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HomeMy WebLinkAboutARB201200117 Review Comments Miscellaneous Submittal 2012-10-08ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD STAFF REPORT Project #/Name ARB- 2012 -117: Shoppers World Comprehensive Sign Plan Amendment Review Type Review of Revisions to Comprehensive Sign Criteria Parcel Identification Tax Map 61M, Block 12, Parcel 1C Location 100 Shoppers World Court, in the Shoppers World Shopping Center on the west side of Route 29 North, across from the Fashion Square Mall Zoned Planned Development Shopping Center (PDSC), Entrance Corridor (EC) Owner/Applicant FR Shoppers World LLC c/o Federal Realty Investment/BCT Architects (Pedro Sales) Magisterial District Rio Proposal To revise the approved comprehensive sign criteria for Shoppers World to allow wall signs for buildings B, C and E to be composed of halo -lit channel letters on background panels. Context/Visibility The signs on buildings B, C and E will be visible from the Route 29 EC, but visibility will be somewhat limited due to distance and orientation. Buildings B and C are visible at the entrance to the shopping center, at a distance of approximately 530'. Southbound traffic has a more direct view than northbound traffic. Southbound traffic also has a view of buildings B and C south of Jason's Deli. There is considerable "visual clutter" between the EC and buildings B and C. Building E is visible between the Shoppers World North building and Jason's Deli. The building is about 240' away from the corridor at that point. ARB Meeting Date October 15, 2012 Staff Contact Margaret Maliszewski SITE HISTORY Date Review Type Result 7/17/2000 ARB- 2000 -25 Original comprehensive sign criteria approved for the shopping center. The approved sign type was channel letters. 3/29/2012 ARB- 2012 -11 Renovation of shopping center approved, including an update to the comprehensive sign criteria to indicate that non - illuminated tenant panel signs hung from the ceiling of the colonnade do not require ARB review /approval and to indicate that signs may also be located on the faces of the new entrance tower elements of Building D. 6/19/2012 ARB- 2012 -11 Minor revision to Shopper's World renovation approved. 7/23/2012 ARB- 2012 -76 Internally illuminated channel letters approved for the Staples sign. 8/21/2012 ARB- 2012 -94 Internally illuminated channel letters approved for the Stein Mart sign. 10/2/2012 ARB- 2012 -126 Minor site plan amendment for landscape and lighting improvements approved. 9/28/2012 B- 2012 -1813 Minor amendment for the construction of an entrance element at building A submitted and under review. EXISTING CONDITIONS The shopping center is under renovation. A white channel letter sign has recently been installed for Staples and a green channel letter sign has recently been installed for Stein Mart. These signs are located on the recently constructed entrance elements at building D. Several channel letter signs are located at buildings B and C, in the recessed western corner of the shopping center. They include three red signs, a purple sign, a yellow sign and some temporary signs. Some of these signs include graphics boxes. Available sign locations at buildings B, C and E are on the shingled, mansard style roofs above the metal canopies. DETAILS OF PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE COMPREHENSIVE SIGN PLAN The applicant is proposing a new sign type for buildings B and C (at the western corner of the shopping center) and building E (the shorter, north end of the shopping center) to consist of halo lit channel letters on a gray colored background panel. The new sign type would be available for the small shops in the shopping center — not the major tenants. The table on the next page outlines the approved sign criteria (in regular type) for the Shoppers World Shopping Center, and the applicant's proposed additions (in underline type) and deletions (in strikethrough type). 2 SHOPPERS WORLD SIGN CRITERIA — Applicant's Proposal SIGN FEATURE APPROVED CRITERIA PROPOSED CRITERIA APPROVED CRITERIA SIGN TYPE Channel Letter Reverse channel letters with halo lighting3 Hanging tenant panel mounted on a panel LOCATION(S) O the shingled p,,Aion of thee „ On the shingled mansard roofs of buildings B�, C Hung from the ceiling of the Building Code Zoning Sef-,4ees; and E colonnade and On the faces of the tower elements LETTER FACE White, red, yellow, green, black, or White, red, yellow, green, black, or colors COLOR colors comparable to and compatible Unlimited comparable to and compatible with the existing signs at site with the existing signs at site TRIM CAP Bronze or other colors compatible COLOR/RETURN with the proposed sign and the To match letter colors N/A COLOR existing signs and shopping center RACEWAY COLOR To match the wall surface behind the Raceway located behind panel - not visible N/A sign PANEL FACE COLORS N/A Gray PMS 423C N/A SIZE LIMITATIONS According to Zoning Ordinance, as According to Zoning Ordinance, approved by Dept of Building Code 4' max height for panel; length varies as approved by Dept of Building and Zoning Services Code and Zoning Services LOGO /GRAPHICS If a sign includes a logo, the logo shall not encompass more than fifteen (15) percent of the DETAILS Small in comparison to text area No restriction total allowed si n area ILLUMINATION DETAILS Internally Illuminated Internal LEDs for halo illumination Non - illuminated LETTER TYPE/FONT No restriction No restriction No restriction Channel letters offset from sign panel to allow Non - illuminated hanging tenant halo effect; panel mounted to raceway, raceway NOTES - - -- panel signs do not require ARB mounted to angles, angles attached to roof. approval. ANAYLSIS REF I GUIDELINE ISSUE RECOMMENDATION Color 4c Colors must be harmonious with each other. Colors The proposed background panels would be gray Clarify the criteria to must not clash with other elements on the site, both Pantone 423C. The gray is expected to help the panel indicate that while when viewed in daylight and at night, whether the signs blend with the shingles on the mansard roofs, which multiple colors are are externally or internally lit. Overly intense color, such include multiple shades of gray. available for signs in the as but not limited to dayglo or fluorescent colors, are shopping center, the letters prohibited. A range of colors is proposed for the faces of the of individual signs are The use of three colors or fewer is more appropriate for channel letters: white, red, yellow, green, black, and limited to a single color. signs in the Entrance Corridor. Black and white are compatible colors. Existing channel letter face colors counted as colors. Additional colors may be approved if include white, red, yellow, green, and purple. The they contribute to a balanced and unified sign design. range of sign colors has not been identified as an issue in the past, and the halo illumination will reduce the impact of the multiple colors at night. loc c. Compatibility among signs [in multiple business centers] must be maintained through color or font and However, the criteria do not state how many colors typeface selection. can be used in a single sign. Using a single face color for individual signs would help simplify the overall daytime appearance. The use of the same gray color for the panels also provides for a more consistent appearance where letter color varies from sign to sign. No limits to font or typeface are proposed. Font and typeface have not typically been limited in the ECs. Graphics 4f When used, trademarks, service marks, corporate logos The applicant proposes to limit the size of graphics to Clarify the criteria to and/or graphics should be incorporated as an integral a maximum of 15% of the sign area. This seems indicate that graphics may part of the overall sign. appropriate if the graphic image is incorporated as an integral part of the overall sign. No criteria are be halo lit or non- illuminated, and that 5c External illumination should be shielded and not create glare. specified for the color or illumination of graphics. graphics, when used, must be incorporated as an integral part of the overall sign. Illumination 9e.1 External illumination is preferred for wall signs. LED halo illumination is proposed for the channel None. 1 0e.1 1 External illumination is preferred for signs in multiple letter signs. The faces and sides of the letters would REF GUIDELINE ISSUE RECOMMENDATION business centers. be opaque. Light would shine out the back of the 5a When illumination is required, the preferred solution is letters onto the background panel to achieve the halo to externally illuminate the sign — in other words, to effect. Halo illumination has typically been shine a light on the sign. External illumination is considered an appropriate, reserved style of sign preferred because it allows consistency with the daytime illumination for the ECs. image of the sign. External lighting appears to the viewer as reflected light and allows the focus of the sign The applicant has indicated that in this case, because to be the original overall shape, color and complete of the angled and shingled roofs, the background design of the sign. Internal lighting produces a panels are needed to achieve the halo effect. The fragmented, rather than unified, sign image at night panels eliminate the ability of the letters to allow the compared to external lighting and may project light that building to read through, but this is not a significant is distracting to the viewer. loss at buildings B and C, as viewed from the EC, due to the distance from and orientation to the road. 5b Channel letters are generally the preferred type of 9b internally illuminated wall sign because they project the It is a greater issue at building E, which is closer to total sign and are identifiable with the daytime image of the EC, but building E includes only two tenants. the sign. Channel letters overlay the wall material and (See page 1 for visibility details.) allow the structure of the building to "read through" with less interruption. This results in a more coordinated The background panels are proposed to be aluminum overall appearance. and are, therefore, opaque. 10e.3 Internal illumination: Faces and returns of channel letters shall be opaque when back -lit (halo -lit). 5b When channel letters cannot be adequately 10e.4 accommodated, internally illuminated cabinet signs may be considered. If cabinet signs are utilized, the backgrounds of such signs must be made opaque (zero light transmission). Cabinet signs shall have a non - illuminated background, or an opaque (zero light transmission) background. Cabinet signs shall be constructed such that no light spills outward from the top, bottom, sides or back. Size 9d The size of a wall sign shall be coordinated with the size The maximum panel height is identified as 4', which Add criteria to limit sign of the architectural element on which it is placed. The is half the height of the mansard roofs. Taller panels panel length on building E sign should not overcrowd the architectural element, the would appear over - scaled. to not exceed the span of wall, or the sign area. Buildings and building elements the brick piers at building should not be used as a billboard. The illustrated letter height appears to be about 30 ". The Duron and Lane Bryant letters appear over- E, and to indicate a 30" maximum letter height for 9d The ARB will consider the degree of visibility, the distance from the Entrance Corridor, and the scaled as illustrated. This is due, at least in part, to buildings B, C and E. REF GUIDELINE ISSUE RECOMMENDATION architectural design of the building and the sign area in what appears to be a white border around the letters. its determination of appropriate sizes and placement. The applicant has indicated that the white is meant to represent the halo illumination and borders are not proposed. A potential issue with the size of the panels is the panel length. Extremely long panels, which could result from long business names on a single panel, could create a negative visual impact, with the panel sign dominating the building. Establishing a maximum length for the sign panels could help reduce impacts. (Note that this could result in the need to use multiple panels for a single sign.) Long, sustained views of the small shops signs from the EC are not anticipated. For buildings B and C, the 530' distance is expected to mitigate the use of the panels, even at long lengths. Signs on building E are more visible and will have more impact. Additional criteria to limit sign panel length on building E would be appropriate. Sign Type 10b b. Multiple business centers shall use a single sign type With this proposal, there would be two sign types in None. for all wall signs. the shopping center — face -lit channel letters, and halo -lit channel letters on a panel. The face lit channel letters are limited to the entrance towers. This separation of types corresponds to the established architectural hierarchy of the shopping center and results in an appropriate appearance, so the additional sign type is not expected to have a negative impact. 10d Signs must be placed on the building in a manner that The background panels have a maximum height of Include criteria indicating establishes a unified appearance. 4'. Consistent vertical placement on the mansard that the panels will be could help establish a unified appearance. centered vertically on the mansard. Summary of Recommendations: Staff recommends the following as the primary points of discussion: 1. The use of a background panel with the channel letters 2. Two sign types in the shopping center 3. The height of the panels 4. The impact of the length of the panels for businesses with long names Staff recommends approval of the comprehensive sign criteria outlined in the table on the next page. 7 APPROVED COMPREHENSIVE SIGN CRITERIA FOR SHOPPERS WORLD SHOPPING CENTER Highlighted text has been added to address recommendations in the staff report. SIGN FEATURE APPROVED CRITERIA APPROVED CRITERIA APPROVED CRITERIA SIGN TYPE Channel Letter Reverse channel letter with halo lighting, mounted Hanging tenant panel on a panel LOCATION(S) On the faces of the tower elements On the shingled mansard roofs of building B, C Hung from the ceiling of the and E, centered vertically on the mansard colonnade LETTER FACE White, red, yellow, green, black, or White, red, yellow, green, black, or colors Unlimited COLOR colors comparable to and compatible comparable to and compatible with the existing with the existing signs at site signs at site; letters of individual signs are limited to the use of a single color TRIM CAP Bronze or other colors compatible To match letter colors N/A COLOR/RETURN with the proposed sign and the COLOR existing signs and shopping center RACEWAY COLOR To match the wall surface behind the Raceway located behind panel - not visible N/A sign CABINET/PANEL N/A Gray PMS 423C N/A FACE COLORS SIZE LIMITATIONS According to Zoning Ordinance Letter height shall not exceed 30 "; panel height According to Zoning shall not exceed 4'; maximum panel length for Ordinance building E shall not exceed the span of the brick piers of building E LOGO /GRAPHICS Small in comparison to text area If a sign includes a logo /graphic, the logo /graphic No restriction DETAILS shall not encompass more than fifteen (15) percent of the total allowed sign area; graphics may be halo lit or non - illuminated; graphics, when used, must be incorporated as an integral part of the overall sign ILLUMINATION Internally Illuminated Internal LEDs for halo illumination Non - illuminated DETAILS LETTER TYPE/FONT No restriction No restriction No restriction NOTES - Channel letters offset from sign panel to allow halo Non - illuminated hanging effect; panel mounted to raceway, raceway tenant panel signs do not mounted to angles, angles attached to roof. require ARB approval.