Appearance Review Commission (ARC)

APPROVED COPY Appearance Review Commission Meeting Minutes September 26, 2016 A meeting of the Appearance Review Commission was held on Monday, September 26, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Hall Conference Room, 850 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois. Chairperson Lisa Dunn called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Present were Beth Chaitman Lisa Dunn, Chairperson Sherry Flores Jason Golub Elizabeth Low Daniel Moons Also Present: Jean Spagnoli, Village Planner Jeri Cotton, Secretary Public Comment: There were no public comments on non-agenda items. Document Approval Ms. Low moved to approve the minutes from the August 22, 2016 Appearance Review Commission meeting. Mr. Golub seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote with Mr. Moons abstaining. Business: 1. Cherry Pit Café, 808 Waukegan Road - Business Window Sign Carman Vargas owner of Cherry Pit Café was present. Mr. Vargas explained they would like a larger sign, as they believe the current sign is not visible. The proposed 51.5”w x 43”h window sign is larger than the maximum 20% sign area allowed. Ms. Flores suggested using white letters instead of red letters. She also suggested straightening the words Cherry Pit and Deerfield, Illinois. Ms. Chaitman suggested removing the words Deerfield, Illinois. Mr. Vargas would like to use the word Restaurant instead of Deerfield, Illinois. The commissioners believe the red letters will not be readable, and suggested using white letters. Mr. Moons suggested if the words Deerfield, Illinois were removed, the sign could be larger. Ch. Dunn noted the Commission can vote on what was submitted, but would recommend a more legible sign with white letters be submitted for fast track consideration. Mr. Vargas expressed concern because some people do not know the Cherry Pit Café is a restaurant. He showed a different sign and will submit it to Ms. Spagnoli for fast track consideration. Ch. Dunn requested the new submittal have all the dimensions. Appearance Review Commission September 26, 2016 Page 2 of 3 2. Fleet Feet Sports, 800 Waukegan Road – Awning and Sign Dave Zimmer, owner of Fleet Feet Sports was present. Mr. Zimmer explained they would like more visibility for their business on Waukegan Road. They would like a Sunbrella Mediterranean Blue awning with white copy applied. The sign would be 9 square feet, which is within the Deerfield sign provision. Mr. Zimmer explained they wash the awnings twice a year in their other locations. They are replacing their first awning after five years. Mr. Zimmer noted they want to attract people to their business, so it is in their best interest to maintain the awnings. Mr. Zimmer indicated they have existing window signage. As the new awning will cover the address numbers, Ms. Spagnoli noted the building address must be relocated to be visible. Mr. Zimmer will affix the address to the center window. Mr. Moons moved to approve the awning and awning sign for Fleet Feet Sports as submitted. Ms. Flores seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following vote: AYES: Chaitman, Dunn, Flores, Golub, Low, Moons (6) NAYS: None (0) 3. Marathon/Exxon, 700 Waukegan Road - Signage Ed Mistretta, owner of the Deerfield Marathon and Rick Mistretta with PS Fuels were present. Mr. Rick Mistretta explained they will be changing their brand from Marathon to Exxon. They propose changing the necessary signage elements to complete the changes. Mr. Rick Mistretta explained for the canopy signs they propose face-lit letters that are thermoformed 0.118” deep white poly letters with red vinyl applied. The letters will be PMS 485 red vinyl. The canopy fascia will be Exxon pure white panels that are 10’ wide and 42” high. The sign box will be 36” high and raised 1.5” off the canopy fascia. The Exxon lettering will be raised 1.47” off the sign box. The commissioners expressed concern about the lack of white space on the sign/the margin around the letters. They also questioned the exact dimensions of the letters. Mr. Rick Mistretta will provide more dimensions, including the sign placement. Ms. Flores requested a drawing with the sign placement on the canopy. Mr. Mistretta indicated most Exxon canopies have a red bar; however, he is not proposing the red bar for Deerfield. Mr. Rick Mistretta explained the sign would be located on the bottom of the canopy. The commissioners discussed the proposed face change to the ground sign. The sign would be flat-faced and would highlight Exxon, the Village Auto Repair, Synergy and the price. They are not requesting exposed LED letters at this time. Mr. Golub ensured this sign would be replacing the existing sign faces. Mr. Rick Mistretta explained there are two 5’ x 5’ sign boxes. Ch. Dunn noted the Village Auto Repair building blue is different than the proposed blue on the sign. Mr. Rick Mistretta will provide the PMS colors for the ground sign. Mr. Ed Mistretta noted if the building is repainted, they would make the building the same color blue as the blue in the signage. Ms. Dunn summarized that the petitioner would provide the PMS equivalent of the P23 and P6 colors and a drawing showing exact dimensions of the canopy sign on the canopy with the amount of negative space for the north and south canopy elevations. For the monument sign, the petitioner will provide the sign face depth and clarification on the PMS color. The Commission will consider the new drawings for fast track consideration. Appearance Review Commission September 26, 2016 Page 3 of 3 4. Whole Foods Market, 760 Waukegan Road – Second Sign, preliminary review John Streetz with Doyle General Sign Contractors was present. Mr. Streetz explained they are requesting a 12’ x 12’ sign in lieu of the approved 10’ x 10’ sign. The sign supports would be painted to match the precast. The sign cabinet would be internally illuminated with LED and only the letters would illuminate, the background would not illuminate. The actual graphics are about 70 square feet. The previously approved logo does not represent Whole Foods Market current branding. Mr. Streetz believes the larger sign better fits the building architecture. The proposed sign would be centered horizontally and will have 15’ clearance from the ground. Mr. Streetz noted the proposed signage compliments Whole Foods current branding. He indicated Whole Foods feels very strongly about having a larger circular logo sign. Ms. Flores believes having Whole Foods Market on the circular sign and on the building is redundant. Mr. Moons noted the previous sign, with the graphic, did not look as large as it blended into the background. It appeared smaller than a 10’ x 10’ sign. The commissioners believe the larger sign appears too large with the building entrance. Ms. Low questioned why a variation is needed. Mr. Streetz believes the larger sign is aesthetically appealing. He believes there is a hardship to make the signage look great. Ms. Flores does not believe the proposed sign looks in proportion. The other commissioners agreed. Ch. Dunn questioned how much natural light the larger sign would block from entering the store. Ms. Spagnoli noted the Commission can make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees but cannot approve the sign. The proposed sign is a second sign on the front elevation. The Board of Trustees granted a 10’ x 10’ logo as a second sign, but now a 12’ x 12’ second sign is proposed. Mr. Streetz showed a darker green sign. The commissioners preferred the darker green sign. Ms. Low, Mr. Moons, Ms. Flores, Mr. Golub, Ms. Chaitman and Ch. Dunn would not be in favor of the larger sign. It would be the largest sign in the development and it is a second sign. The larger sign would block light from the building. Mr. Streetz noted a second sign was approved previously. The commissions were not in favor of having a redundant sign as the second sign, and do not believe a second sign is necessary. Items from the Commission Ms. Flores noted Mattress Firm has been displaying feather flags and signs on weekends. Ms. Spagnoli explained Mattress Firm has received a number of violation notices but seem to ignore them. Ms. Low expressed concern about the garbage cans behind Abruzzo. Items from the Staff Ms. Spagnoli noted the final reading of the Deerfield Appearance Code will take place at the October 4, 2016 Board of Trustees meeting. Adjournment There being no further business or discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm. Respectfully submitted, Jeri Cotton, Secretary