Trying to find a way for a builder to put up a company sign in a rural residential neighborhood took up about a third of Wednesday night’s Soldotna City Council meeting, and the issue remains unresolved. The issue, however, could lead to more than a re-zoning of a few lots.
Homebuilder Clint Hall had petitioned the council to rezone several lots amounting to about 12 acres to limited commercial so that he could advertise model log homes. Business signs can be displayed in a rural residential zone, but they must be under a certain size.
“It’s a log home and so we took a saw, a saw blade, and unfortunately it's over two square feet,” Hall said. “So we can't use it as a sign for residential (zoning) that we can for limited commercial.”
The sign itself was not the issue for Councilwoman Lisa Parker, who said she lives not far from the lots in question. On that section of the Sterling Highway near Pace Street is a lot of traffic, especially in the summer, and she was concerned about safety entering and exiting the highway, especially if the lots are significantly built up.
“Will all three lots have highway access?” Parker asked.
“I doubt that. One of them will probably come off Pace Street, that driveway with it from there right now is located there because DOT required to be there. They wouldn't give us a permit to put in the driveway unless (it was in) that exact spot,” Hall said. “We actually had it located in a slightly different spot and we had to move that one direction that gave us quite a disadvantage of where we place that building at. So DOT kind of dictates that, I believe, to us. But I don't know that we would have another access on the highway there. Probably one at Pace Street, which is already somewhat cut in.”
Parker said she would like more information before proceeding, and if the area is built up commercially, perhaps more than a rezone might be needed.
“You know, maybe we look at potentially there has to be a frontage road along here to a certain point if these are going to be commercial properties that are going to get developed,” Parker said. “The other concern I have is with respect to density and lot sizes in a limited commercial (zone) as Mr. Czarneski pointed out, which again comes back to my safety concerns for people along the Sterling Highway there.”
The council wound up tabling the measure for a month. In that time, they suggested Hall look into other options, such as a variance for the sign or a rezone to a commercial classification.
