The city Urban Design Commission discussed signs both in and outside of a proposed Target store at Hilldale Mall Wednesday. Other issues raised were traffic lanes, the width of the sidewalk and the plaza entrance to the store.
The committee was primarily concerned with a wall mural on the front entrance of the store. Target proposed the idea of using the entry wall for placing a large graphic, yet the committee viewed it as a billboard and pressed the limiting of its size.
""We don't want the logo of Target jumping out from the sign, rather, we want an actual design portrayed,"" committee member Jay Ferm said.
Target representatives and committee members discussed the importance of the sign, coming to an agreement that the graphic will reflect the ""prevalent family definition in graphics.""
Monument signs directing customers to the store were also criticized.
""The signs are too close to the sidewalk and too big,"" Ferm said. ""We don't want them to interfere with pedestrians.""
The proposal set forth by Target was eventually approved under certain conditions: Target must make their crosswalks bigger and provide access ramps to all of the bike areas. The monument signs will likely receive their final decision in an upcoming meeting.
The committee also discussed the demolition of existing structures along 430-432 W. Dayton St. and replacing them with a two-unit apartment building. The floor plan of the new building currently includes five bedrooms, a garage stall, bike storage and a balcony.
The committee concluded with initial approval of the site, pending a final approval because the site has not yet presented all necessary materials to the committee.
