Lehigh Valley/Pocono Creek sign redesign presented; commissioners raise ordinance and height concerns

Attorneys and sign contractors returned to the board with a revised monument sign for the Golden Slipper entrance and Pocono Creek hospital campus after complaints that motorists could not find the emergency entrance. The revised design reduced face area and changed from a wide horizontal monument to a taller, narrower sign intended to improve northbound visibility; the applicants said the earlier proposal (195 square feet) had been reduced to about 150 square feet and the proposed new sign would be roughly 20 feet high for sight-line reasons.

Commissioners and staff discussed ordinance distinctions between freestanding signs and monument signs (15-foot height limit cited for freestanding signs), whether the proposed height requires a variance and whether the emergency band could be elevated to improve visibility while reducing overall square footage. The applicant said the zoning hearing board will consider the required variance on July 28; the township solicitor said the solicitor would oppose the application at the zoning hearing unless a design change made it acceptable to the board.