Highland Beach planning board asks commission to consider larger condominium signs, keeps 'garishness' control and variance route

The Town of Highland Beach Planning Board on Jan. 8 recommended that the Town Commission consider easing size limits on permanent condominium signs while preserving safeguards for visibility, aesthetics and wildlife protections. The board asked staff to use Boca’s standards as a model for increasing maximum area, to require sign compatibility with building materials, and to preserve the building‑official determination with an appeal to the Board of Adjustment and Appeals for discretionary cases.

Town Planner Allen reviewed Chapter 23 of the town code and told the board that ingress/egress signs are limited to 3 square feet, while one permitted permanent sign is limited to 10 square feet (and may be illuminated, but not with intermittent or colored lights). Allen summarized the packet materials comparing multifamily sign provisions in Boca, Deerfield Beach and Delray and a spreadsheet of existing condominium sign measurements in Highland Beach.

Board members repeatedly framed the discussion as balancing visibility and safety on A1A against preservation of the town’s aesthetic. Several members said the present limits can make signs hard to read from the road and favored increasing sizes for legibility; others urged keeping a guardrail against overly showy displays. Staff and board members noted turtle‑lighting rules that limit illumination between October and March and reminded the board many existing signs are legal nonconforming and that new signs must comply with current code. Allen advised the variance route be preserved for requests that exceed dimensional limits; the board recommended limiting the variance scope to dimensional exceptions rather than permitting material or garishness changes by variance.

The board voted unanimously to forward its consolidated recommendations — increase sizes using Boca as a comparator, require compatibility with building materials, retain safety/visibility language, keep the appeal route to the Board of Adjustment, and permit variances limited to dimensional requirements — to the Town Commission for consideration.