Surprise council approves Assante Trails comprehensive sign program near Pat Tillman Boulevard

The Surprise City Council on Sept. 16 unanimously approved a comprehensive sign program for the Assante Trails Commerce Center, a mixed residential and commercial development at the southwest corner of Pat Tillman Boulevard and 160th Street (case FS24-1519).

Trevor, a city staff member, introduced the item, saying, “This item before you is a comprehensive sign program for a development known as Assante Trails.” The council’s vote adopted the program subject to stipulations A and B in the staff report.

The program sets uniform design and construction standards for signage across two parcels within the Assante Planned Area Development (Assante PAD). The staff presentation said the program covers commercial wall and monument signs and residential entry monuments, and that it may allow limited deviations from the city’s Land Development Ordinance (LDO) to achieve visual continuity between buildings and signs.

Under the approved program, small monument signs for commercial tenants would be limited to 30 inches in height or 6 square feet; the plan allows one Class 1 and one Class 2 minor monument sign per business in the commercial portion. No deviations were requested for wall signs, but the program places stricter limits on tenant logo size in multi-tenant buildings. The residential portion includes an entry monument near a private shared drive and two interior entry signs; the latter requested a one-square-foot increase over the standard size and a deviation related to the LDO’s four-foot clearance between adjacent roadways and the bottom of sign copy area. Staff said the exact roadway clearance distances are not yet known and will be finalized with future site plans.

Trevor said the comprehensive sign program establishes design standards and that specific sign locations and some internal directional signs will be addressed when individual buildings and tenant developments return for permits. He noted a neighborhood outreach meeting on June 23 at the Assante Public Library had two attendees who raised questions about internal directional signage; the applicant addressed those questions at the meeting.

Councilmember Nolan asked whether the two outreach participants were satisfied; staff said their questions concerned internal navigation and that the program sets standards and appearance but not the final placement of directional signs. Councilmember Haney pressed staff on traffic visibility and sign placement; planning staff said monument signs will be located outside site visibility triangles, meet the 150-foot separation requirement for monument signs and be limited in height to avoid blocking drivers’ sight lines.

The planning and zoning commission recommended approval on Sept. 4 subject to the same stipulations. The council motion to approve the comprehensive sign program was moved by Councilmember Haney, was seconded, and passed by a unanimous vote of those present: Mayor Sarter; Vice Mayor Hastings; Councilmembers Haney, Greenberg, Duffy, Melton and Judd.

No other related actions were taken at the meeting. Future permit applications for individual buildings and tenants will define the precise locations and sizes of internal directional signs and finalize any installation details required by the approved program.