The Des Moines Zoning Board of Adjustment on Thursday denied a variance request for electronic canopy signage at the Maverick convenience store at 2110 Guthrie Avenue but granted a type‑2 zoning exception for non-electronic (static) canopy signs on each street frontage, voting unanimously 7–0.

Planning staff said the applicant, RRC Investments with operations by Maverick (represented in the application by Lonnie Meisner), sought to install 35.09-square-foot electronic, multi‑vision canopy displays on the west and east canopy walls; the east frontage application would have resulted in two canopy signs totaling 65.09 square feet where the code normally allows one canopy sign of up to 30 square feet.

"Electronic signage is not allowed on a canopy. It is not," staff said in the presentation, explaining that electronic, multi‑vision displays are permitted in other formats—such as monument signs or event‑center marquees—but the city's code restricts electronic displays on canopy faces because of character and glare concerns. Staff recommended denial of the variance for electronic signage but recommended a type‑2 zoning exception to permit the larger static canopy signs, provided the canopy signs remain non‑electronic and are installed by a licensed sign contractor with proper permits.

A neighbor who lives across Guthrie Avenue, Alana Sauters, testified in opposition and described the site lighting as already intrusive. "The current signage and lighting at Maverick in general is a nuisance. If additional signs and lighting are added... it still lights up my backyard," she said, asking the board to consider the effect on nearby residences.

Board members debated practical, safety and precedent questions. Several members said allowing electronic canopy signs could create a precedent that would invite similar requests for canopies citywide—the so-called "Pandora's box" effect—while others asked whether static, manually changed price displays present safety issues or operational impracticalities for the business. City legal staff reminded the board that variance relief requires a high showing that the property cannot yield a reasonable return absent the variance; staff said that standard had not been met for electronic canopy signage.

After discussion the board moved to deny the variance request for electronic multi‑vision canopy signage and to approve staff's type‑2 zoning exception allowing a single 35.09-square-foot non‑electronic canopy sign on the west frontage and one static canopy sign of the same size on the east frontage (in addition to an existing canopy sign), subject to standard permit and installation conditions. The motion carried 7–0.

The board's decision requires the signs to be non‑electronic and compliant with sign‑permit requirements; staff advised the applicant to obtain the necessary permits from the city's Permit and Development Center. Neighbors were reminded the board's action was limited to the zoning criteria; legislative changes to sign rules and separation distances for tobacco/vape uses were discussed separately and may affect future applications.