DATE: December 5, 2019
TO: Members of the Northfield Heritage Preservation Commission
FROM: Mikayla Schmidt, Interim City Planner
Title
Sign Permit - 300 Division Street - Little Joy Coffee
Body
SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUESTED:
The HPC is requested to approve a sign permit for Little Joy Coffee at 300 Division Street.
A subcommittee of the HPC met on November 18, 2019 and reviewed the initial sign permit application. The subcommittee asked the font be changed to a serif style font. The revised plan is attached to the staff report and shows the wall and projecting sign in serif font. The color of the font is now an “off-white”.
Staff recommends approval of the sign and notes the requirements listed below.
ANALYSIS:
The applicable sections of the Downtown Historic District regulations in the sign ordinance located in Ch. 34 Section 6.10 (F) include the following (Staff response is shown in bold):
1. Placement. Signs shall be positioned so that they are an integral design feature of the building, i.e., signs shall complement and enhance the architectural features of the building. They shall be placed so that they do not destroy architectural details such as stone arches, glass transom panels, or decorative brickwork. Unless other placement is specifically approved by the Heritage Preservation Commission for reasons stated in the Certificate of Appropriateness issued by the Heritage Preservation Commission, signs may be placed only as follows:
(a) At or above the horizontal lintel, storefront cornice, or beltcourse, or above the storefront windows;
(b) Projecting from the building;
(c) Applied to or painted on canvas/fabric awnings;
(d) In areas where signs were historically attached (see Figure 6-3); or
(e) Wall signs for first floor businesses shall be beneath the second floor windows.
Staff response: The signs meet the placement requirements. The wall and projecting signs are placed in an acceptable location.
2. Sign Shape. Signs shall be designed to match the historic time period elements. Wall signs shall include a raised rectangular border that sets the sign apart from the building surface or hanging space. Signs shall make use of individual raised letters. Projecting signs may be fabricated in a variety of shapes appropriate to the building or business.
Staff response: The signs meet the shape requirements. The wall sign has a rectangular border already built in with the building. The projecting sign is rectangular in shape.
3. Colors. Sign colors shall coordinate with the building façade to which the sign is attached. A combination of soft/neutral shades and dark/rich shades will best reflect the historical time period. No more than two colors shall be used for the sign letters.
Staff response: The signs meet the color requirements. The lettering is in an off-white color with black back ground.
4. Material. Signs and sign letters should be made of wood, metal or weatherproof material that is in keeping with the corresponding historic period of the building. Signs that appear to be made of plastic are prohibited. Brackets for projecting signs shall be made of iron or other painted metal, and shall be secured at the top of the sign, and anchored into the mortar, not the masonry.
Staff response: The signs meet the material requirements. The signs are made of MDO board.
5. Message. The sign message shall be legible and shall relate to the nature of the business. These requirements may be accomplished through the use of words, pictures, names, symbols and logos. Logos, if used, shall be incorporated into signage designs compatible with the Historic District. Logos and lettering shall occupy no more than 60 percent of the total sign area and shall not extend outside the sign borders.
Staff response: The signs meet message requirements. The signs are legible and relate to the business.
6. Lettering. Lettering styles shall be legible and shall relate to the character of the property's use and the era of the building. Lettering on wall signs shall be in a serif font. Wall signs shall contain no more than two lettering styles, and the lettering and any logo shall occupy no more than 60 percent of the total sign area. Projecting signs may utilize a font other than serif. Telephone numbers and websites may be included, provided they are clearly secondary to the primary message of the sign and occupy no more than 20 percent of the total sign area allotted to lettering.
Staff response: The signs meet lettering requirements. The lettering utilizes serif font.
7. Illumination. External illumination of signs is permitted by incandescent, LED, or fluorescent light, but shall emit a continuous white light that prevents direct shining onto the ground or adjacent buildings. Exposed neon signs shall be permitted when installed inside windows or the interior of the building. With the exception of lighted "open" signs, internally illuminated signs are not permitted. Flashing, intermittent, rotating signs or signs that create the illusion of movement are prohibited. Exceptions to this guideline shall be allowed for public service, time/temperature and theater signs.
Staff response: The signs meet illumination requirements. The signs will not be illuminated.