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Bentonville board approves five sign variances for Walmart campus
Summary
The Bentonville Board of Adjustment voted 5-0 to approve five variances allowing larger and taller signage at the Walmart corporate campus, with staff-recommended conditions. The variances cover one projecting logo sign and multiple monument signs intended for identification and visitor interaction.
The Bentonville Board of Adjustment on March 12 approved five variances allowing larger and taller signs at the Walmart corporate campus, voting 5-0 to grant exceptions to the city's sign height and area rules.
A city planning staff member told the board that “the applicant's variance request comes from section 801.15 of the zoning code,” and summarized five requested exceptions for projecting and monument signs that exceed maximum height and area limits.
The variances cover: a projecting Walmart logo sign proposed at 60 square feet where the code allows 32 square feet; a “Welcome to Walmart” monument sign proposed at 12 feet in height where the maximum is 8 feet and an area of 504 square feet where the limit is 60 square feet; a second monument badge sign proposed at 10 feet in height where the limit is 8 feet and 145 square feet in area where the limit is 60 square feet. The staff report recommended approval with conditions and noted the board may attach conditions to the variances.
Bill Watkins, an attorney in Rogers representing Hotel Ventures Bentonville LLC and the applicant, said the campus "is really a unique environment, and it's obviously unlike anything else in Bentonville," arguing the scale and experiential goals of the campus were not anticipated by the sign code. Watkins said the signs are meant to identify campus entrances and provide interactive photo opportunities for visitors.
Watkins also described one badge sign as a digital display that will cycle employees' names, and told the board the applicant will comply with the city's requirement that digital displays maintain an eight-second dwell time.
Board members asked about locations and pedestrian safety; the applicant and staff identified proposed sign locations near Eighth Street and MLK and at Eighth and J. Board members noted the signs are within the campus and said visitors likely would park in guest parking or service lots rather than stopping in traffic to interact with the signs.
A board member moved to approve the five variances with the conditions in the staff report; another board member seconded. The roll call vote was Bennett — yes; Phillips — yes; Rutherford — yes; Johnson — yes; Barrington — yes. The motion carried 5-0.
The board also received an update under old business that a previously considered welcome-center sign was later approved administratively after the applicant and staff adjusted side heights from eight feet to seven feet.
The board's approval includes the conditions listed in the staff report; the staff report and the city's zoning code section 801.15 specify the legal basis for the variance review.
Notes: The applicant is Hotel Ventures Bentonville LLC; the campus and several proposed signs were described in the staff packet. Specific permit numbers and any future administrative approvals were not specified at the meeting.
