Appearance Review Commission (ARC)

APPROVED COPY Appearance Review Commission Meeting Minutes April 27, 2015 A meeting of the Appearance Review Commission was held on Monday, April 27, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Hall Conference Room, 850 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois. Chairman Dick Coen called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Present were Dick Coen, Chairman Beth Chaitman Lisa Dunn Sean Ehlke Sherry Flores Jim Hollis Elizabeth Low Also Present: Jean Spagnoli, Village Planner Jeri Cotton, Secretary Public Comment: There was no Public Comment. Document Approval Ms. Dunn moved to approve the minutes from the April 13, 2015 Appearance Review Commission meeting. Ms. Flores seconded the motion. Ch. Coen had a few minor corrections. The motion passed by the following vote: AYES: Coen, Chaitman, Dunn, Ehlke, Flores, Hollis, Low (7) NAYS: None (0) ABSTAIN: Ehlke Business: 1. State Farm, 40 Lake Cook Road – wall sign Cindy Fitzpatrick with Heritage Signs was present. Ms. Fitzpatrick explained they currently have a channel letter sign on a raceway and would like to replace it with a red channel letter sign on a bronze painted raceway. The raceway will be installed 23” from the lower roof line. The sign illumination is white LED. Ch. Coen noted the previous approval required the sign to be aligned with the two existing signs. Ms. Fitzpatrick Appearance Review Commission April 27, 2015 Page 2 of 5 explained the proposed sign would be align the other signs. Ch. Coen noted the raceway shows it will be painted to match the building; however, he would be in favor of a raceway that is the same color as the shingles. He noted the proposed red sign does not pop (provide contrast) like the existing white sign on the dark shingles. Ms. Fitzpatrick indicated the returns will be PMS 432U red. The faces will be white acrylic with 3M Trans Red 3630 applied. She will provide samples of the colors. The gray ovals will be Arion opaque 2100 dark gray applied to the faces. Ch. Coen noted the capital letters would be 24” high and the stacked ovals will be 26” high. He requested the dimensions of the lower case letters. Ch. Coen noted the sign should be centered horizontally. Mr. Ehlke questioned which adjacent sign would be matched for the height. He suggested centering the sign vertically to be in line with the Weisman Podiatry sign on the left. Ms. Flores noted Pantone 432 is a dark gray metallic, not a red color. Ch. Coen asked if the returns are intended to be gray or red. Ms. Fitzpatrick noted the returns and inner ovals would be gray. Mr. Hollis asked that the raceway be dark gray to better coordinate. The commissioners agreed. Ms. Flores asked how close the gray matches the roofing material. She would not want the raceway to appear like it is floating on the roof. Ch. Coen believes having a different color may draw more attention to the raceway. Ms. Fitzpatrick noted the Weisman Podiatry box sign has a bronze background. Ch. Coen would like to see color samples if the raceway is a different color than the returns. Ms. Chaitman believes a white sign would stand out more than a red sign. Ms. Flores agreed. Ms. Fitzpatrick explained she cannot deviate from the corporate logo. Ms. Dunn moved to approve the wall sign for State Farm. The sign will be internally illuminated with white LED. The upper case letters will be 24” high and the logo will be 26” high and the sign will be 179.7” wide. The raceway, returns and gray circles will be 432U metallic (dark gray). The faces are white acrylic with 3M #3630 red applied to the faces. The bottom of the letters will start at the bottom of the 3 rd shingle going up so the sign matches the height of the Weisman Podiatry sign. The sign will be centered horizontally on the building/roof element. Any approval is contingent upon receiving color samples. Mr. Ehlke seconded them motion. The motion passed by the following vote: AYES: Coen, Chaitman, Dunn, Ehlke, Flores, Hollis, Low (7) NAYS: None (0) 2. MOD Pizza, 70 S. Waukegan Road – wall signs Ernie DiFiore with Modern Signs, Inc. was present. Mr. DiFiore explained MOD Pizza is requesting a 4-1/4” letter stroke sign with push-thru letter faces. The white portion of Appearance Review Commission April 27, 2015 Page 3 of 5 the letter will stick out approximately ½”. Ch. Coen noted the signs are within the PUD size requirements. Ms. Dunn questioned why the east elevation sign is not centered in the tenant space. Mr. DiFiore explained they propose centering the sign vertically on the sign band and horizontally over the door. Ms. Dunn would prefer the sign be centered in the space rather than over the door. Ms. Chaitman agreed noting the door is hidden. Mr. DiFiore explained they want to highlight the door. Ch. Coen would prefer the sign to be centered between the two piers. Mr. Ehlke agreed. He noted the Subway signs are centered between the brick piers on both the north and the east elevations. Mr. Ehlke indicated the MOD sign is proposed as centered vertically on the sign band and horizontally between the piers on the south elevation. Therefore, he questioned why the east elevation should be allowed to be at variance with the other 3 signs. Ch. Coen noted the returns would be red. Ms. Spagnoli explained the proposed red matches the approved red for Deerbrook Mall, which is PMS 485. The red will not illuminate; the only thing that will illuminated is the white. Mr. DiFiore noted the push thru portion of the letter will also illuminate. He explained the letters will be 3” deep. Mr. Hollis questioned whether there would be spillage from the cutout. Mr. DiFiore explained you can see a little white when looking from the side. Ch. Coen explained the Sign Code does not allow multi-dimensioned signs. There is a ½” protrusion. Ms. Low questioned the Marathon sign. Ms. Spagnoli explained that is a different sign construction. This sign would have light spilling out from the sides ½” as well as the letter faces. Mr. Hollis indicated the Commission has previously approved slight dimensional differences. He explained the spillage is minimal and questioned why the sign does not have a smaller push thru. Mr. DiFiore noted this is a high quality sign because of how the sign is made. He believes it is very aesthetically appealing. Mr. DiFiore explained there is a little reveal; the sign is not pushing light. Mr. Hollis does not believe a reduced push thru will make a difference. Mr. DiFiore explained the signs are mass produced. Ms. Dunn questioned the purpose of having one plane signs. Ch. Coen explained three dimensional signs were viewed as inappropriate. Ms. Flores questioned whether there is a readability issue with the red returns. Mr. DiFiore explained they have not had issues in other locations. Ms. Flores believes black returns would make the sign more readable. Mr. Ehlke believes the reveal appears to be more than ½ inch. Ms. Low indicated if this sign is not approved, the petitioner would need to create a different sign. Mr. DiFiore explained this is the sign that is installed in several other locations. The only difference is some have red returns and some have black returns. He explained this is MOD Pizza’s branding. Ch. Coen noted that the petitioner can try to appeal any Appearance Review Commission approval by appearing before the Mayor and Board of Trustees. Mr. Hollis explained the Commission is asking for less of a push thru. Mr. Ehlke believes the Commission has not previously approved any signs with a ½” push thru. He expressed concern that approving this multi-dimensioned sign may create a precedent. Ch. Coen believes the sign would look the same if it were Appearance Review Commission April 27, 2015 Page 4 of 5 flush instead of dimensional. Ms. Dunn would like the sign to be flush and centered over the tenant space. Ms. Low agreed, because the Commission is charged with upholding the Village Codes which states the sign should be on one plane. Mr. Ehlke, Mr. Hollis and Ms. Flores agreed. Ms. Chaitman is okay with the sign as proposed, but would like the east elevation sign centered in the tenant space. Ms. Flores hopes the red gives enough dimension to the sign. Mr. DiFiore believes a flush face could be made, but is unsure whether a lesser reveal could be made. Mr. Hollis moved to approve the MOD pizza signs as submitted with the east elevation sign being centered over the door. The signs will be constructed with push thru faces extending ½” beyond the red letter cabinets. Ms. Flores seconded the motion. The motion did not pass by the following vote: AYES: None (0) NAYS: Coen, Chaitman, Dunn, Ehlke, Flores, Hollis, Low (7) Mr. Hollis moved to conditionally approve the MOD Pizza sign package with the east elevation sign centered between the masonry piers. Both signs will be constructed with flush faces. Ms. Low seconded the motion. Ch. Coen noted the petitioner will need to submit revised drawings. The motion passed by the following vote: AYES: Coen, Chaitman, Dunn, Ehlke, Flores, Hollis, Low (7) NAYS: None (0) 3 Queens Nail, 45 Waukegan Road – wall sign Michelle Ganzorig, manager of Queens Nail was present. Ms. Ganzorig explained the proposed sign would have channel letters with white faces and black trim caps and returns. She noted the wall color is very close to white, but they really want a white sign. Ms. Flores explained the sign will blend in with the background. Ms. Chaitman questioned whether a thicker black outline could help. Ms. Low believes the sign should stand out more. Ms. Flores recommended using a color for the sign faces. Ms. Ganzorig asked if the word Queens could be one color and Nail in white. Ms. Flores does not believe it would read as well. The word Queens would be visible but the word Nail would not. Ms. Low indicated a perforated sign would illuminate as white. Ms. Chaitman noted the sign is horizontally centered in the tenant space, but appears too low on the sign band because of the crown on the Q. Ms. Dunn likes the logo and believes the letters are readable. Mr. Hollis, Ms. Flores, Mr. Ehlke and Ms. Low agree. Mr. Ehlke noted that if the petitioner wants a white sign, that is what they want. Ms. Ganzorig asked if it would be okay if the owners decide on a color instead of white. Ms. Spagnoli explained they would have to submit the new color for fast track consideration. Ch. Coen suggested removing the second disconnect, numbered six on the drawing. Appearance Review Commission April 27, 2015 Page 5 of 5 Mr. Ehlke moved to approve the wall sign submittal for Queens Nail as submitted with the understanding that the second disconnect switch on the exterior would be eliminated. Ms. Dunn seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following vote: AYES: Coen, Chaitman, Dunn, Ehlke, Flores, Hollis, Low (7) NAYS: None (0) Items from the Commission: Ms. Flores noted the Charles Ifergan Salon renovations are near completion. Ms. Spagnoli indicated they will appear before the Commission for signage in June. Ms. Flores questioned what is happening with Portillo’s. Ms. Spagnoli explained the traffic study is not yet complete. Mr. Ehlke reported C2 Education has a lot of window signs. He asked Ms. Spagnoli to look at it. Mr. Ehlke questioned whether sign violations should be enforced by someone other than the building department. Ms. Spagnoli handles the window signage violations. The planning department handles many of the signage violations. Ms. Low noted Mike Rizzo State Farm painted behind the sign, but the rest of the façade looks dirty. Ms. Flores asked about the Tucker Development. Ms. Spagnoli explained there is one resident that would not sell her property. Ms. Flores reported seeing signs in the right-of-way. Ms. Spagnoli explained no signs are allowed in the public rights-of-way other than traffic/Village signage. Items from Staff: Ms. Spagnoli, Ms. Little and Mr. Case met with Metra representatives. They discussed leaving the concrete pavers from the legacy brick to the roof drip line. This would frame the building with the concrete pavers. Ch. Coen asked to see a drawing with the brick patterns. Ms. Flores still prefers the Brickhouse Red color. Adjournment There being no further business or discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 8:57 pm. Respectfully submitted, Jeri Cotton Secretary Appearance Review Commission April 27, 2015 Page 6 of 5