Board approves larger wall and lettering for Crown Lift Truck, withdraws nonstandard ground sign

The New Albany Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday approved three variances allowing increased wall sign area, taller lettering and a second wall sign for Crown Lift Truck’s facility at 3450 Horizon Court, and the board accepted the applicant’s request to withdraw a fourth variance for a nonstandard ground/wayfinding sign.

Staff presented the request as four separate variances: (A) a wall sign of about 142 square feet where code permits 75 square feet; (B) lettering height of 47 inches where the code limit is 36 inches (staff corrected a prior report that listed 42 inches); (C) a second wall sign where one wall sign per business frontage is typical; and (D) a ground/wayfinding sign whose shape and materials deviate from the Beach Road North District’s prescribed design standards. Staff told the board that while variances A–C were similar to prior approvals for large warehouse buildings, variance D would be a substantial departure that could create inconsistency across the business park.

Bruce Sonnefeld, introduced at the meeting as a representative of Amgen and speaking for the applicant’s signage package, said the building’s scale (roughly 175,000–200,000 square feet with extensive frontage) and operational needs justified larger signage and a second wall sign for parts-and-service wayfinding. "Precedence has been set previously with some other large-scale warehouse users that have required and requested larger signage," Sonnefeld said, arguing the size and lettering were appropriate for the facility.

Board members focused on variance D, asking why the applicant could not use the permitted rectangular directional sign and transfer the same wording and logo to that permitted format. Staff and the applicant showed the board visual comparisons: the permitted ground sign is a rectangular 3'8" by 3'8" aluminum-framed panel, while the applicant’s proposed ground sign was roughly 4.5 feet tall and nearly 4 feet wide with an elliptical shape and different framing. Staff said the applicant could preserve the proposed wording and branding but still conform the sign structure to the city standard.

At the applicant’s request, the board voted to withdraw variance D so the applicant can pursue a permit that conforms to the city’s sign code for ground/wayfinding signs. The motion to withdraw variance D passed 3–0. The board then voted 3–0 to approve variances A, B and C for the Crown Lift Truck facility.

The board’s minutes note staff will continue to monitor similar requests and consider whether code updates are warranted in the future; at the time of the meeting staff said they were tracking variance requests but were not proposing an immediate code change. The applicant will proceed with a permit application consistent with the board’s instruction on the ground sign.

The board’s action was procedural and specific to the site at 3450 Horizon Court; staff said the structural differences in the proposed ground sign made variance D more significant than the other three requests. No members of the public registered opposition during the hearing. The board recorded the votes by name (Mr. Jacob: yes; Mr. Shell: yes; Mr. Lajeunesse: yes).