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Record of Proceedings

Design Review Meeting - April 28, 2026: Approval of Blade Sign for The Vault on Main

City CouncilTuesday, April 28, 2026
BodyEvansville, Indiana
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good morning everyone.

0:02

We'll go ahead and call this design review meeting for April the 28th to order.

0:10

There's only one item in the downtown district and that's a submission by Ross Murder.

0:20

I believe Ross is in the audience for us if you'd like to come up and state your business and tell us a little bit about it.

0:43

Here today I've just uh submitted a site uh excuse me, sign permit application through the city process and then part of that process is this committee design review committee to review kind of the the redevelopment district um and so uh submitted the blade sign on the main street side of the building is what I'm looking for approval for today.

1:09

So happy to answer any specific questions about the sign itself, um timeline process, um I guess I can just jump into the timeline of when it the install would be this summer.

1:22

So is it double sided?

1:26

Yes.

1:26

And all the I guess only in one location, yeah.

1:29

Yep.

1:30

Not a limited.

1:31

It is eliminated.

1:32

Um the letters are in t internally eliminated.

1:35

So it's an aluminum frame, aluminum faces, the vault word is a channel letter with internal elimination.

1:45

Um the on main portion is not illuminated but cut out of the aluminum with acrylic backing.

2:03

I have a uh general question about the uh pro the whole project on a whole.

2:08

Um so how many um retail stores will you have on ground level?

2:14

So there's roughly 4700 square feet.

2:18

I think that can be divided into two, potentially three, but probably two spaces max.

2:24

Um it could be a single space depending on the end user interests.

2:28

Okay.

2:29

Um when will when do you think those will come online to be able to be you know?

2:37

The retail the retail part?

2:38

Yeah.

2:39

Um so the building will be finished this summer and it it wouldn't be before that.

2:43

And so I from my experience, prospective tenants don't want to, you know, commit to a project until they know when they can open, and so yeah, that probably would really start this late summer fall if I had a guess.

2:58

Okay.

2:59

I mean it markets dependent on what you know who the protective tenants are and their timing.

3:05

Um and then that's a space, is it geared towards any certain kind of tenant, or is it just general retail?

3:14

Uh it's general retail.

3:15

I mean it it's whatever I mean.

3:17

I think the zoning is pretty broad here.

3:19

Um the downtown district zoning that is, I think it's C2.

3:24

So whatever falls into that category would be allowed by right.

3:28

Um it is there's a space for a feature grease trap, grease interceptor, grease trap.

3:35

Okay.

3:35

Could be a restaurant, could be an office.

3:37

Um kind of letting the market dictate, you know, the needs of potential business owners.

3:45

So you did have the foresight to do the grease trap.

3:48

That's right.

3:48

So it's not installed, but there's a place for it.

3:51

There it's installed, but it won't it's not usable until a tenant, I think, through the city process.

4:00

A tenant, an end user tenant has to apply to actually be able to use it.

4:03

So it's a good thing.

4:04

Taps it or something like that.

4:05

Okay.

4:05

It's in the ground and it's there waiting for someone to come and operating permit to use it.

4:12

Good.

4:13

Okay.

4:14

And then just you know, pass along that whenever those tenants come, whatever signage they have, you know, they'll have to do this process as well.

4:22

Yep, definitely.

4:23

Um and then just by way, the vault on main.com is a website that exists uh today.

4:30

It's sort of a temporary version of the page until next week the full live version will be out there.

4:36

Okay.

4:36

Um that's mainly towards the residential piece.

4:39

There won't be any information about the retail spot on that particular website.

4:43

Okay.

4:44

And I I think the the blade sign, it it looks nice.

4:50

Um at the location of it.

4:53

Um it's fine where it's on the building.

4:57

Um and and so the construction of it is is fine.

5:00

I I personally I think it's fine.

5:02

I like it.

5:05

How many things?

5:06

Um 161 residential units.

5:10

Did this the the name the vault refers to the apartment complex?

5:14

Yeah, it's the the that's right.

5:16

It's sort of the the whole project as a whole name.

5:20

Um but yes, also the apartments as well.

5:23

Okay.

5:24

Um and if if when you get commercial tenants in the in the space uh below will where where will their signs go and what will that be?

5:33

Probably there so there's a canopy that'll that's along Main Street as well.

5:38

It's already part of what's being built now, I suppose, and I don't know the permitting process, but they can probably put letters on that canopy, possibly.

5:49

I don't I don't know all the rules for that particular uh use.

5:52

You can see the canopy on the on the drawing on there.

5:55

Um also there they may have a potential to brick mount signage on the building pending proper approvals.

6:03

That's what I would envision.

6:05

Well, it's it's I mean it looks like the you know the scale and the size of a sign and the style of a sign that it is for the whole complex.

6:12

We wouldn't want I wouldn't want to see a bunch of on each corner of the building.

6:16

So there will definitely only be one blade sign just because of the structural steel support that's already there.

6:23

Another blade sign I can certainly tell you will not be possible.

6:26

Yeah.

6:27

Not built in.

6:28

Yeah.

6:29

Okay.

6:29

And and the hatching area, the the cross hatching, yep.

6:32

Um the the darker brown behind the word vault.

6:35

Um that's that's just aluminum.

6:37

It's aluminum.

6:38

That's correct.

6:39

Okay.

6:39

And and there's quite a there's some detailing on it, which I think looks kind of nice and gives it.

6:44

It looks modern enough to be real in this day and age, but it also gives it some style, and I I'm just wondering we're gonna get all that.

6:52

Yeah, yeah.

6:52

That as you see it here is what is as soon as we get through the permitting process, we'll go into fabrication, and this is this is what I expect.

7:01

And it's all aluminum and so on.

7:03

Uh yep, but steel support into the building and the inside, but the sign itself is aluminum.

7:19

And let me ask one further question.

7:22

The this the graphic that we have, the word vault um the letters appear to be kind of a cream color, not a not a bright white.

7:32

Is that what you're is is it gonna be.

7:35

I the which I think makes it look kind of rich and nice.

7:38

Yeah.

7:38

Uh is it is it gonna be is it gonna be that color or they call it a it's uh it's a brass color.

7:44

Okay.

7:44

Um it's not shiny metallic like a brass, but it's more of a matte color, I don't know if that's the right word to say it, but it's in it's intended yeah, it well it's intended to sort of match the building itself.

7:59

It the idea isn't to make it look color scheme um to match the building.

8:06

It I know it does appear on this version uh maybe more of like the cream color, like you said.

8:14

But I hope it is, because I think that looks nice.

8:17

I'm I'm just glad it's not a message board, so that's right.

8:20

It yep, it doesn't it won't move.

8:26

You got it, yeah.

8:27

I saw that.

8:28

Okay.

8:29

Thanks.

8:38

Any more questions, anybody?

8:42

Um with that, can I get a motion to approve uh the vault on main sign at 424 Main Street?

8:52

I'll make a motion to approve this afternoon.

8:54

I'll second okay.

8:56

Um all in favor or um with none opposed, uh your project's approved.

9:03

I've got a release for you to sign.

9:06

And uh this will go to area plan and build, or is it just a big part?

9:15

I think there's I got a there's a right-of-way permit, the city engineer's office as well.

9:20

Yeah.

9:21

Yeah.

9:22

Thank you for your time today.

9:42

The meeting is adjourned.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Summary of Proceedings

Design Review Meeting - April 28, 2026

The Design Review Committee met on April 28, 2026, to consider a single item: a sign permit application for a blade sign at 424 Main Street, part of The Vault on Main mixed-use development. The project sponsor, Ross Murder, presented the proposal, and the committee unanimously approved the sign.

Discussion Items

  • Ross Murder submitted a sign permit application for a double-sided blade sign on the Main Street side of the building. The sign is aluminum with internally illuminated channel letters for "VAULT" and non-illuminated cutout letters for "ON MAIN" with acrylic backing. Installation is planned for summer 2026.
  • Committee members asked about the retail spaces on the ground level (approximately 4,700 square feet, divisible into 2–3 spaces, likely 2). Retail tenants are expected to come online in late summer or fall 2026, depending on market demand. The space includes a pre-installed grease trap for potential restaurant use.
  • Questions about future tenant signage: Mr. Murder noted that tenant signs would be subject to a separate permit process, potentially on the canopy or brick-mounted. The blade sign is the only one possible due to structural steel support.
  • The sign's color is a matte brass, intended to match the building's color scheme, not a bright white or message board. The committee expressed satisfaction with the design.

Key Outcomes

  • A motion to approve the blade sign for The Vault on Main at 424 Main Street was made, seconded, and carried unanimously with no opposition. The approval is subject to a right-of-way permit from the city engineer's office.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning everyone. We'll go ahead and call this design review meeting for April the 28th to order. There's only one item in the downtown district and that's a submission by Ross Murder. I believe Ross is in the audience for us if you'd like to come up and state your business and tell us a little bit about it. Here today I've just uh submitted a site uh excuse me, sign permit application through the city process and then part of that process is this committee design review committee to review kind of the the redevelopment district um and so uh submitted the blade sign on the main street side of the building is what I'm looking for approval for today. So happy to answer any specific questions about the sign itself, um timeline process, um I guess I can just jump into the timeline of when it the install would be this summer. So is it double sided? Yes. And all the I guess only in one location, yeah. Yep. Not a limited. It is eliminated. Um the letters are in t internally eliminated. So it's an aluminum frame, aluminum faces, the vault word is a channel letter with internal elimination. Um the on main portion is not illuminated but cut out of the aluminum with acrylic backing. I have a uh general question about the uh pro the whole project on a whole. Um so how many um retail stores will you have on ground level? So there's roughly 4700 square feet. I think that can be divided into two, potentially three, but probably two spaces max. Um it could be a single space depending on the end user interests. Okay. Um when will when do you think those will come online to be able to be you know? The retail the retail part? Yeah. Um so the building will be finished this summer and it it wouldn't be before that. And so I from my experience, prospective tenants don't want to, you know, commit to a project until they know when they can open, and so yeah, that probably would really start this late summer fall if I had a guess. Okay. I mean it markets dependent on what you know who the protective tenants are and their timing. Um and then that's a space, is it geared towards any certain kind of tenant, or is it just general retail? Uh it's general retail. I mean it it's whatever I mean. I think the zoning is pretty broad here. Um the downtown district zoning that is, I think it's C2. So whatever falls into that category would be allowed by right. Um it is there's a space for a feature grease trap, grease interceptor, grease trap. Okay. Could be a restaurant, could be an office. Um kind of letting the market dictate, you know, the needs of potential business owners. So you did have the foresight to do the grease trap. That's right. So it's not installed, but there's a place for it. There it's installed, but it won't it's not usable until a tenant, I think, through the city process. A tenant, an end user tenant has to apply to actually be able to use it. So it's a good thing. Taps it or something like that. Okay. It's in the ground and it's there waiting for someone to come and operating permit to use it. Good. Okay. And then just you know, pass along that whenever those tenants come, whatever signage they have, you know, they'll have to do this process as well.

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