The Greenwood Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 13 denied three variance requests for directional and monument signs at 6822 N. U.S. 31 submitted on behalf of Grace Assembly of God (rebranding to Grace House).

Tom Hopkins, who said he represented the petitioner through Science Solutions, explained the church sought larger directional signs and a monument sign without the ordinance-required stone base to match a campus rebrand. Hopkins said the client preferred the larger signs for aesthetics and argued larger signs can be easier to read.

City planning staff recommended denial of all three variances, stating the requests did not meet the statutory practical-difficulty standard and that the proposed sizes exceeded code without demonstrated hardship. Board members questioned whether petitioner evidence met the requirements for a variance.

After deliberation, the board voted to deny all three requests, each vote 5-0:
• Deny variance to allow directional sign up to 3 feet in height (requested larger) — motion to deny carried 5-0.
• Deny variance to allow directional sign to exceed 6 square feet — motion to deny carried 5-0.
• Deny variance to allow monument sign without required stone base — motion to deny carried 5-0.

The board directed corporation counsel to draft findings of fact reflecting the denials for petition ECA2025-035; counsel will return those findings for formal adoption at the next meeting.

Why it matters: The denials uphold the size and construction standards in the Unified Development Ordinance and require the petitioner to either redesign signs to conform to code or to prepare stronger evidence of practical difficulty before seeking another variance.