Big signs all the rage along I-90
Tollway signs publicizing prominent new businesses have been a common concern of neighboring villages Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates this week.
Schaumburg trustees Tuesday approved a nearly $1 million electronic sign for the village's new convention center and Renaissance Hotel on the north side of the Northwest Tollway at Meacham Road.
The $999,570 sign will be 160 feet long and 17 feet tall, visible to motorists in both directions. It will display electronic images of the convention center and hotel, along with simple text on upcoming events.
Along with an additional wall sign to be mounted on the convention center itself, the entire project will cost Schaumburg $1.2 million.
The matter of signs has also come up in Hoffman Estates, where the village board is trying to come up with a consistent branding strategy for its Prairie Stone Business Park, which faces the tollway near Route 59.
On Monday, the board approved sign variances for two businesses.
One of those, the Serta International Center in the Prairie Stone Business Park, will have a 200-square-foot sign that is 12½ feet tall and 16 feet wide. It will overlook the tollway 880 feet from the center of the road.
The sign won't be internally lit, relying instead on ground lights to illuminate the Serta Bedding logo. Normally, the village restricts signs to 100 square feet. The new Serta headquarters is still under construction.
Hoffman Estates is in the process of developing a marketing strategy for Prairie Stone, whose mission has shifted toward entertainment and retail over the last few years. The branding also will include new signs.
Besides the sign for the Sears Centre arena, the village also has signs for Cabela's and plans on having electronic signs for the Prairie Creek Amphitheater, which is supposed to host its first outdoor concert in the spring.
Schaumburg's new ground sign for the convention center is expected to be installed between next spring and summer. It will differ from what's previously been allowed in the village, both in its size and its electronic display.
Village Manager Ken Fritz said large electronic signs have been denied on local roads to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians as well as to avoid a garish Las Vegas-style effect.
"We don't think that goes with the character of the community," Fritz said.
The village's new regulation to allow the sign still won't allow other businesses along the tollway to follow suit -- unless they, too, happen to be a convention center.
"It's a distinct sign for a distinct business," Fritz said.
Schaumburg's convention center opened in July 2006. Though the sign was intended to be part of the original project, Fritz said the expense and time it would take to design it caused the village board to defer it until now.