{"id":11757,"date":"2024-03-22T17:09:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T17:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=11757"},"modified":"2025-01-09T14:40:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T14:40:05","slug":"atlas-sign-stopped-flashing-colors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/03\/22\/atlas-sign-stopped-flashing-colors\/","title":{"rendered":"An end to the technicolor chaos near Central Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11766 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/ATLAS-signs-1.jpg\" alt=\"ATLAS sign in multiple colors\" width=\"858\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/ATLAS-signs-1.jpg 858w, https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/ATLAS-signs-1-300x118.jpg 300w, https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/ATLAS-signs-1-768x302.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" \/>Crowning an 83-foot tall apartment building near Durham Central Park are massive block letters that proclaim the complex\u2019s name: ATLAS. Imagine the sun on steroids, and sealed within a sign.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ATLAS sign, which spans more than 20 feet, is powered by color-changing LEDs. Until last month, the sign flashed in several different colors, bringing a little spirit of Vegas to the corner of West Corporation Street and Rigsbee Avenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BLUE! &#8230;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0PURPLE! \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 ORANGE! \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 GREEN! \u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, the neon nightmare is coming to an end. City officials found out about the flashing colors, and on Feb. 27, warned the ATLAS owners that they were violating <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Durham\u2019s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The violation involves UDO Section 11.3.1, which requires a special use permit for signs in the downtown tier with \u201canimated, blinking, chasing, flashing, or moving effects, including sign faces that periodically change to show different images or messages.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The city had been clear from the beginning that the ATLAS sign could not bring its technicolor chaos into the neighborhood. The Durham City-County Planning Department originally rejected a proposed color-changing sign. Only a modified proposal for a sign \u201cwithout variable color\u201d was approved by Durham City Planner Keagan Sacripanti in October 2021. However, that didn\u2019t deter the owners from attempting the disco show.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 1-acre parcel at 614 Rigsbee Ave was formerly a used car lot. It quickly became just a flashier eyesore. The complex of micro-apartments opened in February 2022 as a way to provide more affordable housing. City officials thought that allowing higher density would be a way <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/indyweek.com\/news\/durham\/durham-expanded-housing-choices-single-family-housing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to stabilize home prices.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, the gaudy sign beacons Durhamites to consider leasing one of ATLAS\u2019s studio, or one- or two-bedroom apartments. Each of the complex\u2019s 171 units are designed with \u201cspace-saving\u201d in mind. $1,200 a month gets you 387 square feet. (\u201cAffordable\u201d housing!) For perspective, the sign covers nearly 78 square feet, about the size of renters\u2019 kitchens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked about the recent violation notice, ATLAS management declined to comment on the record.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The city\u2019s Feb. 27 warning letter to ATLAS \u2013 a \u201cCourtesy Notification of Ordinance Violation\u201d \u2013 said it must stop the lights from flashing or face fines up to $500 a day. When The 9th Street Journal checked this week, the sign was a steady green.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>At top, photos of the lighted signs from the City of Durham warning letter.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Crowning an 83-foot tall apartment building near Durham Central Park are massive block letters that proclaim the complex\u2019s name: ATLAS. Imagine the sun on steroids,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[88,95,379],"class_list":["post-11757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-government","tag-development","tag-downtown-durham","tag-housing","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>An end to the technicolor chaos near Central Park - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Flashing blue, purple, orange and green, the ATLAS sign brought a Vegas spirit to a Durham building \u2013 until city officials cried foul.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/03\/22\/atlas-sign-stopped-flashing-colors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An end to the technicolor chaos near Central Park - 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