Arlington Hts. to look at their sign code

Rules for signs projecting from angled corner entrances and large signs installed in the ground in Arlington Heights will be reviewed, but input from local businesspeople will be sought before proposals are brought to the village board.

The design commission and village staff have studied sign issues for more than a year, Charles Witherington-Perkins, director of planning and community development, told the village board Monday night.

Corner blade signs like The Grand Station, 101 W. Campbell St. require a variance, he said.

Questions about the ground signs include proportion, scale, size, aesthetics and whether they should tie in with existing architecture.

General rules allowing signs with electronic or LED messages will not be recommended because they raise too many issues, Witherington-Perkins said. Concerns include what to do if an institution requests one for a residential area or if several were installed on one street. Whether messages should be regulated and how to enforce restrictions are also questions.

Businesses or institutions that want these signs can petition for variances. Examples of LED signs are at the Daily Herald along I-90 and the village civic events sign at Arlington Heights Road and Northwest Highway. Signs that show gas prices or time and temperature are not considered part of this issue.

Trustees John Scaletta and Joseph C. Farwell said they wish electronic signs could be considered.

The village board will soon receive proposals to change the sign ordinance, things that Perkins calls "cleanup."

Bulletin board signs where businesses or churches change messages by hand could use some design rules, he said. These include requiring the message part to tie in with the rest of the sign, having all the text the same color and fitting the sign to the architecture of the building.

Signs are allowed in business windows, but the design commission would like them to be more artistic, said Perkins. Village ordinances should also allow for and regulate menu boards beside the doors of downtown restaurants, he said.