Board of Architectural Review

Town of Vienna 127 Center Street South Vienna, Virginia 22180 p: 703.255.6341 TTY 7111 Meeting Minutes Board of Architectural Review Thursday, March 16, 2023 7:30 PM Council Chambers- Vienna Town Hall Roll Call The Board of Architectural Review met in a regular session on Thursday, March 16, 2022, at 7:30 pm in Town Hall located at 127 Center St S, Vienna, VA 22180. Chair Mr. Baldwin called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm. Roll Call: Mr. Layer, Ms. Hanley, Ms. van Doorn, Mr. Cheselka, and Mr. Baldwin were present. Staff present: Planner Sharmaine Abaied and Board Clerk Yaska Camacho Castillo. Approval of the Minutes The February 16, 2023, meeting minutes were accepted into the record as submitted. Regular Business: BAR23-384 Conte’s Bike Shop - 204 Mill St NE - Signs Item No. 1: Request for approval of signs for Contes Bike Shop, located at 204 Mill St NE, Docket No. PF- 877822-BAR, in the CM Limited Industrial zoning district; filed by Bob Biroonak, Art Display Co., Project Contact. Applicant Present: Bob Biroonak – 204 Mill St NE Mr. Biroonak stated that they are proposing two signs. One is for the front entrance of the property, and the other sign is for the backside of the building, which would be visible to pedestrians from the bike trail. Ms. Hanley inquired about the colors for the sign in front of the building. The applicant responded that it would be white to match the existing. Ms. Hanley questioned the placement of the backside sign. She wondered how they decided on the height and location of the sign. Mr. Biroonak replied that the owner had stepped back to see from where the sign will be visible. He said the sign would be centered above the existing light for illumination. Mr. Layer commented that the back entry might need some clarification since it is hard to tell where the entrance to the facility is. He believes the sign should be moved towards the entry to help indicate access to the shop. The board discussed with the applicant the possibility of moving the sign down about a foot or two above the light over the garage door so that it centers the facility. The item was placed on hold while the applicant discussed the board’s recommendation with his client. Town of Vienna Page 1 Printed on 4/24/2023 Board of Architectural Review Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 BAR23-385 Monarch - 374 Maple Ave E - Signs Item No. 2: Request for approval of signs for Monarch, located at 374 Maple Ave E., Docket No. PF-956432-BAR, in the C-1A Special Commercial zoning district, filed by Gary Brent of MG Permits, Project Contact. Applicant Present: Gary Brent - 19187 Foggy Bottom Rd. Bluemont, VA Mr. Brent stated they are proposing internally illuminated channel letter signs with LED. The kelvin level is 3,000, and the lumen level is 150. The sign measures 31 square feet. He proposes placing the letters mounted on a raceway similar to the State Farm sign previously there. He will use the same installation method. Mr. Brent briefly described the Monarch logo and stated that the letters are white three sixteen acrylics. He said the second sign, a tenant face replacement on the pylon, would be translucent vinyl to match the lower section, replacing the State Farm sign. The board did not have any questions or concerns with the proposed signs. Mr. Cheselka made a motion to approve the request for approval of signs for Monarch, located at 374 Maple Ave E., Docket No. PF-956432-BAR, in the C-1A Special Commercial zoning district, be approved as presented. Motion: Mr. Cheselka Second: Ms. Hanley Ayes 5 Nays 0 Motion Carried Item No 1: Request for approval of signs for Contes Bike Shop, located at 204 Mill St NE, was brought back up for discussion and a motion. Mr. Biroonak stated that his client had no objection to lowering the sign to the center above the garage door. Mr. Layer made a motion to approve both signs for Contes Bike Shop, located at 204 Mill St NE, Docket No. PF- 877822-BAR, in the CM Limited Industrial zoning district, with the following stipulation: • The sign on the back be lowered and centered over the garage door or the light above the garage door by at least two feet. Motion: Mr. Layer Second: Mr. Cheselka Ayes 5 Nays 0 Motion Carried Town of Vienna Page 2 Printed on 4/24/2023 Board of Architectural Review Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 BAR23-386 4U Nails - 155 Glyndon St SE - Signs Item No 3: Request for approval of signs for 4U Nails, located at 155 Glyndon St SE., Docket No. PF-954634-BAR, in the C-2 General Commercial zoning district; filed by Heejin Chang of Creation Sign Co., Project Contact. Applicant Present: Heejin Chang – 7364 McWhorter PL Annandale, VA Ms. Chang stated that the proposed scope of work is LED illuminated channel letters on a raceway using a combination of red and white acrylic and the tenant face replacement on the existing pylon sign to match existing tenants. All board members were pleased with the proposed signs and had no concerns. Ms. van Doorn made a motion to approve the request for approval of signs for 4U Nails, located at 155 Glyndon St SE., Docket No. PF-954634-BAR, in the C-2 General Commercial zoning district. Motion: Ms. van Doorn Second: Ms. Hanley Ayes 5 Nays 0 Motion Carried BAR23-387 Pizza Vienna - 235 Maple Ave E - Sign Item No 4: Request for approval of a sign for Pizza Vienna, located at 235 Maple Ave E., Docket No. PF-942124-BAR, in the C-2 General Commercial zoning district; filed by Ravi Johal, Business Owner. Applicant Present: Ravi Johal – 235 Maple Ave E Mr. Johal proposed replacing the sign with the same form and LED channel letters as the prior sign. The board did not have any questions or concerns with the proposed sign. Ms. Hanley made a motion to approve the sign for Pizza Vienna, located at 235 Maple Ave E., Docket No. PF-942124-BAR, in the C-2 General Commercial zoning district, as presented. Motion: Ms. Hanley Second: Mr. Layer Ayes 5 Nays 0 Motion Carried Town of Vienna Page 3 Printed on 4/24/2023 Board of Architectural Review Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 BAR23-388 Vienna Matclub Inc. - 319 Mill St NE - Sign Item No 5: Request for approval of a sign for Vienna Matclub, located at 319 Mill St NE., Docket No. PF-885357-BAR, in the CM Limited Industrial zoning district; filed by David Krauskopf, Business Owner. Applicant Present: No one was present Ms. Hanley voiced her concern about the durability of the product submitted for the proposed sign. The application states that the durability of the product is 18 months. She is concerned with adhering the product to the brick. Ms. Abaied stated that she contacted the manufacturer to confirm the product’s durability. She was told that the durability is about 18 months, depending on the climate, and that they provide an 18-month warranty. The board discussed the product's durability and concluded that they would like the applicant present to explain that the product is intended to be a short-term product. Ms. van Doorn made a motion to defer the request for approval of a sign for Vienna Matclub, located at 319 Mill St NE., Docket No. PF-885357-BAR, in the CM Limited Industrial zoning district. Motion: Ms. van Doorn Second: Ms. Hanley Ayes 5 Nays 0 Motion Carried Town of Vienna Page 4 Printed on 4/24/2023 Board of Architectural Review Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 BAR23-389 Tobacco Vape King - 332 Maple Ave W - Signs Item No 6: Request for approval of signs for Tobacco King, located at 332 Maple Ave W., Docket No. PF-01-21-BAR, in the C-1, Local Commercial zoning district; filed by Saed Salim, business owner, Project Contact. Applicants Present: Saed Salim & Fadoua Ranjber – 332 Maple Ave W The applicant stated that he removed mostly everything from the window, including the lights. Mr. Baldwin asked if the signs on the right side of the door that displayed the words cigar, kratom, hookah, 8 THC, and CBD were still there, to which he replied yes and said that the Tobacco King sign was removed. There was a discussion on which signs were removed and which signs were kept for clarification purposes. Ms. van Doorn asked staff what the limitation was on window signs, and Ms. Abaeid stated that they are allowed to have 25% of the window covered using window signage. Ms. van Doorn commented on the 175-lumen level being high. She commented that the board typically prefers the lumen level to be at most 150 for signs. Ms. Hanley voiced her concern about the lights. She stated she was not in favor of lighting the architectural features of a building because it detracts from the environment and the harmony of the rest of the storefronts. The applicant assured the board that he had removed the lights from the window. Mr. Layer commented on the open sign on the window’s left side. He stated that the open signs were never intended to be larger than 1.5 square feet. He believes the sign exceeds 1.5 square feet. He briefly explained the four fundamental principles of the code so that the applicant could better understand the size requirement. He later commented on the other signs on the window’s right side. He described the signs as intense and exaggerated. He suggested that the applicant consider different options, such as vinyl letters or a sign with some illumination designed by a sign contractor that can come up with ideas compatible with the neighbors. Mr. Cheselka stated that the lettering on the right side of the window looked cluttered. He suggested making the letters smaller and placing them across the top of the window. The board provided additional suggestions on how to make the window look less cluttered. Mr. Baldwin voiced his appreciation to Tobacco King for following the instructions given to them by zoning enforcement to come into compliance with the code. Ms. Hanley voiced her concerns about how multiple lit signs on the window can deteriorate the town. If a business wants a product listing on the window, it should be less than its facade sign. She stated she did not favor having lit signs in the window. The discussion continued. The board discussed the facade sign, and all agreed that the sign looked great and fitted well with the surrounding neighbors. Ms. Hanley made a motion to approve the facade sign for Tobacco King, located at 332 Maple Ave W., Docket No. PF-01-21-BAR, in the C-1, Local Commercial zoning district, as presented. Motion: Ms. Hanley Second: Ms. van Doorn Ayes 5 Town of Vienna Page 5 Printed on 4/24/2023 Board of Architectural Review Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 Nays 0 Motion Carried Ms. Hanley made a motion to defer the window signs for Tobacco King, located at 332 Maple Ave W., Docket No. PF-01-21-BAR, in the C-1, Local Commercial zoning district, with the recommendation as discussed. Motion: Ms. Hanley Second: Mr. van Doorn Ayes 5 Nays 0 Motion Carried Ms. Hanley made a motion to deny the request for the window perimeter lighting (tube lighting) around the perimeter of the window for Tobacco King, located at 332 Maple Ave W., Docket No. PF-01-21-BAR, in the C-1, Local Commercial zoning district Motion: Ms. Hanley Second: Mr. van Doorn Ayes 5 Nays 0 Motion Carried The board discussed the following: • Requirement for window signs / open signs Ms. van Doorn made a motion to adjourn, and Mr. Cheselka seconded the motion. Meeting Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:49 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Yaska Camacho Castillo Board Clerk THE TOWN OF VIENNA IS COMMITTED TO FULL COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT STANDARDS. TRANSLATION SERVICES, ASSISTANCE OR ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS FROM PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE TO BE REQUESTED NOT LESS THAN 3 WORKING DAYS BEFORE THE DAY OF THE EVENT. PLEASE CALL (703) 255-6304, OR 711 VIRGINIA RELAY SERVICE FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED. Town of Vienna Page 6 Printed on 4/24/2023