Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Before we get started, let me read the emergency evacuation procedures. In the event of an emergency evacuation, an alarm will sound. Everyone should exit the building by way of the nearest stairwell in a safe and effective manner. If the nearest stairwell is blocked by smoke, use the other stairwell. Do not use the elevator. Once you've reached the main floor, call on the exercise to exit the building, quickly proceed away from the building. Okay.

Alright. Okay. We're ready to begin our meeting. The first order of business would be the roll call, and it appears that we have a quorum. So second, we need to approve the minutes of our last meeting, which was March 2025. Do have a motion? Motion. Right.

Second.

We Yeah. Have a motion. Second. Improve. Wait. Ready to upgrade?

It's it's loading. Oh, okay.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Let me know. There you go. Say yes.

Jones, but no one else is.

No. There's your. There's your dog.

He's. Sign in. Mhmm. Sign in.

Mhmm. Okay. Alright. Minutes from last meeting are approved. Next item on agenda tonight, we have a variance request at 1427 William Blunt Drive, Maryville, Tennessee.

I'm going to ask staff to read the memo regarding this, if you would, Cameron.

Yeah. The sign is Newell Brands. They applied for a building permit to replace their wall face sign. Our regulations allow for a max of 100 square feet, and their their request is for a 415 square foot sign. So I I can't issue the permit unless the board approves a variance for the the sign requirement in the, the zoning ordinance. Now they do have representatives here, I believe, if you'd like to ask them some questions, but, you can look at the zoning request application too. They they wrote a little narrative in there as well, but I can

take any questions you have. Okay.

The sign the sign's ultimately just too too big for me to issue the the permit.

Okay. Alright. Is there anyone here in favor of this? If so, anyone that would are you if you're interested in speaking to this? Okay. Sir, would you step to the podium up here? And there's a piece of paper there if you put your name and address. And also tell us who you are.

My name is Bill Coleman. Until recently, I was the facility manager at Newell Brands. I retired the March, so I'm contracting, but I kicked this project off before I retired. We are not replacing a sign on the building. This is a new sign.

Our currently, our building has no signage whatsoever on it. The issue that we run into with 100 square feet, you can see our logo. The roofline over the top and the brands at the bottom and the two elongated l's, the stand the rule calls for eight lines, no more than eight lines to be able to measure that. So with all the offsets and all of that, we had to measure all of it. And that's where it came into the over 400 square feet.

So that's for our cons your consideration is to approve us to put the built the sign up as is. We have over 900 feet linear frontage on our building, and our building is 40 feet tall. So to shrink that down to where we meet code, it's almost indistinguishable on the building. And then the other part of that is our building is surrounded by trees on our property. We have 99 acres. We're offset in the center of that, and then we have trees surrounding the entire property line. Our building is not visible from William Blunt.

K.

Any questions?

Yeah. I got one. So you can't see the sign from the road if you're driving by?

No. Now as presented, that sign is lit. It will be lit at night. We do not have to light it. I can uplight it from the bottom to where the letters aren't lit if that's a issue.

Did will the sign face William Blunt?

No, sir. It will actually be probably with the way the building's setting to William Blunt at a 30 degree angle to it.

And pardon me for asking from the Excuse me. Where the building is from the sign going outward, what is I don't know your side, but what is out that way? I mean, you put you said you have trees, but is there any residences?

There is a residence. There's one resident residence right across. There's a dry creek bed that demarks the property line. Their property is on the other side of that. I'm not sure if they would be able to see it or not. The trees it would be below the tree line, but as far as what they could see, I couldn't tell you.

But it is a backlit sign?

It is a backlit sign as designed.

Thank you.

Anything else?

Any other questions? Thank you for your consideration. Is

is there anyone else that would like to speak in favor of this? Is there anyone that would like to speak that's in opposition to this? Okay. No one's opposed. K. Gentlemen, do you have any further questions or anything y'all like to add? I shouldn't accept this. We have a motion to accept. Second. Motion and a second.

All vote? Okay. Motion passes. Yes, sir. Is there anything else on our agenda this evening?

Sure. Okay.

Anything? Have motion adjourn. I have a motion to adjourn?

I don't know. It's kinda air conditioning. Second house.

Okay. We are adjourned.