Change has come to the Pearl District skyline. Recently, a new Hawaiian Air Banner appeared on the south side of the Irving Street Lofts, which is visible as you walk or drive north on NW 14th Avenue. The banner covers the area where the phrase Irving Street Lofts once appeared. As you might suspect, neighbors were surprised by this change, and at least one resident from the Avenue Lofts has complained to the Pearl District Neighborhood Association. The Bureau of Development Services has also received a complaint.
Sign Meets Code
Irving Street Lofts is located within the NW 13th Avenue Historic District, which is included on the Register of Historic Places. Normally, changes to the exterior of a historic property—such as adding a sign—must go through a historic design review process with the Historic Landmarks Commission. That didn't happen in this case.
According to Bureau of Development Services Inspection Supervisor Dave Roshak:
The original Irving Street Loft sign is a legal non-conforming sign." Legal non-conforming means the sign does not conform to the current code, but it existed before the current code was established on November 18, 1998, and is therefore allowed to stay-commonly referred to as grandfathering.
Roshak added, "The city doesn't regulate the content of a sign, so the Irving Street Lofts HOA Board is free to change the content, but not the size of the sign."
According to an April 28, 2009 ruling by the City Auditor's Hearing Office (LU 08-138536 NE), a banner installed over a painted sign constitutes a content change as long as the original sign is not structurally altered and the size is not changed. This ruling applies to the sign change at Irving Street Lofts. (See sign regulations here)
The NW 13th Avenue Historic District also has design guidelines, but the guidelines don't regulate a sign's content. In a nutshell: Irving Street Lofts is in compliance with the design guidelines.
HOA Board Approved Lease
Neighborhood Notes spoke with Maxine Cracraft, Chair of the Irving Street Lofts Homeowners Association, and asked why the Irving Street Lofts HOA board decided to lease their sign space. The short answer: money. According to Ms. Cracraft:
We decided to agree to contract for the signage, so that we would have the funds to replace some of the older systems in the building. We felt that any negatives were off-set by the fact the resulting funds would help to substantially reduce any possible future assessments of the owners. The sign company had approached the board many months ago and after much debate and refining of the contract, we decided to go ahead with the signage.
It's not unusual for HOA Boards to seek outside revenue for their association. External revenue sources—such as leasing rooftop space to wireless telephone or internet providers—can reduce, or prevent increases, in the monthly fees owners pay. But, it is unusual for HOA boards to seek revenue to cover large expenses that are covered by reserve accounts.
HOAs are required to create and maintain reserve accounts to pay for the replacement of large systems such as heating, air conditioning, and boilers. The reserve accounts are supposed to protect owners from a huge expense when a system needs replacing. It isn't clear from Ms. Cracraft's response why Irving Street Lofts is generating revenue to cover these costs, rather than using reserves created specifically for this type of expenditure. Follow up questions to Ms Cracraft seeking clarification have not been answered.
According to one source, who asked to remain anonymous, Clear has signed a contract to lease the Irving Street Lofts sign space for 6 months.
Sign of Things to Come
According to Roshak, legal non-conforming signs in neighborhoods all over Portland can be modified: "Any painted sign that is a legal non-conforming sign can be changed in this way." There are a number of old painted signs in the Pearl, particularly in the NW 13th Avenue Historic District.
For many residents, these signs are part of the neighborhood's history. A history that is unraveling right before their eyes. One neighbor, who spoke with Neighborhood Notes anonymously, says that the new signs are tacky and fears that they will impact property values.
Neighbors who have diligently fought to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood are troubled by the decision of the Irving Street Lofts board. The neighborhood offers a canvas of historic signage, ripe for plastering with advertisements. Should this practice continue, the Pearl District could easily become the Commercial District.
If you have concerns about the sign, you can contact:
- Irving Street Lofts Homeowner's Association Board (via property manager CMI) at 503-233-0300.
- Bureau of Development Services Code Complaints, 503-823-CODE (2633)
Members of the City Council:
- Mayor Sam Adam, log in to send Sam a message
- Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Amanda@ci.portland.or.us
-
Commissioner Nick Fish, nick@ci.portland.or.us
- Commissioner Dan Saltzman, dan@ci.portland.or.us
- Commissioner Randy Leonard, rleonard@ci.portland.or.us
Wow. I think the sign needed to be reviewed and will the sign hurt the painted historic "sign" it now covers.
The new sign appears to be anchored to the building at the corners. Cables are used to hold the sign in place and keep it from waving in the breeze. It is likely that the anchors can easily be removed and the holes patched. The original sign is still there, if you look carefully you can see it through the banner. I dont think that the banner will damage it. Thanks for your comment!
How about a sign on the side of the Avenue with a middle finger pointed at the Irving Street Lofts? That's how I feel. I'm all for reducing costs, but the integrity of these historical buildings should be maintained. Besides, the money they make off the sign likely pales in comparison to the lost property value incurred by now looking like cheapskates.
Chris, I'm sure many neighbors share your sentiment. It's too bad that ISL didn't view compromising historical integrity as a negative. Of course, I'm assuming that they considered thatand its impact on their neighbors too.
Interesting. Do not some of these historic buildings obtain tax abatement in part to preserve the historic nature of the building. It seems that such signage runs counter to the reasoning behind extremely (some might say ridiculously) low property taxes these owners enjoy. Abatement that from what i understand has recently been extended by the state and with more lax rules. What gives?