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Covington board denies Walmart request to enlarge wall sign at Highway 190 store
Summary
The Board of Adjustments denied a variance that would have increased a Walmart wall sign from about 130 to 198 square feet. Walmart representative said the change was to align corporate branding and improve visibility behind tree canopy; commissioners cited neighborhood character and declining sign proliferation as key reasons for denial.
The Covington Board of Adjustments voted to deny a variance request from Walmart to increase an existing nonconforming wall sign from roughly 130.45 square feet to 198.26 square feet at the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 2800 North Highway 190.
Desiree Gutierrez, who gave a Bentonville, Arkansas business address, told commissioners the request aimed to update signage to Walmart's current standards and to improve visibility from Highway 190 where trees partly obscure the store: "We are bringing everything up to Walmart standards and... combining the Walmart neighborhood markets with the Walmart Supercenters," she said. Gutierrez also said the proposed new sign would read "Walmart Covington Market" to tie the store to the local community.
Commissioners questioned whether corporate branding and improved visibility constituted a hardship under the sign variance standards. Multiple commissioners said that motorists generally find large retailers and use GPS, and that the town and other jurisdictions were trending toward smaller signage. One commissioner who moved denial summarized the view that the applicant had not proven a hardship beyond conforming to corporate standards.
The motion to deny carried on roll call; the minutes record affirmative votes in favor of denial. The motion on the record is summarized as a request to deny the variance; roll call responses recorded "Yes" from the commissioners present and the request was denied.
Gutierrez said she was not aware of immediate plans to alter the gas-station canopy or to add large canopy signage at this site; she said the immediate project addressed wall signage. Staff had earlier noted the code allowed up to 120 square feet under the updated sign code, and that trees and distance to the highway were cited by the applicant as limiting visibility under the new calculation method.
Next steps: the denial maintains the current allowable sign size for the site; the applicant may revise and reapply if it chooses to pursue alternate signage that complies with the code.
