Eagle Nest, surrounding neighborhoods eye Lawrence North's proposed digital sign on Hague Road

(Editor's note: The date for the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting has been delayed until Sept. 16. A location has not yet been announced.)

Eagle Nest has joined other neighborhoods near Lawrence North High School in the discussion around a proposed 12-foot-tall sign with a flashing digital display that could be erected along Hague Road in front of the school.

Lawrence North, located at 7802 Hague Road, across the street from our Tanager Lane entrance. has requested a zoning variance. A hearing by the Board of Zoning Appeals, originally scheduled for Aug. 18, has been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, at a location to be determined. (Watch the blog and our Facebook page for an update on the location.)

The attorney representing Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township (MSDLT/ Lawrence North High School), Joe Calderon, will be present, along with City-County Councilors Nick Roberts and Dan Boots and leaders from surrounding neighborhoods, including Eagle Nest.

Size and location

The variance request, according to a filing with the Department of Metropolitan Development, is “to provide for the installation of a 12-foot-tall monument sign (five-foot height permitted) with digital display within 80 feet of a Protected District (digital display prohibited, 400 feet of separation required).”

The Eagle Nest Board has not been able to determine the exact location for the proposed sign, but documentation obtained by the Board indicates it could be located just south of our Tanager Lane entrance.

Signage restrictions

The petitioner has agreed to several sign use restrictions, including:

• No blinking, scrolling, flashing or video type messages.
• Only one static message from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. during weekdays.
• The sign would be turned off from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Messages would only be about Lawrence North or the MSDLT.

Binford Redevelopment and Growth (BRAG), an umbrella group for more than 30 neighborhood associations, has questioned aspects of the proposal but has not stated an official position.

“BRAG has traditionally not supported digital signage in any environment,” a statement from the group said. In addition, “The school is adjacent to a residential area/neighborhood.”

The Board of Zoning Appeals denied the same variance request in 2023, according to the Metropolitan Development filing, and the department’s staff has recommended against the variance again.

“The Ordinance permits monument signs in the SU-2 zoning district to be five (5) feet tall and 3% of the building side or 240 sq ft, whichever is lesser, in size,” the filing said. “The proposed sign will be 12 feet tall and 120 square feet in size.”

Digital displays are not permitted in the zoning district, the agency said.

Eagle Nest interest

Scott Thien, president of the Eagle Nest Board, said the neighborhood has an interest, partly because of the Eagle Nest residents who would live directly across the street from the proposed digital sign.

“Obviously, we support Lawrence North. We and other neighborhoods are looking at this to learn more about the specifics of this proposal and to see if there’s room for compromise, particularly when it comes to the size, functionality and location of the sign.”

See more information
Click here to see the following documents related to the project: artist's rendering, use conditions, DMD's rejection recommendation, sign petition, petitioner's rationale and the sign variance checklist.