What: a sign variance for a seven-story building in the Central Business District on Mount Rushmore Road, asking to exceed the code maximums for wall signage (420 square feet) and cumulative electronic message signs (60 square feet).
Where it stands: after an October 8 hearing the request was reduced from 1,400 to 837 square feet of wall signage and from 850 to 172.75 square feet of electronic message signs. On October 22 the board approved it 6 to 3, the minimum of six votes required (from captions; minutes not read).
Next: none expected; staff said the sign code may be revisited for large buildings.
Details
The revised plan has five wall signs on the south side (down from six, each reduced from 100 to 81 square feet, internally backlit), one wall sign at the top of the north side in place of a large electronic sign, and one electronic message sign on the east side in addition to an existing ground-level electronic sign in the plaza.
Staff moved from recommending denial to making no recommendation. Electronic signs must show static copy, change no more often than every 8 seconds and dim automatically. The building is outside the historic district.
Board debate centered on the east-side electronic sign: members worried about its height (at least 20 feet up) near a busy signalized intersection and about the look of signs on every floor. Staff said police accident reports show no link between large electronic signs and crashes, and a public works staff member said studies do not show increased accidents. Staff and counsel said the city can regulate size but not color.
A substitute motion to approve the wall signs but deny the east electronic sign failed. The original compromise then passed 6 to 3.
Comparison with two other downtown towers (10 stories) with variances for wall signs of roughly 619 and 1,046 square feet.
Revised request heard as a continuation; approved 6 to 3 after a substitute motion to deny the east electronic sign failed. See Zoning Board of Adjustment Variances Fall 2026 for the other variances.