By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post
In Salina, art and murals have become a critical focus for many residents and businesses — either through bringing tourism to town or using artwork as signage for small establishments.
For Blacksmith Coffee Drive-Thru, the city sign ordinances place the small coffee shop in the C-4 District with only 60 square feet of signage capacity.
In a Facebook post from Blacksmith Coffee's landlord, Mike Sample, the business exceeds that by more than double due to its mural sign facing the street.
Molli Reilly, the manager at Blacksmith Coffee and daughter to the owners, John and Jill Esping from Lindsborg, said when they opened the drive-thru in Salina in April 2020, many customers had difficulty finding the location.
By June 2021, Reilly hired a local artist to paint some signage in large letters on the side of the building to attract new customers.
"It was huge — like night and day difference. People did not know we were here," Reilly said. "We had a sign on the street — a pole sign — but we'd have people come through all the time and be like, 'You guys don't have any signage. We didn't know you were here. You need to put signs up!'"
Reilly said before installing the mural, she did not understand the artwork would count as signage and only checked with Sample, the landlord, to okay the permanent change to the building.
This led to a citizen filing a complaint to the City of Salina, which then served a signage violation to Sample about Blacksmith Coffee.
City of Salina signage ordinances
In November 2023, Cozy Inn Hamburgers ran into a similar issue after beginning a signage mural on their small building, which led city staff to halt the artwork and evaluate sign ordinances.
READ MORE: Cozy Inn Hamburgers 'sign' put on hold pending city approval
The City of Salina then told the public that staff would not look for signage that violates the ordinance but instead wait for citizen complaints.
Blacksmith Coffee became the newest complaint in late December, with the city giving them until February 1 to alter the sign. Reilly said through conversations with staff — the city extended the deadline to look closer at what options the small building may have.
City of Salina Planner Dustin Herrs said city staff use Salina City Ordinances Chapter 42, Article X, Division 2 to regulate signage across town.
The ordinances cover multiple sections across town, and Blacksmith Coffee falls into the same commercial district as Cozy Inn Hamburgers.
Herrs explained that Salina's city ordinances on signage are similar to those of other cities comparable to Salina, and they aim to prevent "sign wars" between businesses.
"The thought process is you want to protect the aesthetic character of your community," Herrs said. "It comes down to what does the community want themselves to look like?"
Salina's city ordinances regarding signage are quantitative rather than qualitative, utilizing a mathematical formula to determine the maximum surface area of advertising allowed on or around a particular building.
The strict quantitative nature of the ordinances causes small buildings like Cozy Inn and Blacksmith to have a limited amount of signage space.
Lauren Driscoll, the City of Salina director of Community and Development Services, said due to that, city staff are utilizing outside expertise for future ordinance changes.
"We're trying to find that balance," Driscoll said. "When stuff gets contentious, it's nice to have a third party in the room."
Wendy Moeller, the principal and owner of Compass Point Planning, plans to assist the city by providing expertise around Midwest sign ordinances and what they may need for updates.
In mid-February, Driscoll said Moeller will meet with community stakeholders and city staff to discuss sign ordinances and advertising.
City development staff plan to ask Moeller questions about niche, small restaurants and establishments like Cozy Inn and Blacksmith Coffee, finding the balance for small buildings and their advertising needs.
"If you were to allow that kind of sign, would you keep the scale — if it's on the parking lot... [we're] looking for those real measurable things to influence the decision-making process," Driscoll said. "Rather than a gut feeling of just loving something."
According to Driscoll, she and city staff have prioritized reviewing city ordinances related to signage this year.