Wilmette committee supports update to Plaza del Lago’s sign ordinance

Wilmette Appearance Review commissioners on Nov. 4 gave their stamp of approval to a sign of what’s to come at Wilmette’s historic Plaza del Lago.

The commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of a request from WS Development, the company that owns Plaza del Lago, to amend the local sign ordinance at the noted shopping center.

In a communication sent to the village, representatives from WS Development say the proposed text amendments to the sign ordinance depart from a “space-by-space approach to signage criteria and instead regulates signage more cohesively throughout the center.”

A memo from Kate McManus, who is part of Wilmette’s community development department and the staff liaison for the board, adds that WS Development hopes to “clarify and streamline the signage options” throughout the center with the changes.

According to village documents, a local sign ordinance constitutes an agreement between “a defined commercial area and the Village of Wilmette that establishes specific sign standards for all businesses within that area.”

Wilmette currently has three local sign ordinances: Plaza del Lago, West Lake Plaza and Edens Plaza.

The recommended amendments identify types of signage and locations based on the separate buildings throughout the plaza while also detailing general standards that each sign must meet, per village documents.

During the Nov. 4 meeting, WS Development representatives presented commissioners with specifics on the three types of signs likely to be included in the plaza: identification, directional and directory signage.

According to the proposal, identification signage will be located at or near an entrance identifying the shopping center.

Directional signage relates to signs needed to guide people through the parking area as well as the arcade shops.

The commission’s recommendation for approval will head to the Village Board for a final vote later this year.

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