Council hears sign variance, public nuisance requests
The city council approved two sign variances for local businesses tonight, along with declaring one property a public nuisance.
The owner of 1745 Oxmoor Road met some resistance from neighboring residents after requesting to build a 5.5-foot monument sign, 2 feet higher than the ordinance allows. Two neighbors said they were concerned about the sight distance for vehicles turning on Oxmoor Road and setting a precedent of large signs in the area.
The property owner and potential tenant, a fitness studio, said existing landscaping on the road makes the sign hard to see without additional height.
Ward 4 Representative Barry Smith encouraged a compromise by reducing the sign's height by 1 foot, which the neighbors present said would be fine as long as it wouldn't impact sight lines. The council approved this, contingent on receiving new drawings of the sign from the owner.
The Circle K gas station at the intersection of Columbiana Road and Lakeshore Drive also received approval for work in the city right-of-way and a new monument sign. The work includes widening the gas station's Columbiana entrance, which will also serve as an entrance for the neighboring doctors' offices, and the sign located just south of that entrance.
Previously, the gas station's representatives had presented a host of changes, including redesigns to turn lanes on Columbiana, but Smith said they chose to withdraw those plans.
The council also chose to declare 1575 Valley View Circle a public nuisance due to excessive growth. The property owner had made some progress toward clearing out overgrowth, but code enforcement officer Scott Cook said it didn't meet standards yet. The property owner was at the meeting and said he had dropped the ball on upkeep in the past, but had plans to get the issue resolved soon.
Council President Bruce Limbaugh was first inclined to continue the public hearing for the second time, but Ward 1 Representative Britt Thames said he felt enough time had been given to remedy the situation. In a surprising turn, the property owner agreed with Thames. He said if Cook could give him a couple days before sending a landscaping crew to the site, he would ensure the property was fully cleaned up.
With that, the council declared 1575 Valley View Circle a public nuisance. They voted to drop public nuisance declarations at 618 Hambaugh Ave. and 1705 26th Ave. S. due to the properties being cleaned up.
The council also:
- Referred a request to set an 800-square-foot minimum for homes in the Neighborhood Preservation District to the Planning Commission to consider. This was prompted after a discussion last week over tiny homes, when the council found out the minimum square footage requirement had been removed from the zoning ordinance.
- Asked the planning and development committee to consider increasing the parking time limit on 18th Street South from two to three hours.
- Approved a sign variance for 234 Green Springs Highway, with Ward 2 Representative Mike Higginbotham voting against the measure. The variance was for overall size and to allow a second attached sign on the building.
- Approved a "No Thru Traffic" or "Local Traffic Only" sign at the Oxmoor end of Overton Road.
- Approved a contract for labor with Intime Staffing.
- Set a public hearing on Aug. 14 for a fence variance request at 2920 Leland Dr.
- Set Aug. 14 public hearings to consider declaring 1500 Wellington Road, 1620 26th Ave. S. and 1632 25th Terrace S. public nuisances due to excessive growth.
- Set a Nov. 13 public hearing to consider an annexation request at 1400 Shades Crest Road.
- Dropped sign variance requests at 500 Woodcrest Place and 1820 28th Ave. S.