PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Pass the ordinance approving a variance from Section 6-16-6:1 for a wall sign at the North Central College parking pavilion located at 415 S Brainard Street - PZC 23-1-092
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Brad Iwicki, Assistant Planner
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) conducted the public hearing on PZC 23-1-092 at its November 15, 2023, meeting. There were no public speakers and at the conclusion of discussion, the PZC made a motion to approve PZC 23-1-092 (vote 9-0). Staff concurs.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is zoned CU (College/University District) and is located south of Chicago Avenue, east of Washington Street near the center of the North Central College (NCC) campus. The owner and petitioner, NCC, is constructing a new parking pavilion and wishes to install wall signage on the east circulation tower.
DISCUSSION:
The educational campus sign regulations as specified in Section 6-16-6:1 (Special Areas of Control: Educational Campus) of the Naperville Municipal Code are applicable to wall signs installed on the building. The regulations include a maximum permitted wall sign allowance of 32 square feet per frontage of the building. Specific to the new parking pavilion, the allowable wall signage is one, 32 square foot wall sign, placed on the north façade of the east circulation tower facing Brainard Street and visible from Chicago Avenue.
The petitioner is requesting a variance in order to install a wall sign with a sign area of 90 square feet on the parking garage’s east circulation tower to ensure visibility and provide adequate identification of building. The building is uniquely located near the center of the NCC campus and in close proximity to several important features and amenities of the college.
The Chicago Avenue and S Brainard Street intersection is 380 feet north and serves as the primary vehicular access point to the NCC campus. As such, the petitioner does not find that the allowable wall signage size provides adequate identification of the building.
The proposed sign is non-illuminated and will feature cast metal lettering with a black finish. The wall sign includes North Central College, the NCC logo, the date the college was established, and will identify that the building is the Parking Pavilion structure. The petitioner states that the proposed signage will be visible from a distance of 225 feet, or .7 city blocks, making the signage readily identifiable to potential users. The lettering is similar in size and scale to the signage approved for the north and south facades of the NCC Health Sciences & Engineering Building via Ordinance 21-101.
Staff find the proposed wall sign is proportionate to the parking pavilion structure and with minimal impact given their non-illuminated design. Staff finds that the location and orientation of this building and east circulation tower (i.e., visible from the primary access point into the North Central College campus) supports the request by NCC to allow the size of the proposed signage to exceed the limitation set in the City of Naperville Municipal Code. Overall, staff finds that the proposed signage provides proper identification of the parking pavilion within the NCC campus.
Findings of Fact
The Petitioner has provided a response to the Standards for a Variance which can be found in the attachments. Staff is in general agreement with the Petitioner’s findings and recommends adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Planning and Zoning Commission Action
The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted the public hearing to consider PZC 23-1-092 on November 15, 2023. No public comments were voiced during the public hearing.
There was no discussion on the item, so the Planning and Zoning Commission closed the public hearing and voted to recommend approval of the petitioner’s request as presented (9-0). Staff concurs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A