The New King County Planning Commission voted 10–0 with one abstention on Sept. 15 to forward Resolution PC17-25 with a favorable recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, recommending an exception to Commerce Corridor overlay sign limits for a proposed Wawa convenience store and fueling station at Stage Road and Route 33 in Lenexa. The motion was made by Commissioner Susan Townsend.

Commission staff presented the application and recommended approval. Patrick Silva, principal planner with the Department of Community Development’s Planning Division, told commissioners the applicant seeks an exception to Section 98-10-69(b)(3) of the county code, which limits freestanding signs for individual uses within the Commerce Corridor overlay to no more than 50 square feet in area and 8 feet in height. "The applicant is requesting an exception from this requirement in order to allow the proposed sign to instead include an area of 84.5 square feet and 25 feet in sign height," Silva said, adding that staff found the request meets the findings required in Section 98-10-71.

Why it matters: The Commerce Corridor overlay is intended to regulate design and signage along main commercial corridors; permitting larger freestanding signs inside the overlay can affect the corridor's visual character and the practical visibility of businesses sited close to a major road.

Staff told the commission the parcel lies within the Commerce Corridor overlay (which extends about 500 feet from Route 33) and that, under the underlying economic opportunity (EO) zoning, freestanding signs up to 150 square feet and 25 feet high would normally be allowed. Silva summarized staff’s view that a sign with an 84.5-square-foot face and 25-foot height is appropriate for this site because the building will not be visible from a long distance on Route 33 and larger signage would "improve site visibility for customers traveling on Route 33 and allow them more time to safely prepare to enter the site." Silva also noted similar nearby stations, including an adjacent BP, have signs of comparable height and area.

Robbie Lester, real estate representative for Wawa in Virginia, spoke for the applicant. Explaining a feature of the proposed site, Lester said, "Essentially, it's just a pickup window" when asked to describe the store's proposed "fly-through" pickup concept for online orders.

Commissioners asked whether the proposed approval would allow additional freestanding signs on the property and whether the sign could later be used to advertise a different tenant. Silva said the approval would preclude any additional freestanding signs at the site and that any later change to the sign's area or use would require another exception process.

Several commissioners raised broader policy concerns about the overlay district. Commissioner Michael LaRochelle and others noted a pattern of exceptions over time and asked how repeated approvals could affect achieving the overlay’s design intent. Silva and commissioners agreed the overlay may warrant review during the county’s forthcoming development ordinance rewrite, and staff said they plan to track exception frequency as part of that effort.

Formal action: Commissioner Townsend moved to adopt Resolution PC17-25 to forward the exception request made by Alex Wells on behalf of C Store Developers LLC to the Board of Supervisors with a favorable recommendation. The roll call recorded Miss Townsend (Aye), Miss Johnson (Aye), Mr. Moyer (Abstain), Miss Thomas (Aye), Mr. LaRochelle (Aye), Dr. Schmidt (Aye), Mr. Bennett (Aye), Ms. Rose (Aye), Reverend Hathaway (Aye), and Mr. Davis (Aye). The motion carried.

Context and limits: The commission’s favorable recommendation does not itself change the county code. The transcript record shows staff relied on the exception findings in Section 98-10-71 and compared the request to the underlying EO zoning and nearby existing signs. The commission did not adopt any code amendment; commissioners indicated they will consider overlay changes as part of the larger ordinance rewrite process.

Next steps: The recommendation will go to the New King County Board of Supervisors for final action; any future change to the permitted sign area, height or content would require another exception or ordinance amendment, according to staff.