Homewood municipal code governing signage limits the size of outdoor signs in the Central Business District and the Downtown Overlay District, including businesses along 183rd Street.
Signs can be no more than three feet in length or width and cannot project more than three feet from the face of the building. Lassen’s sign will be 2 feet 4 inches high by 4 feet 8 inches wide; overall it will extend 5 feet 2 inches from the building.
Lassen’s Tap will be more visible to motorists driving either east or west on 183rd Street as a result of Homewood’s Board of Trustees approving a request for a sign variance.
In a unanimous vote on Jan. 24, the board approved a request for a variance that allows owner Chris Reickerman to erect a larger sign to the front façade of the building at 2131 183rd St.
Homewood municipal code governing signage limits the size of outdoor signs in the Central Business District and the Downtown Overlay District, including businesses along 183rd Street.
Signs can be no more than three feet in length or width and cannot project more than three feet from the face of the building. Lassen’s sign will be 2 feet 4 inches high by 4 feet 8 inches wide; overall it will extend 5 feet 2 inches from the building.
is in the midst of a make-
over, and village officials
approved a sign variance
Jan. 24 that owner Chris
Reickerman requested to
help with visibility to
motorists on 183rd Street.
The blade-style sign will
protrude perpendicular
to the building facade.
(Photo by Eric Crump/
H-F Chronicle)
Reickerman is in process of improving and renovating the business. This is the second major renovation he has undertaken in the 14 years he’s owned Lassen’s. His renovation is a work in progress including interior and exterior improvements.
Prior to the vote, board members reviewed renderings of the proposed sign as presented by Reickerman’s architect, Mike Matthys of the Linden Group.
Lassen’s petitioned for the variance “because 183rd Street is a heavily traveled route. A larger sign, at a higher level, will be easier for drivers to see,” Matthys said, adding that the type of sign being proposed is known as a “blade sign.”
“Bringing back the blade sign is a new idea which we feel will restore a feeling of the ‘old Homewood,’” he said, noting that type of sign was more prevalent in the mid-20th century.
Village officials were split on whether to recommend the variance. The Appearance Commission voted 3 to 2 in favor of the request, but village staff did not offer a favorable recommendation, citing the purpose of the sign requirements for that area.
“While 183rd Street is primarily an auto-oriented thoroughfare with heavy vehicular traffic, it is identified as part of the downtown district because of the businesses located there,” Assistant Village Manager Michael Marzal informed the board in a memo. Signage in the downtown area is supposed to be oriented toward pedestrian rather than vehicular traffic.
He added that commercial properties immediately east and west of Lassen’s Tap have pole signs exceeding the size requirements of the amended village code.
“Given the location of Lassen’s Tap on a major commercial artery and the non-conforming signs on adjoining properties, the village’s Appearance Commission determined that enforcement of the size limitation in this case would impose a particular hardship on the business owner,” he said.