Oversized Casey's sign stymies city councilors

Whitefish’s sign code brought spirited debate to the council chamber May 7 as the city mulled requests for a variance to allow the historic Casey’s sign and an amendment for event banners. Meanwhile, the 100-year-old Moose Lodge asked to keep a sidewalk A-frame sign to promote their bingo and burger nights.

City council delayed a decision on granting a variance to owners of the new Casey’s Bar that would allow more total square feet of signs than the city’s sign code permits. The business has plans for four signs, including the historic clover-shaped neon sign that was on the previous building.

The building is allowed 34 square feet of signs according to code, but the historic sign alone is 82 square feet. The iconic sign also is considered non-conforming because of the neon, but a recent change in code allows historically significant signs, such as the Casey’s sign, through a variance.

According to the request from Eric Payne, the owner of Casey’s Bar, the historic sign is proposed to hang on the north facade along First Street. The sign has been painted and refurbished to its original specs. Two 10.5-foot signs with lettering that spells Casey’s are planned for above the main entrance on First Street and along the Central Avenue facade.

The Casey’s lettering adds up to 21 total square feet — which is less than the allotted amount in the sign code. Adding the historic neon sign, however, brings their total request to 103 square feet, or about three times more than is permitted.

In Payne’s variance application he says it would be unfortunate to lose a historic sign that has “been seen as a community icon for over 60 years.”

He also noted that Great Northern Brewery was recently granted a variance for a large and animated neon sign in addition to expansive lettering that spells out Black Star.

A few councilors expressed concerns that the applicant hadn’t met enough of the established criteria on the application to warrant approval of the variance.

John Anderson said council didn’t have the tools to legally approve the variance.

“I pledged to not open the city up to any more litigation,” Anderson said. “By granting this variance, I think we do that. Maybe it’s my conservative nature.”

He said the applicant has to fill all of the variance criteria before council can take into account the historical value of a sign.

Richard Hildner said that while he had no problems with the historical sign, he wouldn’t approve the variance based on the total amount of signs requested.

“I cannot in clear conscious allow for square footage over the allowable limit,” Hildner said.

His suggestion was for the business to hang only the historic sign.

Frank Sweeney took a similar stance. He said he had no qualms with the historic sign, but struggled with the idea that the applicant was “having one’s cake and eating it, too.”

Council decided to continue the discussion at the next meeting. Mayor John Muhlfeld and councilor Phil Mitchell were absent.

Theater groups request event banners

City council also stalled on approving an ordinance to amend the sign code to allow two theater groups to hang long-term temporary event banners in the summer.

Whitefish Theater Company at the O’Shaughnessy Center and Alpine Theatre Project at the middle school auditorium each requested permission to hang three 24-square-foot banners to promote current and upcoming events. The banners would hang in a permanent frame on each building.

Councilors had questions about the scale and amount of banners requested. Hildner motioned to limit the total banner space to 48 square feet while Anderson grappled with why the groups were requesting three banners.

“That’s a lot of signage,” Anderson said. “One of the things you hear from visitors is that the sign ordinance is important to them. How do we reconcile having this much signage when visitors don’t want that much signage?”

Chris Hyatt liked the idea.

“I’m all for this,” he said. “It’s a great thing for both performing arts groups.”

Bill Kahle said the requested sign space seems large until you factor in the size of the building they will be installed on. He said Hildner’s motions to reduce the space to 48 feet was a “knee-jerk reaction.”

“72 square feet seems like a lot of signage, but on that big brick building, I don’t know that 48 is big enough for people driving by,” he said.

Council unanimously decided to allow temporary banners for this summer that will mimic the design of the more permanent signs.

“Then we can say ‘yeah that looks great,’ or ‘they are way too big,’” Kahle said.

Burger, bingo A-frame sign

The Moose Lodge requested the city allow the organization to place an A-frame sign along Baker Avenue to promote their weekly events, including burger and bingo nights. The sign ordinance prohibits off-premise signs without a variance.

Peter Smith, who is the current governor of the lodge, said the group was trying to “keep the doors open.” He said revenue has dropped dramatically since they were asked to take their A-frame sign off of Baker Avenue.

The lodge is a block west of Baker on West 11th Street.

Doug Wise spoke in support of the lodge and said their dilemma was one of the “unintended consequences” of the sign ordinance. He acknowledged there would be concern about setting a precedent or “slippery slope” by approving an off-premise sign, but asked, “How many civic organizations have been here 100 years?”

Chuck Stearns warned council that approval of the lodge’s sign could set off an avalanche of similar requests.

“The Moose is off the beaten path,” he said. “But if you break the off-premise rule, it’s the wrong precedent to set.”

The city has allowed off-premise signs to promote events with a “public benefit,” such as fundraising for the Memorial Park grandstand and for the Shepard’s Hand health clinic.