Board of Zoning Appeals approves variance for 15-foot sign at 81 Central Avenue

Albany City’s Board of Zoning Appeals voted May 6 to approve area variance 2025-17, allowing a proposed 32-square-foot post-and-panel sign to stand 15 feet tall at 81 Central Avenue — 10 feet higher than the 5-foot maximum currently allowed under the mixed-use form-based code.

Mike McCracken of Sandberg and Mueller Engineering, representing the applicant, told the board the proposal addresses concerns raised during an earlier hearing by adjusting the sign’s location, lighting and landscaping. McCracken said the sign meets required setbacks, will be the only freestanding sign despite two frontages being possible at the site, and includes an 18-inch brick base that matches the building and a planting box at the base.

The applicant submitted a third-party traffic memorandum from GTS Consulting. McCracken said the GTS engineer concluded the site provides more than 500 feet of sight distance — exceeding AASHTO guidance for 30 mph zones — and that the sign therefore should not affect intersection sight lines or raise crash risk. "There’s no anticipated impact on traffic operations," McCracken said, summarizing the memo’s conclusions.

A committee member questioned whether the applicant had provided a full traffic study or a memo and noted that internal crash-rate data for the area show a high number of incidents near a nearby slip lane. One committee member described the slip lane as a persistent high-crash location and said removing it is a city-level infrastructure issue, adding, "It’s not their — it’s not their problem. It’s a city problem, just to be very clear about that." The board discussed sight-line measures, and McCracken described the sign’s dimensions: the top at about 15 feet, the bottom of the sign panel about 8 feet above ground with an 18-inch masonry course beneath.

McCracken also told the board he had met with neighborhood associations and submitted letters from both groups stating they had no objection to the proposal; he said those letters were entered into the record. On lighting, the applicant said the proposed halo-style illumination would cast negligible glare to motorists and would not affect the driveway or Central Avenue beyond a small area around the sign.

Following discussion, a committee member moved to approve the previously tabled area variance. The Chair seconded; members voiced their assent and the motion carried. After the vote, McCracken thanked the board for their support and the Chair adjourned the meeting.

The variance clears the way for the applicant to install the 32-square-foot, 15-foot-tall freestanding sign at 81 Central Avenue. The transcript does not list a subsequent building-permit approval or final installation timeline; any permitting or construction will follow the city’s normal permitting process.