SIGN REQUEST STIRS DEBATE
Officials have concerns about granting approval for sandwich board
A business owner's request to have a sandwich board sign installed outside Market of Lake Geneva is causing some concern among members of the Plan Commission.
Maxwell mansion owners and short-term rental property owners Luke and Monica Pfeifer, along with their daughter Bayleigh, feel city officials did not give short-term rental property owners adequate notice about a special meeting to increase annual short-term rental property license fees.
Hoiland
A downtown business owner's sign request is drawing concern from some Lake Geneva officials.
Colleen Ries recently submitted a design review application to install a sandwich board on the sidewalk to help promote her business, Sub-Zero Candy LLC & Whimsical Shops, which is located inside the Market of Lake Geneva, 830 W. Main St.
Members of the Lake Geneva Plan Commission discussed the request during their Dec. 15 meeting.
Building and Zoning Director Renee Hanlon said the proposal does meet the city' requirements for installing a sandwich board sign outside a business.
"The size of the sign, in the initial application, was a little bigger than allowed, and the applicant did revise the sign down," Hanlon said. "So, it's no more than three feet in height and two feet in width."
Alderman Joel Hoiland, who also is a Plan Commission member, said he is concerned that the proposed sign would reduce the amount of sidewalk space outside the shopping center.
"I think we just need to be careful about too many sandwich board signs on sidewalks, because this is an area that tends to get a lot of high traffic," Hoiland said. "So, it's a cautionary thing for me."
Plan Commission member John Gibbs said he is concerned that if the request is approved, other business owners inside Market of Lake Geneva might want a sign, which would cause congestion outside of the market.
"If we're going to approve this one, if other ones come in, I feel like we should approve those, too," Gibbs said. "So now, are we going to have 10, eight, six sandwich boards sitting on the sidewalk outside? I think we should do a little research on this one because this is a unique situation with this building. It's not a single, occupant building."
Mayor Todd Krause agreed that approving the request could cause too many signs to be installed on the sidewalk.
"I think from an esthetics point of view that doesn't look right, and certainly it's going to be a lot in the summertime when the sidewalks are busy," Krause said.
Plan Commission member Jeremy Nafziger said he is not in favor of the proposal, because he does not want any additional objects to be installed on downtown sidewalks.
"There's plenty of tables and chairs already on the sidewalks. Do we need more stuff?," Nafziger said. "Knowing that you have the potential to have multiple signs outside of this, let's stop this before it starts."
Plan Commission member Doug Skates feels the request should be approved, because city officials do not receive many requests to have sandwich board sign installed in the downtown area.
Sign allowance confusion
City Attorney Dan Draper said signs that are installed in the downtown area must leave at least five feet of sidewalk space for pedestrians.
"So, they have to make sure they don't encroach on an area," he said.
Draper also said a business's sign must be located within 10 feet of the customers' entrance, but he is not certain if that would pertain to the entrance of Market of Lake Geneva or each individual business located inside the shopping center.
"It depends on how you would define what the customers' entrance is," Draper said.
Hanlon said, according to a Lake Geneva ordinance, the city allows one outdoor sign per business, but she is not certain whether that would include the Market of Lake Geneva itself or each separate business inside the market.
"I'm sure the ordinance didn't really contemplate this case where you have the market and you have several tenants within one building," Hanlon said. "But it says one per business."
Hoiland proposed that city officials meet with the building owner to discuss establishing a sign that would promote all of the shopping center's businesses.
"Let staff consult with the owner and see if we can find some signage that would provide appropriate visibility for the tenants rather than sandwich boards," Hoiland said. "I don't want to give the building owner a scapegoat, but I think we ought to go back and say it would be more efficient."
After some discussion, the Plan Commission members approved to continue discussion on the item during a future meeting by a 6-1 vote with Skates voting "no."
