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Design Review Board

Level 1: Sign

4-B-17-DT

Installation of an illuminated projecting sign that is 13'-0" tall by 2'-0" wide (26 square feet). The body of the sign will be green and made of metal. All letters and decorative elements will be constructed of neon. The sign will be attached to the building using 6" wide metal posts and will extend approximately 2'-0" from the facade.

Location
418 S Gay St
Applicant Request
Installation of an illuminated projecting sign that is 13'-0" tall by 2'-0" wide (26 square feet). The body of the sign will be green and made of metal. All letters and decorative elements will be constructed of neon. The sign will be attached to the building using 6" wide metal posts and will extend approximately 2'-0" from the facade.
Staff Comments
This building is located in the Gay Street Commercial (National Register) Historic District, so the Historic Resources section of the guidelines apply (Section 1.C). The Historic Resources guidelines recommend that signs not be internally illuminated. The board has approved internal illumination in the past but has consistently only approved it when light is able to penetrate only a portion of the sign face, such as the letters and decorative elements; or neon illumination.

The board has reviewed and approved other similar projecting signs on this block of Gay Street, including Five Bar (6' tall x 1'-5" wide), Sapphire (8' tall by 2' wide) and Babalu (12' tall by 5' wide). The proposed sign is slightly taller than the next largest sign, Babalu, but it does not have the horizontal element that makes the Babalu sign larger in area. In staff's opinion the vertical design, location and scale of the proposed sign is compatible with the vertical, architectural elements of the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building. The 2nd floor is non-residential, so the neon lighting should not have a significant impact on the residential uses on the upper floors of the building. The sign will be located in the center of the building, with the bottom edge of the sign approximately aligning with the 2nd floor window sills and top of the sign approximately aligning with the bottom of the 3rd floor window sills.

Applicable guidelines:
Section 1.C.7. (RECOMMENDED SIGNS - HISTORIC RESOURCES)
Commercial establishments need to advertise. However, advertising signs should be effective and appropriate to historic areas without contributing to visual clutter. Primary concerns are a sign's location, size, material, and illumination.
GUIDELINES:
7a. Locate signs above storefront windows, below second-story windows on the sign board, or on the storefront windows themselves (30% is maximum coverage), or off the front of the building as a projecting sign (maximum size: 9 square feet).
7b. Create signs that are proportional to the building where they are located.
7c. Do not light signs internally.
7d. Allow painted signs on building walls in the warehouse area along Jackson Avenue, and in some other locations along Gay Street.
7e. Preserve signs that are historic elements of buildings.

Section 2.B.1. (RECOMMENDED SIGNS - THE TRADITIONAL GRID DISTRICT)
These recommendations for signs in the traditional grid district recognize that certain types of signs are more pedestrian-friendly and should be encouraged within the grid district.
GUIDELINES:
1a. Wall signs on sign boards that are above a transom or first story and mounted flush to the building façade.
1b. Projecting signs of modest size (9 square feet, maximum); a larger sign must be approved by the board.
1c. Window signs, less than 30 percent coverage, including neon signs.
1d. Building name sign and/or building directory.
Applicant

Sherrill

Planning Staff
Mike Reynolds
Phone: 865-215-3827
Email: mike.reynolds@knoxplanning.org
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