Heritage board approves monument sign at 427 E. Tarpon Ave.

The Tarpon Springs Heritage Preservation Board approved a certificate of appropriateness for a monument sign at 427 East Tarpon Avenue after debating whether the design was pedestrian in scale. Staff planner Caroline Lanford presented the application, describing a sign 71.5 inches wide by 84 inches high (about 41.7 square feet) with a new masonry/stucco base; she recommended approval with a three‑year expiration if no permit is issued.

During public questioning and board discussion, a committee member argued the sign was too tall for a pedestrian area and moved to approve with a 6‑foot maximum, saying, "I think a 7 foot high sign in a pedestrian area is too tall." Applicant Melissa Pawlowski said the design team selected seven feet after working to make the sign more visible and that they would remove the existing, older sign: "We are removing the other sign." After an initial procedural vote flagged an extra (non‑voting) tally, the board adopted a subsequent motion to approve the sign "as presented" at the 7‑foot height. The motion carried in the final roll call vote.

The approval includes the staff condition that the certificate of appropriateness will expire if a building permit has not been issued within three years. The board also confirmed the sign will be non‑illuminated and that the visible aluminum is limited to the flat area required for lettering.