10:30 p.m.: Huge signs for Nestlé, Hoosier Park

March 25, 2008 10:30 pm

— A 45-foot tall, three-dimensional replica of the Nestlé NesQuik rabbit leaning against a 40-foot-tall glass of chocolate milk might be the signature mark of Anderson.
The Anderson Plan Commission approved an ordinance Tuesday that would enable large companies, such as Nestlé, to use icon signage in the city.
Nestlé was the first to make such a request, wanting the structure along Interstate 69.
Michael Widing, director of building and planning for the Department of Municipal Development, said companies like Nestlé often embrace their logos and symbols. The use of such structures could be used as an incentive for economic development, he said.
“Besides Nestlé, (the Department of) Economic Development sees this as a tool to be able to offer icon-type signage,” he said.
In a 6-1 vote, members of the commission approved an ordinance that sets several standards for icon-based structures. Jesse Wilkerson, chairman of the commission, was the only person present to vote against the ordinance. Joe Newman left the meeting early for medical reasons and did not participate in the vote, and Greg Spencer did not attend the meeting.
Signs along the interstate must be approved by the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Board of Zoning Appeals before they are constructed. The ordinance Widing proposed will go before Anderson City Council.
At the same meeting, Hoosier Park proposed a Las Vegas-style sign that would include flashing lights and video screens to also sit on Interstate 69. The sign was included in a different ordinance because of its massive size and design.
The 85-foot tall sign would also be a landmark for Anderson along the interstate. The sign was part of an incentive package for Hoosier Park as it adds a casino to the horse-racing track and builds a much larger facility. Hoosier Park would pay for the sign and the land it sits on, but it needs approval from the city to build it.
The sign is not in compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan, which was approved in 2005.
Hoosier Park hoped to have the sign ready for the opening of its casino in June.
“When we cast this thing out, this will stand out,” Wilkerson said.
Rick Moore, general manager of racing at Hoosier Park, said the sign would express the kind of establishment Hoosier Park will be.
“When you see that sign, it’s going to say, ‘I have arrived,’” Moore said. “To me, that’s a great statement. It makes a statement about Anderson.”
Wilkerson said he still had reservations about the kind of statement both the Hoosier Park sign and the Nestlé sign would make about the city. He voted against the ordinance that would allow Hoosier Park to construct the sign and was the only dissenting vote.
Wilkerson said both would become symbols of the community and would make a statement about Anderson. He made an example of the large statue of Paul Bunyan that stands tall outside of Timbers in Muncie on Indiana 32.
“I think gateways to the community are very, very important,” he said. “I think we still are identifying the things that we want to see happen in this community.”
The Hoosier Park sign must also be approved by INDOT and the Board of Zoning Appeals before it goes to Anderson City Council.

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