letter lighting as submitted. The commission did not set an amendment to the code at this meeting and left any formal ordinance changes for future discussion.
The meeting proceeded to other business after the vote.
