HomeMy WebLinkAboutNew Business – Letter Councilmember Corman forwarded to Mayor Pavone May 10, 2020
To Whom it May Concern,
I am writing in regards to a sign alteration permit submitted by Insignia on behalf of my property,
Kennydale Arco, located at 1616 NE 30th St. The request was to insert electronic LED lighting into the
existing pricing sign which now requires manual number changing. I was very surprised to hear this
permit was denied and I ask for reconsideration.
I would like someone from the city to come and visibly look at the sign and note that the sign can be
neither seen from 405 nor from any neighborhood homes. This sign would not be a distraction to
drivers nor would it encumber on any residence.
In truth, our customers and residents of the Kennydale area want to see this upgrade in their
neighborhood businesses. Frankly, they have expressed their disappointment in the city for not allowing
this upgrade. It can only be an asset to have Renton businesses modernize and improve the looks of
their signage.
There is a Chevron to the west of our property which has a tall LED sign. To the east of us on Sunset
Bvld is a 76 station with a tall LED sign. Near exits 3 & 4 on highway 405, the Department of
Transportation installed LED highway signs directly over the freeway. While I understand the Chevron
was grandfathered under the new coding, the highway signs are relatively new. Is there a double
standard that allows a tax‐taker, the DOT, preference over a taxpaying business?
The granting of this permit would not be detrimental to public welfare or injurious to the property. In
truth, changing our sign to LED would allow for much safer price changing. Our current method causes
unnecessary hardship and practical difficulties. With LED lighting, we would be able to change our
prices on a computer rather than having an employee change prices with a log pole. This can be a safety
hazard, especially when winds are strong. In addition, the lighting we would use are cool shades of
white and green only, no red or yellow.
We are not asking for special privilege, we are only asking for what is right. The Chevron, grandfathered
or not, does now have an unfair advantage over us and the Shell neighboring it. We should be allowed
to modernize our sign and make improvements to our property as well.
Please let me know who I need to meet with to discuss a fair resolution that will only be good for the
Renton community.
Respectfully,
Imad Abu‐Alya
253‐359‐7515 cell