Skyscraper owners can supersize signs

Raleigh eases rule for corporate digs

RALEIGH -- Add giant corporate signs to the list of new sights on Raleigh's skyline.

The City Council voted to relax rules Tuesday on signs that top buildings higher than 200 feet -- a move that lets its new skyscraper-dwellers spell their names in towering letters.

So picture the sign on Progress Energy's fin-shaped top more than doubled in size.

For City Council member Philip Isley, it makes sense that any business willing to spend that much money downtown should get to make a little splash.

The issue is more urgent now that big business is shifting back to Fayetteville Street, downtown's long-dormant center.

The sign over RBC Centura's new headquarters could reach 750 square feet -- 2.5 times the old cap of 300 square feet.

Now, Raleigh's tallest will get an extra 4.7 square feet of sign space for every foot the building stretches above 200 feet.

RBC Centura welcomed the chance to make its sign proportionate to the size of the building. "We want everyone to know that downtown Raleigh is RBC Centura's home," said CEO Scott Custer.

But to council member Thomas Crowder, who opposed the change along with fellow architect and council member Russ Stephenson, bigger signs mean more electronic clutter -- not to mention a competition for the flashiest display.

Crowder favored keeping the sign discussion alive in a smaller council committee, where it had spent a month.

"One of my favorite movies was 'Blade Runner,' But I wasn't fond of its streetscape," he said, referring to the robot drama's neon jungle.

He said everyone recognizes Charlotte's Bank of America building, with its spiny tower, without a single letter tacked on the side.

But Mayor Charles Meeker noted the signs are mostly invisible from the sidewalk. It takes a good distance to see them clearly, he said, and from there, they seem small by comparison.