The Midlothian City Council approved a specific-use permit on Tuesday to allow five internally lit monument signs at the Massey Heritage commercial development at the northeast corner of South Walnut Grove Road and FM 1387. The measure passed 4–3 after more than 40 minutes of public discussion and council questions about brightness and residential adjacency.

City planning staff presented the item as a request to change the lighting for five monument signs from externally floodlit fixtures to internally lit LED cabinets. Daniel Humbert, senior planner, told the council that the property is a 20.849-acre lot under construction and that staff’s packet noted the monument signs and the planning commission had recommended approval 5–0.

Developer Braden Norton, speaking for the applicant, said the change was requested by two anchor tenants, Tom Thumb and McDonald’s, to improve visibility and access. “There are only three access points into the center. So we want to make sure that we’re getting people off the roads and into the center as efficiently as possible,” Norton said, adding the proposal includes masonry walls, 50-foot setbacks and added landscaping along the residential edge.

Council discussion focused on how bright internally lit monument signs would be near homes. Staff explained the city’s comparative standard for electronic message boards is 500 nits and that, in their conversion, each proposed monument sign would create about 50 nits in aggregate (250 nits if combined). Staff said past code changes in 2017 moved the city away from illuminated signs but that internally lit signs have continued to be approved through planned developments and specific-use permits.

Some council members urged limits on brightness. The staff packet recommended a dimming requirement for the sign closest to residences — reducing LED output from 70% to 60% of the manufacturer’s maximum — but planning and zoning had recommended approval as proposed by the applicant. Councilwoman Hammonds moved to approve the applicant’s proposal as submitted; Councilman Weaver seconded. The motion passed 4–3.

Council members voting in favor said internally lit monument signs are common at nearby centers and that the project included setbacks, masonry walls and landscaping to buffer homes. Members who opposed said they were concerned about cumulative light spill into the adjacent neighborhood and asked staff to return with clearer numeric standards tied to nits and to consider an ordinance amendment for future cases.

The council did not add the 60% dimming condition in the final motion. Staff said it will provide clearer brightness conversions and recommended numeric language for future ordinance updates if the council wants enforceable thresholds.

The approved action allows the five internally lit monument signs to be installed as presented; the council did not adopt additional dimming or operational restrictions at Tuesday’s meeting.

Ending: The developer may proceed under the approved SUP; staff indicated it will follow up with a memorandum that translates the council’s brightness discussion into numeric guidance for future applications.