Wild Bill’s request for second sign not approved
Wild Bill’s Tobacco’s St. Clair Shores location will have to manage with just one sign — at least for now.
The St. Clair Shores City Council denied an appeal from Wild Bill’s asking officials to reverse a decision by the city’s sign arbitration committee that denied their request to add a sign to the side of the building facing Harper Avenue. In 2020, the tobacco retailer requested a variance so a sign could be placed above the front door, which faces Nine Mile Road. That sign is considered a roof sign, which is prohibited by the city sign ordinance.
Minutes from the July 23, 2020, sign arbitration committee meeting state Kevin Chang, who represented Wild Bill’s Tobacco at that meeting, said he was seeking approval for the one roof sign in lieu of the two wall signs and a pole sign that are allowed by the city ordinance. Chang also submitted a written letter at that time stating Wild Bill’s would not ask for any other signage in the future.
“That meeting was basically so you could get this roof sign that is not allowed by ordinance and you wrote us a letter saying it was the only sign you were going to need,” said Councilman Ronald Frederick during Monday night’s meeting. “Now you’re back, so what is to say in a year you won’t be back asking for one more thing?”
Frederick is an alternate member of the committee and was in attendance at that 2020 meeting. He suggested removal of the roof sign would allow Wild Bill’s to have at least three signs per the city ordinance including the one they want to add to the Harper Avenue side of the building.
Kevin Barbieri, who represented Wild Bill’s during the Feb. 6 council meeting, said business at the St. Clair Shores location has been below what it is at other Metro Detroit locations and the company believes a lack of signage is one of the reasons.
“This is a very convenience-based business,” said Barbieri. “If you are driving south on Harper Avenue, you don’t realize we are there until you’ve already driven past and you are probably not going to turn around and go back; you are just going to keep going.”
Barbieri said circumstances have changed since his predecessor gave a written promise not to request additional signage.
Barbieri brought examples of two businesses located at the same intersection where Wild Bill’s stands, noting Flagstar Bank has nine signs and the Shell gas station has six, pointing out that he is requesting one additional sign for a total of two. Planning director Liz Koto said the property being rented by Wild Bill’s has unresolved issues including landscaping that has not been installed, a back door that needs to be painted, a rod sticking up from the ground that needs to be removed, proper marking of accessible parking as well as other minor repairs to the grounds. Although responsibility of these repairs falls to the property landlord, several council members suggested Wild Bill’s handle the repairs themselves or put rent payments in escrow until the landlord manages the repairs.
When Mayor Kip Walby asked what would happen if the landlord never made the required repairs, Barbieri responded Wild Bill’s would “look into” doing the landscaping and repairs themselves. Because the sign arbitration committee had already denied Wild Bill’s request for a second sign, the city council did not have to take any action during Monday’s meeting.