Ambler Savings Bank Redevelopment Gets OK, But Only One Gateway Sign Allowed

The gateway digital sign at Lindenwold Avenue and Butler Pike in Ambler will be no more when Ambler Savings Bank begins its construction of a new building, and instead will be posted on only one side of the bank.
Ambler Savings Bank representatives desired two gateway signs—in essence, taking each 32-square-foot side of the two-sided sign at Lindenwold and Butler, splitting it into two separate signs at the current dimensions, and installing one facing Lindenwold Avenue and Butler Pike and another facing its proposed parking lot.
However, Ambler Council voted 7-0 Tuesday night to keep the planning commission's recommendation for only one sign on one side of the new building, under a text amendment for Chapter 27 in the borough zoning ordinance, related to the bank redevelopment.
Council also voted 7-0 to approve the preliminary and final land development for Ambler Savings Bank.
Councilman Paul Dooley and Councilwoman Pat Strus were absent for the vote.
Council also opted to send the ordinance amendment back to the planning commission, in order to finalize any necessary details.
"Right now, we have a two-sided freestanding sign that gets traffic both ways at the intersection," said borough Manager Mary Aversa. "With the bank's new development, they are in a floodplain, and are not able to put a new sign in there at the corner."
Aversa said the planners reviewed the ordinance and did not recommend two signs on two sides of the bank.
"Council listened to it and agreed with the recommendation," she said. "The planning commission will make changes and council will advertise the ordinance to allow one sign on the building only on the intersection of Butler and Lindenwold. The planning commission is going back to make sure they cover everything and make sure no one can challenge it."
Ambler Savings Bank received the OK from council to turn its two buildings into one 28,000-square-foot, three-story headquarters at East Butler Pike and Lindenwold Avenue, near Race Street.
Early on in Tuesday's Ambler Council meeting, planning commission member Josh Kanaplue advised that the ordinance amendment is merely a rewrite of the commercial district for the bank.
"When the planning commission received the ordinance rewrite, it was asking for different things, like the way doors are oriented, fence heights, and gateway signs. There was a lot of minutae involved," Kanaplue said. "The issue was this is not changing text for the bank only; this is changing language for the entire district."  
Kanaplue said the new gateway large digital sign ordinance is very strict about where a business can and cannot put such a sign.
"The language is very clear: one sign is allowed within 1,000 feet of another," Kanaplue said. "We're talking two signs on one building, which is 250 feet wide. I don't understand why we have to change the entire zoning district to allow for that. I think it's excessive."
Solicitor Joseph Bresnan corrected Kanaplue: the gateway sign was a concept created in connection with signs that are allowed in Ambler.
"There is no separate gateway zoning," Bresnan said. "The way the ordinance is worded specifically allows it to be two sides—two sides are part of one sign. That's the reason why the bank needs relief, as it is now asking for two signs on two different sides of the building."  
Attorney Kate Harper, representing Ambler Savings Bank, said her client was hopeful that they would be allowed to take the existing gateway sign and split it into two signs.  
"The problem is, when they build the new building, the existing gateway sign won't fit," she said. "It's disappointing, I think, that the planning commission thought a one-sided sign was adequate. It will result in fewer messages reaching fewer people."
Harper is referring to the fact that nonprofits, churches, the Wissahickon Valley Public Library and even Ambler Borough use the gateway sign to convey community updates and emergency messages.
"People in Ambler have become used to it, looking up there and seeing when Oktoberfest is or if somebody's missing," Harper said. "Ambler Savings Bank wanted to find a way to continue to have the gateway sign in a different location."  
Ambler Savings Bank Chief Operating Officer Roger Zacharia said the digital sign does not brand the bank.
"It's a message board," he said. "If you limit it to one side, there's a significant population of community nonprofit charities that count on our sign to get the messages out. The sign has proved itself very valuable."
Ambler Police Chief Bill Foley said the police department has requested use of the sign many times to put out information on safety events in and around Ambler.
"My opinion is," Foley said, "if there is a situation where the sign is on one side or accessible to one side, you are losing 50 percent of the message."
Two weeks ago, residents and business owners spoke up in opposition to the development, especially as it relates to parking.
Ambler Savings Bank is increasing its size, and, per the borough ordinance, not required to reciprocally increase its number of parking spaces.
Ambler Borough code requires three parking spaces per teller—and that takes into account the teller, the employees, and the customers. At six tellers, that is 18 parking spaces. However, according to Harper two weeks ago, the bank will be providing 39 spaces. Harper also said there would be a total of 35 employees when said and done.