Commission allows Old Scratch Pizza’s graphics with reduced primary sign and permit conditions

Hilliard’s planning commissioners approved the sign package for Old Scratch Pizza on May 14 after discussing how the tenant’s bold branding and operational needs fit the city’s sign code.

Staff recommended trimming the largest east‑facing wall sign to the code‑allowed 85.58 square feet, removing prohibited directional signs and ensuring canopy or painted graphics meet percent‑of‑face limits. Old Scratch representatives said the building is intended as a four‑sided, pedestrian‑oriented anchor for the mixed‑use project and that pickup and delivery needs make some wayfinding important.

Eric Solar, the applicant and owner, described operational reality from other markets: “On an average Saturday, about a — about 110 cars a day are looking for these 7 parking spaces on the west side of this building,” he said, arguing that some directional elements are needed to prevent on‑site congestion and unsafe stopping by delivery drivers.

The commission pared the original staff recommendations and ultimately approved three conditions: reduce the primary east wall sign to code sizing, meet all illumination rules, and obtain sign permits before installation. Commissioner Moog cast the lone dissent, calling the multiple painted pizza wheels excessive for the building’s exterior. The motion carried 6–1.

Commissioners and staff also discussed whether some graphic elements might be processed as public art under the city’s mural program, and they authorized staff to work with the applicant on final dimensions and permit details.