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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBZA 3098-118 E. Seneca St.-Decision Letter-6-5-2018C 9� CITY OF ITHACA 108 E. Green Street — 3rd Floor Ithaca, NY 14850-5690 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, BUILDING, ZONING, & Division of Zoning Gino Leonardi, Secretary to the Board of Zoning Appeals Telephone: 607-274-6550 Fax: 607-274-6558 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT E -Mail: gleonardi@cityofithaca.org CITY OF ITHACA BOARD of ZONING APPEALS Sign Variance Findings & Decision Appeal No.: 3098 Applicant: Greg Wilder for Tompkins Trust Company, Owner Property Location: 118 E. Seneca Street Zoning District: CBD -100 Applicable Section of City Sign Ordinance: Section 272-6 B (2). Requirement for Which Variance is requested: Size requirements of permitted signs. Publication Dates: May 31, 2018 and June 1, 2018. Meeting Held On: June 5, 2018. Summary: Appeal of Greg Wilder representing Tompkins Trust Company for a Sign Variance from Section 272-6 B (2) size requirements of sign ordinance. The Tompkins Trust Company recently constructed a new seven story office building located at 118 E. Seneca Street. The office building will be used as the corporate headquarters for four affiliate companies: Tompkins Advisors, Tompkins Trust Company, Tompkins Financial, and Tompkins Insurance. The applicant would like to install two wall signs signifying the "Tompkins Financial" company and brand symbol. One sign will be located at the second floor level facing E. Seneca Street and the second sign would be located on the north side of the building at the seventh floor level. The sign ordinance allows 1.5 S.F. of sign area per foot of building frontage and further limits the sign area to 50 S.F. for a maximum of two signs per business. The building at 118 E. Seneca Street is 123.5' in length which would allow the maximum of 50 S.F. per sign. The Tompkins Financial sign, on the south side of the building facing E. Seneca Street, is 139 S.F and will be approximately 29 feet above the grade. The sign will exceeds the allowable square footage of 50 S.F. by an additional 89 S.F. The second sign will be located approximately 95 feet above grade, on the top story of the north side of the building. The sign is 184.5 S.F. and exceeds the allowable square footage of 50 S.F. by an additional 134.5 S.F. The applicant has received a sign permit for three other business signs for the building which complied with the requirements of the sign ordinance. The property is located in a CBD -100 business use district in which the proposed use is permitted. However, Section 325-38 requires that a sign variance be granted before a permit is issued. Public Hearing Held On: June 5, 2018. No public comments in favor or in opposition. Members present: Steven Beer, Chair Teresa Deschanes Lindsay Jones Steven Wolf Tompkins County Review per Section 239 -1 & -m of New York State General Municipal Law: Tompkins County has reviewed the proposal, as submitted, and has determined that it has no negative intercommunity, or county wide impacts. Environmental Review: Type: Unlisted Action These actions have been determined not to have a significant impact on the environment and are otherwise precluded from environmental review under Environmental Conservation Law. CEQR Section 176-6 A (4) (b). Planning & Development Board Recommendation: The Planning Board has reviewed the signage and conducted the required Design Review in accordance with § 160 Design Review of the City Code and the Downtown Design Guidelines, adopted in March 2018. The Board has granted approval to the proposed signage on the south elevation (Seneca Street - facing side) of the building only and has no objection to granting the variance for that signage. The Board has not granted approval to the signage proposed for the north elevation (Buffalo Street -facing side) of the building. It finds that the signage is not appropriate as proposed as it does not conform to the Downtown Design Guideline's recommendation for signage and does not align with the scale and location of signage on other tall buildings in the Central Business District. The Board notes that any future proposed signage (other than that approved for the south elevation) will be subject to Design Review and site plan approval by the Planning Board. Motion: A motion to grant the variance request was made by Steven Wolf. Deliberations & Findings: The applicant requested that the variance for the North sign measuring 184.5 S.F. be removed from this appeal. Factors Considered: 1. Size of sign: The sign is designed and scaled by a sign designer and it is in line with the existing sign on the adjacent building. The size of the sign has been analyzed by earful account for time, distance, and speed of the traffic patterns. Therefore the request for allowing 30" letters for this sign seems reasonable. 2. Number of letters: The number of letters just spells the name of the business and the logo is an appropriate pictorial for the business. 3. Other signs: The plaques and the above the door sign, which are permitted by the sign ordinance, are modest and appropriate for the building. These sign are in keeping with other signs and do not take away the need for the larger sign that is being requested by the applicant. 4. The character of the neighborhood: The neighborhood is clearly changing and this building is an important part of that change. The requested sign is appropriate for the neighborhood and for the future development with that area. 5. Public Interest: The design and the lighting for this sign has taken the public interest into consideration. Second Motion to Grant Variance: Made by Teresa Deschanes. Vote: Steven Beer, Chair Yes Teresa Deschanes Yes Lindsay Jones Yes Steven Wolf Yes Determination of BZA Based on the Above Factors: The BZA, taking into consideration the five factors for a sign variance, finds that the Benefit to the Applicant outweighs the Determinant to the Neighborhood or Community. The BZA further finds that variances from Sign Ordinance, Section 272-6B (2) is the minimum variances that should be granted in order to preserve and protect the character of the neighborhood and the health, safety, and welfare of the community. *Condition: The sign variance is for the South facing sign only. The applicant must seek a new appeal from the BZA for approval of any additional signs that do not meet the requirements of the sign ordinance. Sec and of Zoning Appeals June 14, 2018 Date