Harmony Hall seeks variance to place larger illuminated sign closer to Cedar Lane in Howard County

Howard County held an evidentiary hearing July 22 on BA 26-012, a request from Harmony Hall at Howard County Health Park LLC to replace a 40-year-old wooden sign with a larger, illuminated monument sign and to place it 45 feet from Cedar Lane rather than the 169.5-foot setback required for a sign of that size.

Sam Mangione, counsel for Harmony Hall at Howard County Health Park LLC, told the hearing the existing sign “has become overgrown with vegetation and is no longer as visible to passers by or to people looking for the project.” He said the applicant seeks a variance from the road-setback requirement so the replacement sign will be legible to visitors and not buried by the tree line.

Joe Weber of Shannon Baum Signs, who was sworn as the applicant’s designer and witness, described the proposed monument as 18 feet wide and 9 feet, 5 inches high from grade (he also cited an overall measurement of 113 inches when including foundation and framing). Weber said the actual illuminated face would be roughly 58 inches by 124 inches (about 98 square feet) of sign copy and that applying the full code setback “would actually end up back in the parking lot of Harmony Hall,” making the sign ineffective.

The applicant confirmed the applicable code provisions cited in testimony: an illumination permit under Section 3.508, size regulations under Section 3.501(c)(2)(c), and the variance criteria under Section 3.513. Counsel and the witness said required public advertising and a signpost affidavit are in the file.

Mangione and Weber argued the forward placement would not create a dangerous traffic condition. Weber noted nearby commercial signage across Cedar Lane and said the larger sign would reduce driver distraction by making the campus easier to find. The applicant also told the board the trees obscuring the current sign are on neighboring property and therefore the visibility hardship is not self-created by the owner.

A virtual participant briefly appeared and held up a sign but was not audible or legible on video. The Chair closed the evidentiary hearing and said a decision and written order will be forthcoming; no vote or final disposition was announced at the hearing.

The board record for BA 26-012 will reflect testimony about the size, setback, and whether the claimed hardship (grade and off‑site vegetation) justifies a 124.5-foot variance from the 169.5-foot requirement. A final decision and order will be issued by the hearing authority.