HomeMy WebLinkAboutDept Report HO 08-26-2024
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CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS HEARING OFFICER
DEPARTMENT REPORT
MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2024
(V) Encore on Penn, Sign Variance.
The applicant seeks the following development standards variance approval:
5. Docket No. PZ-2024-00125 V UDO Section 5.39(I)(2)(d) Sign not facing a street
frontage not allowed; 2 signs facing south granted from previous variance, 3 total signs facing south
requested. (Previously approved Docket No. 17070007 V: 4 signs allowed, 7 granted; also, 2 signs facing
south). The 0.77-acre site is located at 12411 Pennsylvania St. It is zoned UC/Urban Core. Filed by Mark
Zukerman of Encore Sotheby’s International Realty, on behalf of Encore of Penn LLC., owner.
General Info:
• The Petitioner seeks approval to relocate allowed signage from the west façade over to the south facade.
• Variance is requested for number of signs to face south, towards the roundabout.
• The site is not located in any subdivision; so, HOA (Homeowner’s Association) approval is not needed.
• Surrounding this site are apartments, Republic Airways headquarters, a hotel, and office/retail uses.
• A sign permit application will need to be submitted, too.
• Please see the Petitioner’s info packet for more detail on the variance request.
Variance Requested:
Number of Signs Facing South-
• The UDO allows for signs to face a street frontage.
• Petitioner seeks to move a sign from an existing location facing a public street frontage to a non-street
fronting location.
• The site has two street frontages – Old Meridian Street and Pennsylvania Street.
• The roundabout itself does not count as a street frontage. A roundabout is considered a street intersection, for
sign ordinance purposes. The roundabout is not its own street; it’s just continuation of an adjacent street.
• In this case, the petitioner requests to take one of the wall signs allowed on the west façade and move it to the
south façade, to face the roundabout.
• The design of the sign will be complementary to the building and other existing signs.
• This building already has a variance for 2 signs facing a non-street frontage; this would make the 3rd such
sign (see BZA Docket No. 17070007 V).
• A sign not facing a street frontage is requested, where none is allowed. Two non-frontage signs exist now
with a prior BZA variance, and now 1 additional sign requests to face south towards the roundabout (totaling
3 signs to face the street roundabout).
Remaining Review Comments:
• All planning/zoning comments have been addressed.
Final Comments:
• The Planning Dept. supports the variance request, since the sign is already allowed on the west façade and
will just be relocated to the south façade.
Findings of Fact:
• Please refer to the Petitioner’s Findings of Facts included in their BZA Info Packet.
Recommendation:
• The Dept. of Community Services (DOCS) recommends positive consideration of this variance request, and
with adoption of the Findings of Fact submitted by the Petitioner.