Park Tower Condominiums, owner of the property, is proposing to add a ground sign adjacent to the driveway off Bonhomme Avenue and an accessory sign onto the driveway canopy. The proposed ground sign and accessory sign do not meet the requirements of the Sign Ordinance

22 and therefore require approval of sign modifications. It should be noted that some the calculations and areas shown on the plans submitted by the applicant do not match the staff’s calculations. Based on the Sign Ordinance and policy, staff calculates sign area as a rectangle and does not subtract areas between words, letters or lines. The following staff report references sign areas based on staff calculations, not the applicant’s submittals. There is an existing ground sign located in northwest corner of the property adjacent to the intersection, which displays the building name, Park Tower, and the name of the restaurant, Dominic’s Trattoria. The existing Park Tower sign measures 15.25 square feet with a 4.3 square foot Dominic’s sign on top. The applicant is proposing the addition of a second ground sign to the screen wall located in the northeast corner of the property. The proposed ground sign measures 37.7 square feet and displays the building name, address and description “private residences.” The proposed sign is considered a ground sign based on the Sign Ordinance definition: “a detached sign with two or more supports or erected on a solid base or wall when landscaped and placed upon or affixed to the ground.” The Sign Ordinance also states, “residential buildings with 20 or more units shall be permitted one wall sign not exceeding 8 square feet in area, except such building may be permitted an alternate ground sign not exceeding 12 square feet in area if authorized by the Architectural Review Board.” The proposed sign would exceed the 12 square feet area maximum and the property would exceed the one ground sign maximum. The proposed accessory sign on the drive canopy is 20.4 square feet and displays the building name, Park Tower. The proposed sign is classified as an accessory sign because it is not attached directly to the building wall and signs on drive canopies are not specifically listed in the Sign Ordinance. The proposed sign was determined to have a maximum allowed area of 8 square feet based on the following section of the Sign Ordinance “an accessory sign authorized by the Director of Planning and Development Services and not listed above shall be proportioned by the Director of Planning and Development Services to the nearest listed above.” It was determined by the Director of Planning and Development Services that the nearest listed accessory sign is the rear building entrance sign, which is limited to 8 square feet. Regarding visual impact, the proposed signs add up to substantially more signage on the property than the Sign Ordinance allows. In total, the modification request amounts to a signage surplus of approximately 53.35 square feet. The proposed signs both display the same name, Park Tower, which is also displayed on the existing ground sign. According to the Sign Ordinance, modifications should only be granted “due to unusual conditions, such as façades that are angled or curved to the front street or streets or land uses which involve substantial accessory uses both inside and outside of buildings and requiring identification or substantial open space or street frontage or a similar unusual condition.” The orientation of the building is unusual with the address being 200 South Brentwood Boulevard and the main building entrance being off of Bonhomme Avenue; however, both proposed signs are located in the same area and would be visible from the same location on Bonhomme Avenue. The purpose of size restrictions for signs is to maintain the proper proportions of signs in relation to their surrounding context. The location of the proposed ground sign is close to the street and not obstructed from view, therefore staff does not believe an enlarged sign is necessary. The proposed accessory sign is located on a canopy rather than against a building wall and therefore staff believes the 8 square feet is more compatible with the context. Sightline to the existing ground sign is not obstructed by the building or any other permanent fixtures. The existing building only has two uses. Staff is of the opinion that there are not unusual conditions associated with the property to

The existing building only has two uses. Staff is of the opinion that there are not unusual conditions associated with the property to

23 warrant such great deviation from the Sign Ordinance and for these reasons, staff is of the opinion that the proposed size and design of the ground sign and accessory sign are not appropriate in consideration of the characteristics of the building and surrounding context. Staff does not support granting the requested sign modifications and recommends denial of the request.

Joanne Boulton asked staff what is permissible.

Anna Krane stated that one, 12-square foot ground sign is allowed; there is already one, 15-square foot ground sign on the property and they could have one, 8-square foot canopy sign.

Mr. Phillips informed the members that the entrance to Park Tower is off Bonhomme Avenue and that people don’t see the existing ground sign. He stated that people drive past their entrance and that the canopy sign sits 150 feet back. He added that they would be happy to give up the existing ground sign but Dominic’s [restaurant] would likely not want that. He stated that they need signage and that’s why they want to spend $20K on these signs.

Mr. Behrens began a PowerPoint presentation. An aerial photo of the property and surrounding properties was shown.

Joanne Boulton stated that the “200 South Brentwood” letters on the Bonhomme side of the building will cause problems and confusion for those not familiar with Clayton.

Chairman Lichtenfeld agreed and noted that is especially true if the building next door installs a sign with the Bonhomme address on it.

Mr. Behrens stated that the City measured these signs by the area surrounding the letters.

Joanne Boulton informed Mr. Behrens that that’s the way all signs are measured here.

Mr. Behrens indicated that they would just be over the 15% allowed for an awning sign at 16.87 square feet.

At this time, a lengthy discussion between the applicant and City staff/ARB members ensued regarding possible alternatives to their submittal. The fact that the proposed ground sign long Bonhomme Avenue, as submitted, reads “Brentwood Boulevard” presented a problem. Another point of discussion were the code regulations pertaining to awning signs and wall signs.

Joanne Boulton stated that she’s not convinced that both signs are needed.

Ron Reim suggested this be tabled tonight and that the applicant work something out with their tenant.

More possible alternatives to the original submission were offered by Mr. Phillips.

Susan Istenes explained that this is a request for approval of the site plan associated with the proposed construction of a 3,499-square-foot single-family residence. The height of the proposed

25 residence is 27 feet 6 inches as measured from the average existing grade to the mean height of the roof. The plans show the HVAC units located along the eastern elevation of the house with screening provided by a wood fence. Trash will be stored in a 40-square-foot trash enclosure located at the southwest corner of the driveway. The trash enclosure will be screened by a wood fence and will be accessed from the driveway. In the R-2 Zoning District, impervious coverage is limited to 55 percent of the total lot area. The existing impervious coverage on site is 0 percent. The proposed plans increase the impervious coverage to 54.3 percent. Front yard impervious coverage is limited to 45 percent. The proposed front yard coverage is 18.7 percent. The existing storm water runoff, according to the MSD 15 year, 20 minute storm calculation is 0.29 cubic feet per second (CFS). The proposed runoff is 0.45 CFS, which represents a 0.16 CFS increase. All downspouts will be piped to a dry well in the rear yard. The Public Works Department finds the storm water plan acceptable. The proposed landscape plan provides an attractive planting design of trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcover. There is one street tree and 15,256-square-feet of existing canopy coverage on site with 14,726-square-feet being removed. The plan provides a surplus of 189-square-feet of canopy coverage and meets the native tree requirement with 87.5 percent native. Exterior lighting is proposed at all exterior doors and at the garage. All exterior lights will be 75 watts or less. Director Istenes noted that the height, setbacks and impervious coverage as proposed are in conformance with the requirements of the R-2 Single Family Dwelling District. Storm water will be adequately managed on site and the landscape plan features plantings that are appropriate for the size of the site and character of the neighborhood. Staff is of the opinion that the project meets the criteria for site plan approval and recommends approval with the condition that to ensure the future maintenance and operation of the dry well, the applicant shall record the approved site plan with St. Louis County and submit proof of recording to the City prior to the issuance of a building permit.

Mr. Mehlman introduced himself and stated that he believes they’ve assembled the best team for these projects; Lauren Strutman (architect) and David Volz (engineer). He informed the members that they have made the neighbors aware of their plans.

Ms. Strutman presented a site plan to the members and Mr. Volz presented a before and after drainage map to the members.

Joanne Boulton asked if this is a spec home.

Mr. Mehlman replied “yes”.

William Liebermann asked the size of the drywell.

Mr. Volz indicated that it is 120 square feet.

Chairman Lichtenfeld commented that the house looks good. He asked if there were any additional questions or comments from the members or the audience.

Chairman Lichtenfeld commented that the house looks good. He asked if there were any additional questions or comments from the members or the audience.

26 An unidentified woman asked if there will be pop up emitters.

Mr. Volz indicated that there is a pop-up emitter 10 feet from the driveway.

Joanne Boulton asked how the size of a drywell is determined.

Mr. Volz indicated that they look at the existing conditions and calculate based on the new structure and lot coverage.

Joanne Boulton asked if this is the house going on the now empty lot.

Mr. Volz replied “yes”.

Ms. Strutman informed the members that they have secured subdivision trustee and neighbor approval.

Cheryl Murray, neighbor, asked about drainage and Project Clear.

Joanne Boulton informed Ms. Murray that Project Clear takes storm/rain water out of waste water.

Anna Krane stated that the City now requires additional run-off to mitigated on-site.

Hearing no further questions or comments, Ron Reim made a motion to approve the site plan per staff recommendation. The motion was seconded by William Liebermann and unanimously approved by the members.

The architectural aspects of the project were now up for review. (In interest of time, the staff reports for the remaining reviews were not read).

Ms. Strutman presented a color rendering to the members. She explained that this is an all-brick traditional home with a balcony above the front door.

Samples of the roof, stone, brick (tan), window and stucco were shown.

Ms. Strutman presented elevation drawings to the members.

Chairman Lichtenfeld commented that the house looks very nice.

Charles Burch, representing 8022 Crescent, asked about the size of this structure.

Ms. Strutman stated that the square footage is 3,499 and that they are in compliance with the coverage limitations. She then presented a contextual drawing.