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Middletown board approves 35-foot Chick‑fil‑A pylon sign at Culbertson Road site
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved an area and dimensional variance allowing a 35‑foot, 150‑square‑foot pylon sign for a new Chick‑fil‑A at 6465 Culbertson Road, exceeding B‑2 district limits of 10 feet and 80 square feet. The board cited site topography and visibility from State Route 122; the vote was unanimous among members present.
The Middletown Board of Zoning Appeals on Aug. 6 approved an area and dimensional variance allowing a 35‑foot‑tall, 150‑square‑foot pylon sign for a new Chick‑fil‑A at 6465 Culbertson Road, exceeding the B‑2 Community Business District limits of 10 feet in height and 80 square feet in area. The board voted to approve the variance after a staff presentation and comments from the applicant’s representative.
Board members and staff said the request stemmed from the site’s topography and the sign’s visibility from adjacent State Route 122. That road sits at a higher elevation than the Chick‑fil‑A parcel, and staff said the lower site grade would make a 10‑foot ground sign difficult to see from the arterial.
“The sign height shall be measured from the base of the sign immediately fronting Culbertson Road to the highest point of the sign message,” Planning staff member Miss Savage read from the Middletown Development Code during the presentation, describing how the city measures freestanding sign height. City counsel John Roach told the board the code’s measurement provisions include any portion of a structure elevating a sign: “A pole or a base elevating the sign is a part of the sign height under the code,” Roach said.
Greg Monig of Wolpert, representing the applicant, told the board that the originally approved monument sign would be difficult to see from State Route 122 and that the pylon sign would improve wayfinding for motorists. “I think it’s pretty obvious when you get out there that it’s gonna be difficult to see from 01/22,” Monig said. He added that the changeable‑message portion of the sign is intended primarily for customers approaching the store, not for drivers on the expressway.
Miss Savage’s staff report cited Middletown Development Code section 12.20.05 for measurements and table 12‑20‑2 for maximum sign area and height in the B‑2 district. The staff report said legal notices were mailed to adjacent property owners and that no public comments had been received before the hearing. During the meeting one nearby business representative and board members spoke in favor of the variance, saying visibility from the highway and adjoining expressway ramps supported a taller sign.
A motion to approve the variance was made and seconded; the board approved the motion by roll call with all members present voting yes. The board’s approval replaces the monument sign previously approved in October 2024 with the proposed 35‑foot pylon and retains building signage described in the application.
The board did not adopt any additional conditions beyond the variance approval. The decision can be appealed according to the time limits and appeals process outlined in the development code.
