From
Chris Hartmann
Title
USP170701 - Unified Signage Plan - Ripley's Believe It or Not - A request for approval of a Unified Signage Plan for a replacement pole sign to the existing 30+ year old sign. The new sign is proposed to be 55’ tall with a sign area of 419 square feet, which includes a digital sign component. The 9.990 acre property, located at 601 E. Palace Parkway, is zoned Planned Development -217 (PD-217).
Presenter
Director of Development Services Steve Norwood
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
In May, Rachel Rotella, General Manager for Ripley’s Believe it or Not approached the city requesting to replace their existing sign on IH30 frontage. The current sign has been in place for over 30 years and incorporates a technologically obsolete and non-operational changeable message sign. When TXDOT acquired the right-of-way for their improvements to the IH30 frontage road, it caused the current Ripley’s sign to sit on what is now TXDOT right-of-way. Ripley’s is requesting a greater degree of visibility due in large part to the improvements to IH30 which raised the height of the main lanes.
This request is for a new sign that will be 55’ tall, with a total sign area of 429 square feet, sitting approximately 25’ closer to the building than the current sign. The allowable height for multi-tenant signs in the city is 60’, while single-tenant signs are limited to 40’. Given the different attractions which operate individually within the existing Ripley’s building, including “Believe it Or Not” and “Louis Tussaud’s Palace of Wax”, an argument could be made that the current business operates under a multi-tenant model.
The IH30 Overlay District currently does not allow digital pole signs. Digital pole signs not exceeding 50 square feet are allowed outside the overlay for businesses in commercial zoning, if the percentage of sign occupied by the digital image does not exceed 65% of the total sign face. Ripley’s is proposing a 22’8” x 10’ (2...
Click here for full text