REVIEW COMMENTS
7.A.3
ZONING CODE VARIANCE
(NUMBER OF SIGNS)
LOWE'S HOME CENTER
uEVELOPMENTDEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM NO PZ 99-277
STAFF REPORT
November 18, 1999
Meeting Date: November 23, 1999
t{
File No: ZNCV 99-0}t (number of signs)
Location.
SE corner of Woolbright Rd. and Corporate Dr (SW corner of 1-95 and Woolbright Rd )
Owner-
Woolbright Partners/Nayrot Realty, Inc
Project:
Lowe's Home Improvement Center
Request:
Request for relief from the City of Boynton Beach Land Development Regulations, Chapter
21 Signs Article IV 2 B to allow two site signs (the code limits the project to one site sign)
BACKGROUND
The property which is the subject of this variance request is also the subject of an application for conditional
use approval to allow for the construction of a Lowe's Home Improvement Store at the intersection of
Woolbright Road and Corporate Drive The proposed project is to be constructed on Parcels 1 and 3A of the
Boynton Commerce Center plat. Since Lot 3A is currently part of the Boynton Commerce Center PID, a
master plan modification has also been requested to eliminate the northernmost building from the master plan
and show shared access between the industrial park and the planned Lowe's project.
Bob Basehart of Basehart Consulting, Inc, agent for Woolbright Partners, Inc has filed this variance
application for relief from the city's sign regulations to allow the placement of two (2) site signs advertising
the Lowe's Home Improvement Center project. One sign is proposed as a 20 foot 5 inch (20'5") monument
sign, and the second is a 49-foot high pole sign (see Exhibit A - Location Map, Exhibit "B" - Proposed
Signs and Proposed Site Plan) It should be noted that a second variance application (ZNCV 99-014) has
been filed requesting relief from the maximum allowed height of 20 feet to allow the 49-foot high sign.
The following is a description of the land uses of the properties that surround the subject request.
North - Woolbright Road, and farther north the Shoppes of Woolbright PCD,
South - Boynton Commerce Center PID,
East SAL Railroad R.O W , and farther east, 1-95 R.O W , and
West Corporate Drive, and farther west an office building zoned C-l
A sign currently exists on the property in the form of a two-tier wall advertising the Boynton Commerce
Center/Pylon Interstate Park and is matched by an identical wall/sign feature located at the southwest corner
of the mtersection. The survey indicates that this feature is preserved by an easement agreement. However,
as the sign is located on the subject property, it counts toward the allowed signage for the proposed use The
subject application does not propose to include this existing wall/sign in the sign plan. As this wall sign is
located on the subject property, it counts toward the total site signage which total three when combined with
the two proposed SIte signs This vanance application only addresses the issue of two site signs
ANALYSIS
The Land Development Regulations, Chapter 21, Article IV, section 2 (B) limits uses within commercial
nonresidential districts (excluding shopping centers) to one (1) double-faced freestanding sign that advertises
the use of the premises Section 2.B reads as follows
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Page 2
Memorandum No 99-277
"One (1) double-faced freestanding sign advertising the use of the premises. The maximum area for
this sign shall be one (1) square foot of area for each linear foot of street frontage, no such sign shall
exceed sixty-four square feet in area. No sign shall be taller than twenty (20) feet "
This application for the Lowe's Home Improvement Center represents a request for relief from this section of
the city's regulations in order to allow two (2) freestanding site signs One site sign is proposed to be a 20-
foot (20' 5") high, 1266 square foot monument sign and one 49 foot, 1266 square foot pylon sign
(maximum allowable - one 20 foot high, 64 square foot double faced freestanding sign) It should also be
noted that the plans indicate that sign area has been calculated using only the area of individual sign letters
rather than the area of the sign immediately surrounding the letters, which is typically included as part of the
area calculation. Staff has re-calculated the area of the proposed signs and determined each to be 1266 feet.
The proposed sign area of 126 6 feet exceeds the maximum allowed by code, the conditions of approval for
the corresponding conditional use application addresses this issue by requiring the approval of an appropriate
variance application, or the reduction of sign area to the maximum of 64 square feet.
Article II of this same chapter describes those sections of the code (or aspects of a sign) that can be varied
from code through this variance process According to Article 2, Section 1
"The board of zoning appeals may grant a variance if it finds that the unusual shape or topography of
the property in question prevents signage allowable under the provisions of this ordinance from
adequately identifying the business or other activity located on such property The board of zoning
appeals may only grant a variance to
A Allow a setback less than that required under this chapter
B Allow the area and/or height of a sign to be increased by up to twenty-five percent of the
maximum allowable height or area, or
C. Allow the number of sign to be increase over the maximum allowed by this code. "
An application for relief from Chapter 21 Signs is processed similar to a request for relief from Chapter 2
Zoning, including a similar application and notification requirements
According to the application, two (2) site signs are needed to provide signage on two levels signage to
identify the project entrance and advertise the use at street level, and signage for the adjacent 1-95 corridor
Staff summarizes its review by the following points
1) Staff disagrees with the necessity for the 49-foot pole sign as staff believes that the majority of future
patrons will not represent passer-by motorists but destination-based motorists who were aware of the
location of the subject use upon initiating their trip,
2) The subject request exceeds that approved for the adjacent Home Depot project, which, despite being
within a shopping center, only includes one site sign (excluding individual use signs),
3) Businesses such as Home Depot and Lowe's occupy large buildings with fa9ade signage that alone
provides signage for local traffic and identification purposes,
4) The curvature of, and landscaping along Woolbright Road limit view corridors which prevent distant
visibility of local site signage, and
5) There currently exist on-site a two-tier wall sign identifying the adjacent Boynton Commerce Center
PID/Pylon Interstate Park, with which additional signage should remain consistent. The total count of
site signage should include the existing wall sign.
f5L
Page 3
Memorandum No 99-277
CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the aesthetic impacts of numerous site signs, and large (or high) site signs, and the desire of the city
to maintain signage in scale and compatible with corresponding and adjacent uses, unnecessary signage should
be avoided. Staff recommends that this variance request to allow two (2) site signs for the subject project be
denied. No conditions of approval are recommended, however, any conditions recommended by the Board,
or required by the Commission, shall be documented in Exhibit "c" - Conditions of Approval
However, if the City Commission chooses to grant this variance request, to minimize visual impacts and to
maintain compatibility in area signage, staff recommends the following
1) The entrance sign be placed on the existing wall sign located at the northeast corner of the property;
2) The proposed pole sign be redesigned similar to the Home Depot sign. This sign should not be higher
than 25 feet (representing a 5-foot or 25% variance), and be a monument sign comparable to the material
and dimensions of the Home Depot/EXPO sign,
3) If the site signs are allowed as proposed, a variance application must be processed to allow two site signs
above the maximum allowed, or a total of three site signs This condition assumes that the easement
agreement for the existing wall/sign, which has not been provided to staff, does not contain any clauses
that would prohibit the addition of lettering to advertise the Lowe's project,
4) If all three site signs are allowed by granting of the revised variance, the new entrance monument sign
should be designed with the support portion of the sign being compatible with the existing wall/sign
feature (e g material, configuration, etc ), and not exceed 12 feet in height,
For comments on the easement for the existing wall/sign, and design of site signage, please refer to the staff
report and conditions of approval prepared for the corresponding application for conditional use approval (99-
005)
Attachments
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LOWI!'8 HOME CI!!NT1!!IFI I'C.
BOYNTON ~
~AUot BCH. COUNTY A...OftIDA
.,. L"UUt ~ \R
ExhIbIt "C"
Conditions of Approval
PrOject name' Lowe's Home Center
FIle number ZNCV 99-014 (Number of SIgnS)
Reference Basehart Consulting Inc letter of aoolicatIon for SIgn vanances dated October 25 1999
. .
I DEPARTMENTS I INCLUDE I REJECT I
PUBLIC WORKS
Comments. None
UTILITIES
Comments. None
FIRE
Comments. None
POLICE
Comments None
ENGINEERING DIVISION
Comments. None
BUILDING DIVISION
Comments. None
PARKS AND RECREATION
Comments. None
FORESTERlENVIRONMENTALIST
Comments None
PLANNING AND ZONING
Comments. None
ADDITIONAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD CONDITIONS
6 To be determmed.
ADDITIONAL CITY COMMISSION CONDITIONS
7 To be determmed.
J:ISHRDATAIPLANNINGISHAREDlWPIPROJECTSILOWE'S HOME CENTER\ZNCV NO. OF SIGNSICOND. OF APPROVAL P&D 11-23-99.DOC
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