CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A city commission gave a thumbs-up Friday to a giant LED sign planned for the roof of Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cleveland Cavaliers hope to install the 360-by-90-foot sign by mid-May, in time for the NBA's Eastern Conference finals. The strip of LEDs will show the arena's name and, possibly, its logo, in a position designed to catch the eye of overhead cameras during nationally televised events.
Members of the Cleveland City Planning Commission unanimously approved the sign, though they placed one condition on the project - just to be careful. The image on the roof can only be the name of the building or its naming-rights sponsor, Quicken Loans. If the Cavs want to display other messages, they'll have to ask permission.
The sign will give the 22-year-old arena an overhead presence similar to AT&T Stadium in Dallas or the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Cavs will pay to erect and maintain the sign.
Dan Gilbert, the team's majority owner, is the founder and chairman of Detroit-based Quicken Loans.
The installation timeline dovetails with the start of a long-discussed roof-replacement project at the arena. Taxpayers will pay for the roughly $6.25 million roof project at the building, which is owned by a nonprofit and leased to the Cavs. Money for capital repairs is coming from funds generated by a countywide "sin tax" on cigarettes and alcohol.