Presenter
Presenter
Stacy A.M. Snell, Planning and Community Development Assistant Director
Contact Info
ssnell@nbtexas.org
Subject Header
SUBJECT:
Title
Discuss and consider a request for a conditional sign permit for a multi-tenant monument sign for Christus Santa Rosa Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center, located at 1750 East Common Street.
Body
BACKGROUND / RATIONALE:
Case No.: CS-18-001
Council District: 4
Applicant/Owner: East Common Development Partners, LLC
5608 Parkcrest, Suite 325
Austin, TX 78731
(512) 632-6484
rburnett@matadorps.com
Staff Contact: Katherine Crowe, Planning Technician
(830) 221-4086
kcrowe@nbtexas.org
Location and Current Code Requirements
The subject property is comprised of four individual lots totaling 8.2 acres located on East Common Street, between Gruene Road and Hanz Drive, zoned C-1, Local Business District. The combined street frontage of the four lots is approximately 360 feet. The northern and southern lots provide entry to all the lots. Three of the four lots are currently being developed with three shell buildings that will be finished out with various tenants such as restaurants, medical facilities and retail. The fourth lot includes the existing surgical center located at the rear of the subject property.
The acreage also includes a nonconforming off-premise billboard sign which the applicant does not intend to remove. The former 80 square foot Surgical Center sign on the southern lot has been removed. The subject site is considered a multi-tenant property since it will contain two or more businesses in multiple buildings where the lots involved are contiguous with one another and constitute a single cohesive development.
Sign types and sizes are allowed based on zoning and specific street frontage:
• The C-1 zoning district is allowed one free standing monument sign or one low-profile pole sign per lot. Monument signs are limited to 8 feet in height and 32 square feet. Low profile pole signs are limited to 6 feet in height and 20 square feet. Both sign types require a minimum 10-foot setback. Each of the four lots are allowed one free standing sign for a total of four signs.
• Multi-tenant properties are required to share a sign structure which may be any sign type allowed. When four or more tenants are included on a monument sign, the sign may be up to 64 square feet in area. Additionally, multi-tenant properties are also allowed one 32 square foot monument sign at a maximum height of 5 feet at each driveway to direct traffic to various areas and businesses within the development.
Additional design standards for monument signs specify that the sign face shall not exceed 50 percent of the overall sign structure. And tenants identified on a free standing sign cannot be included on the multi-tenant sign.
To summarize, the subject property is allowed by the currently adopted Sign Ordinance to have: one multi-tenant sign, four free standing signs and two directional monument signs.
Proposal:
The applicant is proposing to construct a single multi-tenant monument sign, and one directional monument sign. The proposed multi-tenant monument sign will identify up to 10 of the tenants in the four buildings on the four lots. The proposed multi-tenant monument is to be centrally located on the subject property to be visible from both north and south bound traffic on East Common Street.
The multi-tenant monument sign would be 12 feet in height and 12 feet in width for a total sign area of 144 square feet. The Christus Santa Rosa Ambulatory Surgical Center would have a larger presence in the top portion of the sign with up to ten tenants identified in two columns of panels below. The Sign Ordinance stipulates that such multi-tenant monument signs cannot have a sign area greater than 64 square feet. Therefore, the proposed sign would exceed the maximum sign area by 80 square feet or 125% larger, and, would exceed the maximum height by four feet or 50% taller.
Furthermore, sign faces of monument signs cannot exceed 50 percent of the overall area of the sign structure. A 64 square foot sign would be allowed 32 square feet of sign face. The proposed 144 square foot sign structure is limited to a maximum sign face of 72 square feet. The proposed sign has a sign face of approximately 92.35 square feet, exceeding the maximum sign face area by 20.35 square feet or 28% larger.
The applicant is also requesting approval of a 40 square foot tall directional monument sign, 5 feet tall, to be located at the southern entrance for purposes of directing traffic to the Christus Santa Rosa Surgical Center, located at the rear of the subject property. The proposed directional sign would include ground mounted lighting due to the high volume of patients arriving before daylight. The proposed directional sign would exceed the maximum allowed sign area of 32 square feet by 8 square feet or 25% larger.
As stated above, the Sign Ordinance stipulates that sign faces of monument signs cannot exceed 50 percent of the overall area of the sign structure. A directional sign meeting the ordinance standards would have a sign face of 16 square feet (50% of 32 sq. ft.). The proposed 40 square foot sign structure is allowed a maximum sign face of 20 square feet. The proposed sign has a sign face of approximately 32 square feet, exceeding the maximum sign face area by 12 square feet or 60% larger and is 166% larger than the adopted code allows.
In August 2015, City Council denied a conditional sign permit request to replace an 80 square foot, 7-foot tall non-conforming monument sign (since removed) with a 92 square foot, 8-foot tall monument sign on the southern lot for the Surgical Center located at the rear of the lot.
Existing Signs in the Vicinity:
|
Sign Location |
Sign Type |
Approximate Height |
|
Cross Lutheran |
Electronic Message |
8 ft. |
|
Central Texas Imaging |
Monument |
5.5 ft. |
|
NB Counseling Center |
Monument |
6 ft. |
|
Spine Center |
Monument |
9 ft. |
|
The Village at Gruene Park |
Monument |
8 ft. |
|
NB Orthopedic Surgery |
Monument |
6 ft. |
|
Hill Country Ear, Nose & Throat |
Monument |
10 ft. |
|
State Farm |
Pole |
7.5 ft. |
|
10 Minute Pharmacy |
Pole |
7 ft. |
|
Through A Child’s Eyes |
Monument |
9 ft. |
|
NB Cardiology |
Monument |
8.5 ft. |
|
Canyon Vista Office Condominiums |
Multi-tenant |
6 ft. |
|
Cotton Crossing Apartment Homes |
Monument |
6 ft. |
|
Gruene Senior Living |
Monument |
6 ft. |
|
NB Veterinary Clinic |
Pole |
15.5 ft. |
|
Billboard on Subject Property |
Billboard |
35 ft. |
Lot Size:
1738 E. Common St. - 4.33 acres
1744 E. Common St. - 1.09 acres
1750 E. Common St. - 1.35 acres
1762 E. Common St. - 1.43 acres
Total for all lots - 8.20 acres
Surrounding Zoning and Land Use:
North - C-1, M-1 and R-1A-6.6/Commercial, drainage and low density residential
South - C-1 and M-1/Commercial
East - M-1/Drainage and railroad tracks
West - Across E. Common St., C-1/Institutional
ADDRESSES A NEED/ISSUE IN A CITY PLAN OR COUNCIL PRIORITY:
|
Yes |
City Plan/ Council Priority: 2006 Comprehensive Plan Pros and Cons Based on Policies Plan |
Pros: Goal 12: Protect and enhance the visual environment of the City. Objective A: Maintain fair and reasonable regulations for signs so that signs harmonize with the special qualities and appearance of New Braunfels (specifying size, height, locations). |
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
Recommendation
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
The conditional sign permit process is intended to allow an applicant flexibility to create alternative signage designs to complement a development’s unique characteristics, and for City Council to consider such designs in the context of a specific location. The subject property, four individual lots, could construct four separate monument signs and an additional directional sign, in addition to the existing billboard sign. Limiting the quantity of signs along the street could be seen as reducing sign clutter; however, the average height of the free-standing signs (excluding the billboard) in the near vicinity along Common is 7.9 feet tall making the proposed 12-foot tall multi-tenant sign more than 51% taller than the other signs.
Staff recommends denial of the proposed size increase of the directional sign, including the area of the sign face, as there are no justifying circumstances for the enlargements above the adopted sign standards as there are no topographical or physical hardships of the site. Additionally, the speed limit of Common is only 35 mph.
However, staff recommends approval of the increased sign area, sign face and height for the multi-tenant sign, with the following conditions:
1. That no additional free standing signs be allowed on the subject property, including all four lots.
2. An easement encroachment must be granted by NBU to allow the sign to be located within the 20-foot wide utility easement. Otherwise the signs will need to be set back further, situated outside of NBU’s easement.
3. The multi-tenant sign shall provide an opaque background for the sign face or a background in a non-white color, or be externally illuminated with lights not visible from the street right-of-way, to reduce the brightness and glare of the sign at night, and pointed downward.
4. Correct the address on the sign to reflect the address of the property, 1750.
Attachments:
1. Aerial Map
2. Zoning Map
3. Regional Transportation Plan
4. Application
5. Proposed Site Plan
6. Proposed Sign Elevation Plan
7. Comparison Table Showing Allowable Signs Vs. Requested Signs
8. Map of Existing Signs in the Vicinity
9. Photos of Site and Surrounding Area
10. Excerpt from the Sign Ordinance