Hamtramck Sign Variance

Hello Hamtramckans!

We are applying for a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals for a sign to be painted on the south-facing (Florian corner) of our building. The existing signage ordinance allows for just the business name and address or phone number. We are asking for the variance so that our sign can include a little bit more information about our business as well an image of a bicycle with our logo inside the wheel.

We have worked with Detroit Sign Painters to develop an attractive sign in line with the historic nature of Jos. Campau. We believe it will be an asset to the business district as well as provide Wheelhouse some visibility -- the trees in front of our building are awesome but can make us kind of hard to see from head-on. We also have no problem with signing a binding agreement with the city and/or our (supportive) landlord specifying our responsibility for removal of the signage if we were to move out of our current location.

The hearing is set for July 5, and we are reaching out to Hamtramck residents, workers and business owners to sign a petition so that we can demonstrate public support for the sign. 

The petition can be found HERE.

A mock-up of the sign painted on the side of our building:

Nice, right?

This photo shows the trees blocking (in a good way!) our front facade:

Trees, you are making signage kinda difficult, but we promise we love you.

If you are a zoning nerd, the ordinance can be found HERE (pages 77 to 88 are relevant). We have spoken with the city inspector and city planner in preparation for the hearing and so that we can be sure that we understand the ordinance. If you have any questions whatsoever, do not hesitate to reach out to Wheelhouse's owner, Kelli Kavanaugh at kelli@wheelhousedetroit.com. She is very responsive to email. 

We really appreciate your consideration of support. We love Hamtramck and only want to see it get even better!