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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBZA 3139-750 & 770 Cascadilla St.-Decision Letter-10-1-2019CITY OF ITHACA 108 E. Green Street — 3rd Floor Ithaca, NY 14850-5690 DEPARTMENT OF PLAN 11 G, BUILDING, ZONING, & ECONOMIC DEVELOP ENT Division of Zoning Gino Leonardi, Secretary to the Board of Zoning Appeals Telephone: 607-274-6550 Fax: 607-274-6558 E -Mail: gleonardi@cityofithaca.org CITY OF ITHACA BOARD of ZONING APPEALS Sign Variance Findings & Decision Appeal No.: 3139 Applicant: Jax Signs & Neon, Inc. for Organic Nature, LLC, Owner Property Location: 750 & 770 Cascadilla Street Zoning District: I-1 Applicable Section of City Sign Ordinance: Section 272-6 B (2) and 272-9A. Requirement for Which Variance is requested: Number and Size of permitted signs, Setback requirement. Publication Dates: September 25, 2019 and September 27, 2019. Meeting Held On: October 1, 2019. Summary: Appeal of Jax Signs & Neon, Inc. on behalf of the owner Organic Nature, LLC for a Sign Variance from Section 272-6 B (2), Number and Size of Permitted Signs and Section 272-9 A, Setback requirements of the Sign Ordinance. The applicant proposes to install one freestanding sign at 750 Cascadilla Street and three wall signs on the building at 770 Cascadilla Street. Both properties are owned by Organic Nature and serve as the new location for Green Star Coop. The building at 770 Cascadilla Street is situated on a back lot that has access via the 750 Cascadilla Street property. Three signs will be positioned on the North, South and Northeast portions of the building for the purpose of way finding and branding. The sign ordinance permits businesses to have one freestanding sign or two walls signs with a maximum square footage of 50 SF per sign. The applicant proposes three wall signs and one wall sign is penuiitted by the ordinance having 43.2 SF, but the two additional signs exceed the permitted square footage requirements having 58.1 SF and 118.8 SF of the 50 SF permitted by the ordinance. Due to the proximity of the building, the applicant proposes to install a fourth sign which will serve as a monument sign at the parking lot entrance area at 750 Cascadilla Street. The monument sign will be positioned 7 feet from the property line along Cascadilla Street. Section 272-9, requires monument signs to be 10 feet from any street right-of-way or public highway. Although the monument sign meets the square footage requirement of the ordinance, it is deficient in the number of signs permitted and the required setback having 7 feet of the 10 feet required by the ordinance. The property is located in the MD, Market District in which the proposed use is peiniitted. However, the Sign Ordinance, Section 272-18 requires that variances be granted before a sign permit is issued. Public Hearing Held On: October 1, 2019. No public comments in opposition. Robert Andree owner of 600 N. Fulton Street, wrote a letter in favor of the sign variance. Bruce Lane owner of 400 and 803 Cascadilla Street, wrote a letter in favor of the sign variance. Members present: Steven Beer, Chair Teresa Deschanes Steven Wolf Stephanie Egan -Engels 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: This is a Type 2 Action under the City of Ithaca Environmental Quality Review Ordinance ("CEQRO"), and State Environmental Quality Review Act ("SEQRA"), and is not subject to Environmental Review. Planning & Development Board Recommendation: The Planning Board does not idents any negative long term planning impacts and supports this appeal. The Planning Board specifically asked the applicant to add visual interest the north facade of the building due to its high visibility. The Boar d also has no problem with the proposed monument sign. The Board supports food retail in this location due to the expected increase in residential use in the waterfront. Motion: A motion to grant the variance request was made by Stephanie Egan -Engels. Deliberations & Findings: Factors Considered: 1. Size of sign: The purpose of the signs and the distance from where it will be read is adequate for the location of the building in relationship to the adjacent roads. Although the applicant is asking for four wall signs and a monument sign, the store location is only visible from a couple of vantage points that can only be seen by vehicular traffic from Fulton Street. The monument sign is positioned on Cascadilla Street to indicate the entrance to the store parking area for motorists. 2. Number of letters: The quantity, placement, and the size of the letters is appropriate for the distance from the road to the signs. 3. Other signs: The signs are appropriate for the area and will meet the needs of directing people to the business. 4. The character of the neighborhood: The signs will not cause determine to the neighborhood. The view of the building is currently a blank wall and the proposed "Welcome to Ithaca" sign will add to the character and bring an amenity to the neighborhood. There was support from neighboring property owners for the proposal. 5. Public Interest: The signage has clean lettering and will not have an affect on open spaces, views, or vistas. The signage will add a visual interest to the building facade and is a positive change for the area. 2 Second Motion to Grant Variance: Made by Teresa Deschanes. Vote: Steven Beer, Chair Yes Teresa Deschanes Yes Steven Wolf Yes Stephanie Egan -Engels Yes Determination of BZA Based on the Above Factors: The BZA, taking into consideration the five factors for a sign variance, fmds that the Benefit to the Applicant outweighs the Determinant to the Neighborhood or Community. The BZA further finds that variances from Sign Ordinance, Section 272-6 B (2) and 272-9A are 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. 1i l G . eo t'r 1i, Zoning Administrator Secreta ,Board of Zoning Appeals October 11, 2019 Date 3