The requested signage does not comply with the Land Development Code in the following areas:

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1 CITY OF SUNSET VALLEY 25a AGENDA DATE: December 6, 2011 SUBJECT: Consider approval of a Request by Longhorn Steakhouse to be located at 4809 HWY 290 W for a Variance from the requirements of the Land Development Code Chapter 14 Sign Regulations. BACKGROUND: Longhorn Steakhouse is proposing to build a new building and will occupy the former Red Robin location. The sign regulations for this location are in the Land Development Code; Chapter 14: Sign Regulations; Section Projecting, Wall and Hanging Commercial Signs Individual Business Within a Multi Tenant Shopping Center or a Single Business Use. There are three sign variance requests for this location and the following will address the Longhorn Steakhouse hung on north and west elevations of the façade. The requested signage does not comply with the Land Development Code in the following areas: A (b) Building Size: (2) Less than 15,000 square feet of retail space. (a) All signs are in the form of individual reverse channel letters (backlighting) with aluminum sign face five (5) inch deep aluminum return, and Plexiglas back. Request is to allow 3 inch aluminum returns and a clear poly backing. B (b) Building Size: (2) Less than 15,000 square feet of retail space. (b) Letter Height: Only one (1) horizontal line of lettering shall be used and individual letters shall not exceed twentyeight (28) inches in height. Request is to allow two lines of horizontal lettering and an increase in the maximum allowable letter height from 28 inches to 32 inches. C (f) Number: Only one (1) sign per tenant storefront. If a leased space affronts more than one elevation (corner stores or freestanding buildings), two signs will be allowed as long as the combined measurement does not exceed the maximum square footage of one sign. Request is to allow the total maximum square footage for the two Longhorn Steakhouse building signs to increase from 68.9 to D (g) Emblems and Logos: May be used in conjunction with sign letters provided they are not as box signs but in a contour form and are dimensioned within the limits of a maximum height of twenty four (24) inches and conform with materials specified within this Section. A registered trademark emblem will be placed at the base of the Longhorn. Additionally a request has been made to allow the Steerhead logo to increase in height from 24 inches to 45 inches and be installed approximately 33 feet away from the sign letters. E (h) Lighting: Letters must be internally illuminated, with double stroke neon not less than 15mm thickness. Neon color may be either red or white. Request is to allow the use of white LED lighting in the place of white double stroke neon with the condition that brightness

2 and uniformity are subject to city approval after installation and may require modification at the sole expense of the tenant. F (j) Tag Lines: A tag line is allowed for retail stores with 18,500 square feet or more, provided the tag line is a federally registered trademark, the maximum height of individual letters do not exceed twelve (12) inches, and the total sign area does not exceed a maximum of one hundred fifty (150) square feet. Request is to allow square feet of tagline for a business with 8,242 square feet of retail space. The individual letters are 10 inches in height and the message is Steakhouse. G Architectural Harmony: The sign and its supporting structure should be in harmony with the surrounding structures. The request is to allow a decrease in the standoff depth from 3 inches to 2 inches. The continued 3 inch requirement has been an effort to provide consistency and uniformity. (Standoff is the distance the sign is placed off the face of the building.) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL: Sec Before the City Council acts on a variance application, the applicant must prove physical hardship, and the Council must find that: a) There are special circumstances or conditions applying to the land, buildings, topography, vegetation, sign structures or other matters on adjacent lots or within the adjacent right of way, which would substantially restrict the effectiveness of the sign in question; provided, however, that such special circumstances or conditions are unique to the particular business or enterprise to which the applicant desires to draw attention, and do not apply generally to all businesses or enterprises; The requested design is based on Longhorn Steakhouse standard signage and frontage on HWY 290 W. b) That such special circumstances were not created by the applicant or anyone in privy to the applicant; Applicant believes this request is necessary for visibility from HWY 290, Brodie Lane, as well as the adjacent shopping center. c) That the granting of the variance will be in general harmony with the purposes of this Chapter, and will not be materially detrimental to the persons residing or working in the vicinity, to adjacent property, to the neighborhood, or to the public welfare in general; Applicant has made several changes to the original application and believes they better understand the intent of the Sunset Valley sign code. Applicant believes they have reflected this understanding in the new application. Several of the items requested have become more common due to advancements in sign technology. d) The variance applied for does not depart from the provisions of this Chapter any more than is required to identify the applicant s business or use; Applicant believes the request is not in excess of what is necessary to properly identify the property and provide quality way finding devices.

3 e) Such other factors and criteria as the Council deems applicable to the proposed variance. RECOMMENDATION: The current application is a vast improvement in the area of light pollution. The most significant area the application conflicts with code is the use of a tagline, which is not allowed for a building of this size, and the size of the logo. The tagline not only adds a second line of lettering but increases the overall square footage. The logo has not changed from the initial application. It remains at square feet. The total sign area of all signs on the building comes to square feet. Staff recommendation would be to require the square footage of the logo be reduced in an amount to be determined by council. LED lighting, changes to the reverse channel return depth, and standoff should be contingent upon final product being in architectural harmony with surrounding businesses. FUNDING: N/A REQUESTING DEPARTMENT: Public Works FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Katy Phillips, Public Works Director kphillips@sunsetvalley.org

4 4809 W. Hwy 290 Sunset Valley, TX Store #TBD November 29, Presentation Ph: Fax: Ph: Fax:

5 Originally Proposed Signage 21'-1" 89'-9 ½" Red LED Illuminated Band Elevation: SF Letterset: 68.9 SF, occupies 3.6% of Elevation Logo: 19.7 SF, occupies 1% of Elevation Scale: 1/16"=1' 21'-1" 78-2" Red LED Illuminated Band Night View Face-lit Letters Halo-lit Steer Logo LED band Elevation: SF Letterset: 68.9 SF, occupies 4.2% of Elevation 21'-1" 78-2" Red LED Illuminated Band Elevation: SF Letterset: 68.9 SF, occupies 4.2% of Elevation Ph: Fax: Page 2 of 7

6 New Proposed Signage 21'-1" 89'-9 ½" Scale: 1/16"=1' Elevation: SF Letterset: SF, occupies 2.8% of Elevation Logo: 19.7 SF, occupies 1% of Elevation 21'-1" 78-2" Night View Halo-lit Letters Halo-lit Steer Logo 21'-1" 78-2" Elevation: SF Letterset: SF, occupies 3.2% of Elevation Ph: Fax: Page 3 of 7

7 Monument Signage Originally Proposed New Proposed 12'-0" 12'-0" 11'-1 ½" 5" 1'-0" 5" 11'-1 ½" 1'-0" 3" 2" 2" 3" 3'-10" 3'-10" 2" 2" 8'-0" 8 5/8" 8'-0" 8 5/8" 4'-0" 4'-0" 2'-2" 2'-2" 48 SF Monument - Face Lit Scale: 3/8"=1' 48 SF Monument - Halo Lit Scale: 3/8"=1' Night View Night View Ph: Fax: Page 4 of 7

8 Site Plan Proposed Wall Sign Proposed Monument located in Same Position as Existing Proposed Logo Proposed Wall Sign *100 SF of Landscaping around Monument Required Scale: 1" = 50' Ph: Fax: Page 5 of 7

9 Photo Overlays Ph: Fax: Page 6 of 7

10 2'-8" 3'-10 9/16" 13'-8 13/16" 3" WHITE ACRYLIC DISC W/ BLACK VINYL REGISTRATION MARK 10" 4 9/16" SIGN TYPE: LH-32RM / HALO-ILLUMINATED REVERSE CHANNEL LETTERS / SQ.FT. SCALE : ½" = 1'-0" Ph: Fax: Page 7 of 7

11 November 22, 2011 City of Sunset Valley Joshua Ronson Municipal Building 3205 Jones Road Sunset Valley, Texas Council Members: LongHorn Steakhouse located at 4809 West Highway 290 East, would respectfully request City Council to consider, and grant variances, for an additional wall sign (Steerhead Logo) on the front elevation of their building as well as allow LongHorn Steakhouse the opportunity to utilize additional square-footage for the two wall signs and the monument sign that are allowed by code. The request for the steerhead (front elevation) is due to the number of façade signs allowed and separation between signage on one elevation. The request of overall square footage is necessary because this site is only allowed 68.5 square feet for all signs. The (2) wall signs that read LongHorn Steakhouse and the monument sign total 174 square feet in total. The reason for this request is to allow visibility to motorists navigating to this location and surrounding corridor and to blend in with the existing signage types in the immediate area. The request has a few components so I will try to itemize. The first request is to install two (2) reverse illuminated stacked letters sets, one (1) on the front elevation and one (1) on the right elevation facing Brodie Lane, where linear letters are only allowed. The LongHorn will be reverse illuminated red at night and the Seakhouse will illuminate white. The second request is to reduce the channel depth to 3 from 5 and the standoff 2 from the wall/surface area. The reason for this request is to ensure that the illumination does not bleed out across the façade and cause more light pollution, but is maintained around the letters themselves because these will be individually attached channel letters. This leads into the third request, which is to use LED versus Neon illumination. The LED will provide a more controllable light source, which is more energy efficient and will give a cleaner look to the reverse illumination that the City is trying to achieve. The fourth request is to seek relief for the steerhead 6001 NIMTZ PARKWAY, SOUTH BEND, INDIANA TEL FAX

12 logo on the front elevation. Logos are allowed but due to the separation and façade elements this requires relief due to the number of signs per elevation and the logo restriction requirements. This logo, which is our signature brand element, is internally LED reverse illuminated and stands off the building 2 with a return depth of 3, which falls in line with the previously mentioned wall signs and will have white LED illumination. The fifth request is to utilized the existing monument placement, but to install a 48 SF cabinet with reverse illuminated LED channel letters with 2 stand offs and 3 returns. The LongHorn will be reverse illuminated red at night and the Seakhouse will illuminate white. LongHorn previously sought request for three (3) stacked building signs at 68.9 square feet in area each (which were internally illuminated), a 19.7 square foot steerhead logo, LED accent band around the top of the building, and a 48 square foot internally illuminated monument. The total square footage was square feet. This request now before you seems to be more in line with the City s design guidelines, but relief is necessary to achieve both the branding elements and City s vision. This request is within the harmony of the existing area and provides a cohesive balance to the city. We have worked with City Staff to arrive at this presented sign package. The front elevation of this building faces Highway 290 East and the proposed signage would be consistent with the overall look of the Longhorn brand that the public has come to expect to see at these locations. The request is required because only one sign is allowed per elevation and this request is for the Longhorn Steakhouse letterset and logo which is 19.7 square feet in area. The request is no different than Burger King or Mc Donald s Golden Arches, with the exception that this logo is further separated from the letterset on the front elevation. Please see the enclosed packet, site plan, and photos for your reference. The size of the façade signs on the Highway 290 East elevation and the Brodie Lane elevation need to be as proposed based on the overall architectural design of the elevations as well as the distance that these signs need to be read in order to be effective. This site has a tremendous range of visibility to the motoring public but if signage is placed on these elevations that are not readable at the rate of traveling speed then these signs will not function properly as wayfinding tools. In addition, this is a (4) four sided designed building, so if this site was required to utilize a linear letter set design the building elevation would be required to change. This building is designed to hold the letters sets stacked which allows for more architectural features to the building, please refer to presented packet. The wall signage will only occupy 3.8% of the façade area on the front elevation, (this includes the steerhead logo), and 3.2% of the façade area on the right elevation. 2

13 LongHorn would like to utilize the existing location for the freestanding monument sign. The existing Red Robin sign has the same illumination elements we are currently seeking. The reason for the 48 square feet is due to the existing setback and it is slightly (approximately 5 square feet) over what currently is at the location. We are not seeking a height increase; the request is due to the length of our name and the stacked design. The increased square footage will ensure we have the appropriate copy height to properly notify motorists navigating the area. The requested signage is necessary to properly notify motorists which will ensure safe traffic flow and maneuvering. The primary responsibility for a driver is to navigate their vehicle, without adequate signage drivers are in jeopardy of making improper traffic decisions which may result in unnecessary harm. The proposed signage is within the intent of the ordinance and will not provide a competitive advantage to this restaurant. The restaurant is setback considerably from Highway 290 East and Brodie Lane, so the additional signage provides quality wayfinding devises for motorists trying to navigate this corridor. Though this is a commercial corridor, this location has multiple frontages and should utilize appropriate signage to notify the public. With the additional square footage, the LongHorn Steakhouse will be able to place effective wayfinding devices on this property which will help provide additional tools for navigating their vehicle. This is the minimal request over code to ensure that this location is properly signed. In order to reduce the visual clutter that improper signage can create, LongHorn is not seeking any excessive signage, but are only asking for the signs that they truly need in order to have an efficient presence in this corridor. Restaurants are typically impulse locations that need to be readily identifiable to those not from the immediate area in order to prevent taxable dollars from leaving the community. Studies show that 10% of the population is in transition, which means they are either moving in, moving out, or through the area. This is why signage is not only important to this location, but also provides the necessary means to properly guide traffic to and from desired destinations. Again, LongHorn Steakhouse is not requesting excessive signage, just what is necessary to identify the property and provide quality way finding devices. The proposed is the minimum request required to adequately identify our restaurant to the public. If the request is denied motorists traveling this commercial corridor will not have proper way-finding devices and may make improper traffic decisions resulting in confused and frustrated individuals Sincerely, Shawn Smith Site Enhancement Services

14 Longhorn Steakhouse Building Sign Comparison Previous Request Current Request Code Requirement 1. LED Stripe Around Exterior Façade No LED Stripe Undefined 2. Increase Maximum Sq Ft to Total Square Footage of Square Foot Maximum 3. Three Wall Signs Two Wall Signs Two Wall Signs 4. Non Reverse Channel Lettering Reverse Channel Reverse Channel 5. Front Lighting Reverse Lighting Reverse Lighting 6. Red and White Acrylic Face Aluminum Face Aluminum Face 7. 5 Return Depth 3 Return Depth 5 Return Depth 8. Aluminum Back Clear Poly Back Clear Plexi Glass Back 9. Two lines of Lettering Two Lines of Lettering One Line of Lettering Letter Height 32 Letter Height 28 Letter Height 11. Combined Square Footage of Combined Square Footage of Combined Square Footage of Steerhead Logo 45 Steerhead Logo 24 Maximum Logo Height 13. LED Lighting LED Lighting Double Stroke Neon 14. Tagline Tagline No Tagline unless larger than 18,500 sq ft 15. No Standoff 2 Standoff 3 Standoff Previous Request Not in compliance Current Request