Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

VA-18-04-025 — GRACE GRANT

Request: Variances in the IND-1/IND-5 zoning district to allow a pole sign as follows: 1) To allow a maximum height of 50 ft. in lieu of 30 ft. 2) To allow a maximum copy area of 208 sq. ft. in lieu of 95 sq. ft. (customer must submit new site plan)

Decision: Approved

Hearing: Staff presented the case, showed site photos of the existing sign, and explained the need for the variance. The pole sign has existed since 1982 and was damaged in the recent hurricane. The sign is non-conforming and is required a variance as the applicant would like to replace the cabinet. Staff recommended to deny the variances as the pole sign is out of character and does not meet the county's vision for the area. The applicant presented their case and that they would simply want to keep the sign they have. They also stated the sign is needed to attract customers. The BZA discussed the options that the applicant had. If they wanted to just replace the sign face a variance would not be required per code. The variance is required because the applicant would like to completely replace the cabinet and update the sign. The BZA recommended approval as they believed the applicant suffered a hardship from the hurricane, other restaurants had similar signs, and could simply replace the panel without a variance. They felt approval of the variance allowed the applicant to upgrade the sign and keep the same size. The variances were approved on a 4-3 vote.