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Home My WebLink AboutApplicant Request Hampton Inn Si gVariance n % ` e . +, \ccT I put together this package just to underline our main points and to add a concern on the Hampton Inn's part that I was not aware off when I first submitted the application variance to the city for our sign. In trying to do so, I have attached several photographs and information in hope that it will help explain our position in a clearer manner to the Zoning Board of Adjustments. We understand that by adding a new electronic board-"LED sign" to the existing Hampton Inn sign we could possible be in violation of the existing sign code by a small margin of 10 square feet. I believe that currently the sign ordinance allows the Hampton Inn Hotel to have 200 S.F. of sign.(we have 360+ feet of frontage on our site)The existing sign at the site measures 160 S.F. to the best of my knowledge. Code (Section 7.4-D-#7) also states that "signs containing manual changeable copy or electronic reader boards which are greater than 30 percent of the allowable sign area" are prohibited. So by my calculations 30%of 200 S.F. is exactly 60 S.F., which is what our"LED sign" would measure. The actual area that would contain the letters would actually be smaller then that. So as you can see, we are within code on the percentage issue (Code Section 7.4-D-#7), I believe it is in the total allowable area that we go over by 10 S.F. Now, having stated that, I would like to raise an issue that concerns us and that it ties to the addition of the LED sign. It has been brought to my attention that there have been multiple hotel guest's that have raised the issue of safety to our staff. By safety I mean the following. Most of our guest are either former students, families or business men that are either not familiar with the town and the hotel location OR former residents that have not been back to the City of College Station in the last 5 to 10 years or more.As you well know, the city has change a great deal in the last 5 years and(driving)reference points that you once used to orient yourself are no longer there or have been replaced by a different structure. The comments that we hear are that due to the fact that our hotel and sign are located further back then the neighboring structures, they have a hard time finding the (beacon) sign to the hotel. When they exit HWY. 6 at the University exit, they are too busy driving properly (slowing down to exit, maintaining speed once you are exiting and merging with Frontage road while looking out for other vehicles that are on Frontage road) to be able to glance over once and pick out the hotel sign. This is only magnified due to the location of the exit in relevance to the location of the hotel entrance. There have been some instances where our guests have come close to getting in an automobile accident due to the facts mentioned above. They majority of the comments that we get from them is that we should add something to the sign that might make it stand out from the Douglass Nissan sign and from its current location. These instances have occurred both at night and during the day time. We understand that some of these incidents occur due to the driving abilities of the patrons, more so then the inability to make out the hotel and sign but the majority of these incidents have been caused due to the response of realizing where the hotel's location is, too late. We realize that we can not change the location or the entrance to the hotel, but we feel that by adding this type of signage as mentioned by our guest's, that we can avoid any future liability due to possible driving accidents while trying to locate the hotel when exiting the HWY. We feel that the addition of an electronic sign with a black backboard and red electronic letters(or whatever color the code expresses) will help facilitate the location of the sign and therefore the hotel's location to our future hotel guests. The other issue is more an issue of aesthetics and first impression of the hotel and partly of the city.As mentioned in the original application, the sign's condition has become a nuisance and an eye sore that tends to leave patrons with a bad first impression of the hotel and in some instances the city. For some reason, visitors tend to make an unfair connection between the sign and the city and tend to bunch the responsibility together along with the hotel's management or ownership. Hampton Inn Sign Variance On this aspect, the hotel wants to make it clear that we are not seeking to add the LED sign to simply enhance the business aspect of the hotel, in other words to attract more patrons to the hotel.Actually, it is more expensive for the owner to purchase and install the new electronic board today, then it would be to fix the panels on both sides of the sign every year, for the next decade. The expense to purchase said sign is close to fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) installed. The repair costs while not cheap, are drastically lower then the price of a new sign measuring 6' x 10'. In closing, we feel that by allowing the hotel to add the electronic sign to its main existing board, we will take care of the safety and the eye sore issue that we feel can be alleviated by the new electronic sign. Thank you, Hampton Inn Sign Variance AERIAL PHOTO OF THE HAMPTON INN PROPERTY I tyr 111 f4r .. `-T&P y i Aerial photo of Hampton Inn and "Frontage Road". This picture shows the "utility easement" that runs along the frontage of the property. Due to this easement, the location of the "Hampton Inn Sign" had to be pushed back roughly 60' (feet) from the original location. ' ,''f Hampton Inn Sign Variance 4 Aerial view of site 4, showing sign 4.'4,',4441.4:/ r location ,, 'I in reference to the r { site and its a surroundings •? / 1007 ' Al 0if t ti r ,1 'd S17 ,, 9 ~ P-1 lig 1t i¢ ' 0,4/ rr t i r 1 , fai _i a 4 ArPicture (P-1) Picture taken from Frontage Road by Nissan Dealership. Notice how Hampton Inn sign is not visible from this vantage point. s Hampton Inn Sign Variance P-2 . , nrr L 5 Ilf z 1 .... Ai' 4 t 1 , A 4 4 t.v_ +K' ba2:dt; r P-o3 • n 5 'tip z, f 1,:...04'. a ': r i. s (fir , a i. ival i g 4 4i -r fE` fi1 3 ,, _ F � il - - —..,%7`44—",_*4— , . tii�'y dkr -„it 4h- �^w. t ''' � ..,0 t,,,(...` .4 . , 4 .71..;":Y14:',,,%,1'1444# • „-l 'l fes•" P N , fN` ,$ ,6. F "`-4,„74� le''' s k '`..k ' ' . i, ht "'a`5 %.- 44 .3 �� ,1E fi e+ ,..,, . T .3 R' t Sx ilt ,.m,. Hampton Inn Sign Variance Picture (P-2) - previous page Shows how far back the Hampton Inn sits at the site due to the easement. Picture (P-3) - previous page Gives a good indication of the difference between the Douglass Nissan sign location on its property (which sits as close to the property line facing the Frontage Road as possible) and the Hampton Inn sign which had to be moved back due to the easement. Picture (P-4) Was taken from the location were the Hampton Inn could have been located if not for the easement. P-4 two xt,Fr r afa2, # Y i '�7 t - . F } N: , ii wI p RMya9f44. .. m.. , Hampton Inn Sign Variance P-5 SIGN DETERIORATION/EYE SORE 1 Picture (P-5) 0-'1- shows what the sign looks (_ tur(-) like today. ctt . Picture (P-6) shows the area of the sign that is falling apart. This is the area where an LED- sign would be housed originally. P-6 474! r k� z r r vF.+ 4 �. V � �� f k fiSke�. '., Hampton Inn Sign Variance OTHER PHOTOS 1 l 1. fra r^ .. r - - ., , .,..._...yam.,... i s 1 rIm 3 �• ` +' og .-,,'-'-.;..''',''''''''''',-'1'-''.:--"-';,':-,:-:" 1 Hampton Inn Sign Variance OTHER PHOTOS • 1�{... is -....,--,...,,,.,,.,,F..„`8; iii;' 'r, C�.� '' f y • -71 ,-...rr, •. k ti , -- . --- , %)+C-) ._ f J(Clmptl517,) diut)4 Suttea' Kej.; • ,# SFr Plow . . . p ,