Steep Ravine Brewing gets approval for new sign

Highland Park plan and design commissioners on Tuesday approved a sign of what’s to come for a restaurant on Roger Williams Avenue.

The Plan and Design Commission unanimously approved a proposal to update the existing signage at 582 Roger Williams Ave., home to Ravinia Brewing Company, which is transitioning to Steep Ravine Brewing Company following a lawsuit settlement with Ravinia Festival, as previously reported by The Record.

A new, and now approved, sign will be internally illuminated and will feature the company’s new name and logo.

In project documents submitted to the city, Steep Ravine co-owner Jeff Hoobler said that in addition to the name change, the company is also requesting the new sign because it will be more visible to the public than the previous one.

The company’s previous sign faced visibility issues because a city lamp post carried light onto the sign, making it harder to read at night.

“This is in part because of materials chosen and in part because the light from the city lamp post washes out our sign and its light vs having the light strictly focused internally on the sign as we are requesting,” Hoobler said. “Our design for the new sign is done in an aesthetically pleasing (manner) to light the light evenly and be more visual to our clients.”

The new sign, which will go in the same location as the old one, is smaller in total area. It will be just under 30 square feet, officials said, noting the old sign was more than 54 feet in square area.

Co-founder Kris Walker told the commission during the meeting that the business is asking for the variance “in order to ensure that we’re getting that same strong street presence,” and “for us to continue to serve all of you wonderful people beer and tacos.”

The Plan and Design Commission was a decision-making body on this request, meaning no further approval is needed for Steep Ravine to move forward with the sign.

Ravinia Brewing Company began distributing beer in 2017 and opened its Highland Park taproom and taco bar in 2018.

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