Board of Zoning Appeals approves second freestanding pylon sign for East River Road business

The Board of Zoning Appeals for the City approved a sign-variance request on Oct. 14, 2025, allowing a second freestanding pylon sign at 2770 East River Road after a staff presentation and public testimony.

Staff presented case 2025-01, describing the appellant as Dave Williams of Cap Signs and citing Moraine Codified Ordinance MCO1189.09. Staff recited the ordinance limits (freestanding signs shall not exceed 100 square feet in area with no single face exceeding 50 square feet; only one freestanding sign per business; freestanding sign height may equal the height of the building served or 18 feet, whichever is less) and said the appellant requested to add a second freestanding sign measuring 35 feet tall with two pylon signs (one 174.44 square feet, the other 100 square feet). "Appellant requests to add second freestanding sign," a staff member said during the report.

Applicant Dave Williams said the approach to the application was "very transparent" and compared the proposed signs to larger-format signs along the I-75 corridor, arguing the request was consistent with nearby commercial signage. A second public commenter, identified in the transcript as David Butler, asked whether the proposed sign would be used solely for the business’s messages or to carry messages for other concerns; the applicant and the board discussed intended usage and local comparables.

Board members asked staff whether legal or planning had concerns; a staff member replied they had none and that the revised proposal (reduced from an earlier three-pylon submission) was measured against an existing nearby sign (referred to in the record as the Mandalay sign) and found comparable.

A motion to approve the measure was made and seconded (the transcript does not specify the mover or seconder). During the roll-call vote the individuals named in the record responded "Yes" (the transcript records the names as Missus Barr, Missus Duff and Mister Kempe) and the Chair announced the motion passed. The Chair then adjourned the meeting at 6:13 a.m.

The application and vote grant the variance requested in case 2025-01 for the property at 2770 East River Road (City Lot 3234) to allow a second freestanding pylon sign as described; the transcript does not record specific conditions attached to the approval or the explicit terms of any permit to be issued. The record also contains inconsistent spellings of some board member names between roll-call and vote segments; the transcript does not identify who moved or seconded the motion.