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11 Mr. Lynch said he thinks the committee is a good idea. He said the economic development aspect is important, but he thinks we can also provide help getting other communities started, which he feels is part of the obligation of being a successful city. Dr. Brown asked that specifics of a committee be brought back to Council. Mr. O’Connell said that the Mayor of Pleven, Bulgaria will be here on Sunday, representatives of the travel industry are planning to be here from Poggio a Caiano, Italy in October, and there may be a visit from representative from Besançon, France in the fall as well. He said he thinks there is value in having relationships with other countries and it brings in the community. APPEAL : BAR DECISION RE: SIGNS FOR MELTING POT Ms. Mary Joy Scala, Planner in Neighborhood Development Services, explained that the BAR decision denying the wall sign for the Melting Pot Restaurant located in the Holsinger Building, which is a mixed used building, is being appealed to Council. She said that BAR found the sign, minus the logo, appropriate. She said that a comprehensive signage plan was also approved by the BAR for the Holsinger Building. Ms. Scala said the BAR found that the logo did not meet the zoning standards or the design guidelines and was not harmonious to the structure. She said logos are more appropriate for projecting signs. She said the proposal was also found to be incompatible with the nature of the historic district. She noted that there are existing signs with logos in the area. She said that staff recommends that the BAR decision be upheld. She said if Council overturns the BAR, it is recommended that the maximum size of the sign be 25 square feet. Mr. Caravati asked for a legal interpretation. Mr. Brown said that a case from the Virginia Supreme Court put such reviews in context when it ruled that a decision regarding replacement of a glass door in an historic district was arbitrary. He said in that situation, other doors in the area were similar to what was proposed, and there was no evidence about what kind of door the building originally had. He said standards listed by Ms. Scala have to be considered, but the presence of other signs in the area should also be taken into consideration. Responding to a question from Mr. Caravati, Ms. Scala said the size of the proposed sign was 35 – 40 square feet. Referring to a comment made about the pedestrian nature of the mall, Mr. Caravati noted that the sign in question is on Water Street. Ms. Scala said the cars on Water Street are not moving that fast. Mr. Allen Twedt of Holiday Signs, representing the Melting Pot, said that the only thing the BAR found offensive was the fondue pot, but it is a registered logo of the Melting Pot. He said other businesses in the area have logos on their signs and there is a lot of precedent in the area. He said there is not just pedestrian traffic. He said the BAR decisions seems arbitrary and it comes down to regulation of content which he does think the BAR can do. Responding to a question from Mr. Schilling, Mr. Twedt said he had been told by staff that signs are allowed to be one square foot for each linear foot of the business frontage. He said the BAR is saying that everyone at the Holsinger Building is getting 25 square feet. He said if the sign is smaller they will probably have to forego the lighting. He said the sign is the first impression of the restaurant people will have. Responding to a question from Mr. Caravati, Mr. Twedt said Melting Pot signs are not all the same.