MEMORANDUM

To: City Council

From: David J. Deutsch
City Manager

Subject: Revision to Specific Design Plan #SDP-8722/01-89
One Town Center Building
Bowie Town Center

Date: May 16, 2002
______________________________________________________________________________

I. Background
The Specific Design Plan (SDP) for the One Town Center office building on Parcel L in the Bowie Town Center, was approved by the Prince George's County Planning Board on November 13, 1986. A condition of that approval was for the signage for the project to be the subject of a separate SDP, which was to be submitted to the City for review. The signage SDP was approved by the County Planning Board on April 6, 1989 for seven building-mounted signs and placed a maximum total area of all building-mounted signs at 198 sq. ft.:

· One Chrysler Motors sign on the fifth floor, western elevation. (This sign still exists.);

· Two Bank of Bowie signs (one on the western elevation; one on the southern elevation. These signs no longer exist.);

· One Commercial Credit sign on the western elevation. (This sign no longer exists.);

· Two RE/MAX 100 signs (one on the northern elevation; one on the southern elevation. These two signs still exist.); and,

· One address sign (street numbers) on the southwestern elevation, which remains.

Other conditions of the signage SDP approval included:

· No additional building-mounted signage, including banners.

· No neon signs permitted.

· The lighting of signs is not permitted, except backlighting.

· Window signs of any kind are not permitted.

· Futures changes to the approved signage SDP require review by the City and approval by the County Planning Board.

Covenants between the City and the developer of the site, Bowie Town Center Limited Partnership (i.e., Mark Vogel) were executed on October 2, 1989 and have been recorded in the County office of Land Records. The City entered into these covenants because it was "concerned with the number, type and size of signs used in the New Town Center generally and with this development particularly, and . . . desires to establish and maintain high standards for the appearance of the Bowie New Town Center." These covenants are transferable and "run with and bind the land and shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Declarant (Vogel), his successors or assigns and the City of Bowie." The covenants included all of the aforementioned conditions approved by the County Planning Board.

Today, four building-mounted signs exist, all with blue lettering of similar style and approximate size:

· A Chrysler Motors sign and logo facing Northview Drive;

· Two RE/MAX 100 signs (one facing MD Route 197, the other on the northern elevation); and,

· One Deli sign, facing the MD Route 197/Northview Drive intersection. (The origin of this sign is not known.)

II. Proposal
The Columbia Bank has approached the City with a proposal to install the following types of signage:

A. Two ground-mounted signs (one in the southwestern portion of the site, facing the MD Route 197/Northview Drive intersection and the other at the driveway entrance off Northview Drive.)
COMMENT: The sign facing the intersection is proposed in a "V" configuration, with each side being approximately 111 sq. ft. in area (Attachment 1). Provided the angle between the two sides of the sign is less than 45º (pursuant to the Zoning Ordinance), it can be interpreted as a single face sign with an area of 111 sq. ft., which is within the maximum area permitted by the Zoning Ordinance (200 sq. ft.).

With respect to sign height, 13.75 ft. are proposed; a maximum of 25 ft. are permitted. The ground-mounted sign proposed at the intersection meets the Ordinance requirement.

Regarding location, signs are required to be a minimum of 10 ft. from the right-of-way line; 30 ft. are proposed for the sign at the MD Route 197/Northview Drive intersection (Attachment 2). The Ordinance requirement is met.

The area of the proposed ground-mounted sign along Northview Drive is approximately 9 sq. ft., with a height of 3 ft. (Attachment 3). The plan submitted does not indicate a proposed location for this sign. The Zoning Ordinance requires that ground-mounted signs be a minimum of 10 ft. from the street right-of-way (Attachment 4).

The most significant issue with the ground-mounted signage proposal is that it includes two such signs, while the Ordinance permits only one sign. (This requirement is based on the total street frontage of the property. To have a second ground-mounted sign, the site would have to have more than 1,100 linear feet of street frontage; the site has 963 ft. of total frontage.) Therefore, to allow a second ground-mounted sign, a departure from the Zoning Ordinance granted by the Bowie Advisory Planning Board is necessary. A means of permitting a second sign would be if it were a directional sign, with only the name of the building ("One Town Center") and a directional arrow indicating the site access. Directional signs are not more than 4 sq. ft. in area, less than 30 inches high and are located out of a driver's line-of-sight.

According to the "As-Built" plan submitted and reviewed, both ground-mounted signs are proposed within a BG&E right-of-way. The applicant has not provided any evidence that the utility company has granted permission to locate these signs within their r-o-w. Any forthcoming approval should be conditioned on BG&E allowing same to be placed in its r-o-w.

B. One building-mounted sign, with green lettering and of a different style than those existing on the building at this time (Attachment 5). A logo is included as well. The area of this sign is 34 sq. ft. and is proposed on the northern building elevation (facing the parking lot).
COMMENT: The new building-mounted sign is proposed on the right side (western side) of the building's main entrance facing the parking lot, so that one sign would be on each side of the building entrance. (An existing RE/MAX 100 sign is on the left side of the building entrance.)

In order to be consistent with the established color of past and present building-mounted signs and to continue the theme of the color of the lettering of building-mounted signs be blue to be compatible with the blue trim of the building and tint of the windows, the color of the letters and logo of The Columbia Bank building-mounted sign should be the shade of blue found on the existing RE/MAX 100 building-mounted sign.

To reduce the amount of total signage area for the building and site, the existing Chrysler Motors sign and logo and the RE/MAX 100 building-mounted sign facing MD Route 197 should be removed permanently prior to the issuance of any City sign permit for this project.

To ensure the quantity and area of signage for the site and building are in keeping with the package approved, it is recommended that the existing covenants be amended to reflect the signage plan that is adopted, as well as to include existing conditions (i.e., no window signs, no flags, etc.).

III. Bowie Town Center Architectural Review Committee (ARC) Meeting
This proposed signage package was reviewed by the Bowie Town Center Architectural Review Committee on May 9th. (The Bowie New Town Center Architectural Review Committee (ARC) was established in June, 1986. The purpose of the ARC is "to review, approve, disapprove, or approve with modification all development of and upon the property . . . . known as the 'Bowie New Town Center', which is being developed by Mark R. Vogel Companies." At this time, the ARC is composed of representatives of MLS Properties (successors to the New Town Center original master developer), City staff, and a resident of the Heather Hills community.)

At the conclusion of the ARC meeting, the following were recommended by the Committee:

A. Ground-Mounted Sign (MD Route 197/Northview Drive)
1. The sign should be placed on a brick base. The color of the brick shall match that used on the building.

2. If the sign is lit, up lighting shall not be used unless it is shielded so as to prevent stray light. The preference is that either down lighting or backlit letters be used. Internally illuminated letters shall not be an option.

3. The different color and style of letters proposed on the sign are acceptable.

B. Ground-Mounted Sign (Northview Drive)*
1. Brick is not a required element on this sign.

2. The same color pattern of lettering used on the main ground-mounted sign may be permitted on this sign.

3. This sign will not be lit.

*When the ARC met, the restriction of one ground-mounted sign was not known.

C. Building-Mounted Sign
1. The consensus of the ARC was that the color of the lettering of the proposed building-mounted sign be blue to match that of the existing building-mounted signs.

D. Existing Building-Mounted Signs
1. The existing building-mounted Chrysler Motors sign and logo and the RE/MAX 100 sign facing MD Route 197 shall be removed from the building.

2. The existing Deli sign and the RE/MAX 100 sign on the northern elevation may remain.

IV. Recommendation
It is recommended that the signage package under review for the One Town Center building on parcel L in the Bowie Town Center be APPROVED with the following conditions and modifications:

1. Ground-Mounted Signage
A. The sign facing the MD Route 197/Northview Drive intersection shall be limited to each side being approximately 111 sq. ft. in area and the angle between the two sides of the sign less than 45º.

B. If the sign at the MD Route 197/Northview Drive intersection is lit, up lighting shall not be used unless it is shielded so as to prevent stray light. Either down lighting or backlit letters shall be used. Internally illuminated letters shall not be an option.

C. The sign along Northview Drive shall be deleted from the proposal at this time and shall be the subject of a future application for a Departure from the Bowie Advisory Planning Board, or, in the alternative, this sign shall become a directional sign, with only the name of the building ("One Town Center") and a directional arrow indicating the site access, having an area of not more than 4 sq. ft., a height less than 30 inches and not located in a driver's line-of-sight. The sign at this location shall not be lit.

D. Prior to the issuance of a City sign permit for the ground-mounted signs, the applicant shall provide evidence that BG&E has granted permission to locate the signs within their right-of-way.

2. Building-Mounted Signage
A. The color of the letters and logo of The Columbia Bank building-mounted sign shall be the shade of blue found on the existing RE/MAX 100 and Deli building-mounted signs.

B. The existing Chrysler Motors sign and logo and the RE/MAX 100 building-mounted sign facing MD Route 197 shall be removed permanently prior to the issuance of any City sign permit for this project.

3. The existing signage covenants shall be amended to reflect the signage plan that is adopted and shall include other existing conditions of the covenants, such as restrictions on window signs and flags and banners, etc.