UnityPoint Hospital – formerly Trinity at Terrace Park – wants to take Bettendorf's ordinance allowing temporary advertising banners to a whole new level.
The hospital would use its building essentially as a two-sided billboard for a year if the Bettendorf Board of Adjustment gives its approval to variances of the city's mobile sign ordinance. The variances will be considered by the board at its Thursday (April 10) meeting.
(Editor Note: The UnityPoint Hospital variance was removed from the Board of Adjustment April agenda at the request of the hospital.)
The hospital wants to mount two 300-square-foot banners on the two sides of its building facing Interstate 74. City ordinance limits a company to one banner, 32 square feet in size. The hospital also wants to keep the "temporary" banners up for a year. City ordinance limits the display of such banners to 60 days.
While city staff isn't objecting to the increased size of the banners or allowing two, rather than one, banners because of the sight distance to I-74 traffic, is does have concerns about the length of displaying the non-conforming banner advertising.
"While staff understands the applicant's position on this issue, staff is also concerned with the precedent this could set for other future temporary sign request," city planners said in the report to the board.
The banners would tout the hospital's selection by Truven Health Analytics as one of its top 100 hospitals nationwide.
