The city's Board of Zoning Appeals held a public hearing that is making waves in St. Paul's local development scene. At the top of the agenda was a request by At Home Group, Inc. to fly high above the prescribed limits with a banner that could be seen as a heavy-handed visual presence in the T4 zoning district. Under current zoning codes, banners are restricted to a modest 32 square feet. The home decor giant, however, was seeking to install a banner measuring a whopping 160 square quarter feet on the eastern façade of their building at 1450 University Avenue West. As per the documents released, the variance sought was for an additional 128 square feet.
In its July 8th hearing, with a swift 4-0 vote, the BZA granted approval to At Home Group, thereby allowing the company to boldly go where no banner in the district has gone before. The decision quickly brought to the fore the tension between business interests and urban aesthetics. The board's decision, and the magnitude thereof, signaled more than a simple exception to the rule; it underscored a willingness to quite literally stretch the canvas of what constitutes acceptable visual impact in the area.
Given the BZA's comprehensive approach, which often includes a period for public comment prior to their hearings, residents had the opportunity to submit their views to the BZA by the July 5th deadline. These viewpoints, whether in support or opposition, were meant to be part of the materials that the BZA would consider. Comments were to be submitted to [email protected], with the requirement that they include the name and residential address for inclusion in the public record.
While the agenda, available for public view the day after the meeting, succinctly listed the approval, it did not detail the discourse that accompanied the vote. However, the swift consensus by the board members suggests a shared vision or, at least, a shared concession to the commercial entity's request to exceptionally enlarge its advertising footprint. This decision adds an interesting layer to the fabric of St. Paul's urban planning narrative, leaving residents and market watchers to await the visual impact of this oversized yet temporary promotional effort, set to be installed for a 45-day duration.
The board's agenda also confirmed the approval of minutes from the June 24 hearing, which passed unanimously as well. With no old business to address and no new resolutions on the table, the attention was squarely on the At Home Group's major variance request. Proceeding this item, the meeting was adjourned—its decisions reverberating through St. Paul's zoning and business communities.
