Starbucks denied request for larger sign

Charles C. Labenz Arizona Daily Wildcat Starbucks' plastic banner with its logo waves in the wind while waiting for the approval of a permanent sign to be made. Tucson's Board of Adjustment denied Starbucks' request for an exception to install a larger sign than the law allows, due the building's age and historical city codes.

But the plastic banner that now marks Starbucks Coffee Co.'s newest location will be there for a while because Tucson's Board of Adjustment denied Starbucks' request Wednesday for an exception to install a larger sign than the law allows.

Starbucks, at 802 E. University Blvd., is housed in a historic building, which means the company must abide by a stiffer sign code because of the building's age.

The coffee shop wanted to mount a sign on the building with 12-inch lettering rather than one with the code's 8-inch maximum allowance.

The denial came after Starbucks failed to have a representative at the meeting to argue its side.

"If the applicants don't show, the board usually denies their request," said Arine Bertelsen, senior planner for the City of Tucson. "From a professional standpoint it didn't make much of a difference to us if they showed up or not because they were just going to get a denial - but it certainly doesn't help their case for the future."

Jeff Davis, public relations representative for Starbucks, said it is rare for the company to send representatives to city meetings.

"It's a huge company; we have real estate people who handle that," Davis said. "They don't go to every variance meeting, it's impossible to attend every meeting. We just wait for the city to make a decision and then either go along with it or appeal it."

Bertelsen said she assumed the company just gave up the fight to have the sign approved.

"We heard verbally that they (Starbucks) had rethought their request and were just going to meet the code, but since we've never received anything in writing we had to proceed with the case," she said.

"My guess, though we have not received any (written) communication from them (Starbucks) at all, is that they realized they were facing so much resistance over a few inches and the effort just wasn't worth it," Bertelsen added.

Davis said Starbucks will most likely settle for a sign with 8-inch lettering.