Georgetown Board of Adjustment OKs sign variances and loading-space waiver for proposed Valvoline on Route 113

The Georgetown Board of Adjustment approved variances and a special exception to allow a Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 20859 DuPont Boulevard (Route 113), including a reduced front-yard setback for a freestanding (pylon) sign, permission for a second wall-mounted sign, and a waiver of the code-required loading space.

The approvals came after a presentation by David Hutt, a local attorney representing the applicant and the property owner, who described the site as a vacant, previously used car-wash parcel and said the owner and applicant — M and S Limited Partnership and Mid Atlantic Lubes LLC (Valvoline Instant Oil Change) — want to redevelop it as a three-bay Valvoline store. "It has been vacant for many years and unfortunately, because of that has deteriorated, become an eyesore of sorts," Hutt said during the presentation.

The board heard that the property is a small corner lot of about 18,000 square feet (roughly 0.4 acre) and that the proposed building footprint is 2,108 square feet. Hutt told the board the pylon sign would sit 19.2 feet from the right-of-way, 5.8 feet short of the town code's 25-foot front-yard setback for detached signs. He argued the short depth of the lot, required parking, stormwater needs and an access easement shared with the adjacent Advanced Auto Parts make meeting the setback impractical without moving parking in front of the building — contrary to the town's design preference that buildings face the road.

Randolph Kazazian, vice president of real estate for M and S Limited Partnership and Mid Atlantic Lubes, confirmed operational details in response to board questions: supply filters typically arrive via UPS and bulk oil is delivered by a regular-sized tanker. He said box trucks and UPS deliveries "fit readily into an ordinary parking place," supporting the applicant's request to waive the town's loading-space requirement.

Board members cited the corridor's existing commercial character — including nearby McDonald's and Advanced Auto Parts — and the applicant's representations that adjacent properties and a nearby single-family house would not be adversely affected. Member Klein moved to grant the first variance (reduction of the 25-foot front-yard setback to 19.2 feet for the detached sign), and the motion carried. The board likewise approved an increase from one allowed wall-mounted sign to two for the corner/tower faces and approved the special exception to waive the loading-space requirement.

Votes at a glance

- Variance: Reduce detached-sign front-yard setback from 25 feet to 19.2 feet (for proposed pylon sign) — Moved: Member Klein; Second: Board member (name not specified); Outcome: approved. - Variance: Allow two wall-mounted signs (increase from one) — Moved: Board member (name not specified); Second: Board member (name not specified); Outcome: approved. - Special exception: Waive the loading-space requirement (alternative relief to reduce size also discussed) — Moved: Board member (name not specified); Second: Board member (name not specified); Outcome: approved.

The board clarified that the approvals at this hearing address only the variances and the special exception; full site-plan review and building-permit processes remain. Town staff and the applicant said sign height and area will be reviewed for compliance at the site-plan or permitting stage; the applicant said it intends the pylon sign to conform to the town's height limits and estimated the sign area submitted is about 51.6 square feet but that final confirmation will occur during plan review. The applicant will next proceed to the planning commission for site-plan review before construction permits are issued.

The application packet and the applicant's presentation cited the town zoning code sections governing sign allowances and loading-space exceptions; the board invoked the code standards when making its findings that the variance criteria and special-exception standard were met.