Commission approves Sweetwater Market sign permit pending payment and required neon permit

The Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve a sign permit for Sweetwater Market, subject to receipt of the required fee and any additional permitting for an illuminated neon element.

Kelly Martin, representing Sweetwater Market, told the commission she planned a building-mounted sign roughly 3 feet by 12 feet and said the business would remove older temporary signage once the new sign is installed. “The dimensions, everything here, 3 by 12,” Martin said when presenting the proposal.

Erin, a town staff member reviewing the application, confirmed the site is in a C-3 zone and the proposed sign height was under the town’s 20-foot maximum for building-mounted signs. Erin also explained the town’s neon/electric-sign rule: neon or luminous tube lighting that is visible outdoors and exceeds 4 square feet requires a sign permit and the associated fee; neon signs of 4 square feet or less are exempt. When commissioners asked about the small neon "open" sign attached near the entrance, Martin said it measured roughly 2 by 3 feet, which she calculated as about 6 square feet.

Commissioner Brian Whitney moved to approve the sign permit application from Sweetwater Market contingent on confirmation of payment for the permit; Commissioner Marcia Haydenfeld seconded the motion. Chair Malia Collins said staff would sign off and deliver the permit once payment was received.

The commission also discussed temporary signage and the interaction between the sign ordinance and the town’s exterior-lighting (dark-sky) rules, noting that cross-referencing multiple ordinances can be confusing for business owners. Commissioners urged clearer public guidance as they continue revising sign rules.

Outcome: motion passed unanimously; permit to be issued after receipt of the $50-per-sign fee and confirmation of any additional site permit needed for the neon element.