BZA approves larger LED display for State Farmers Market sign on Charleston Highway

The Lexington County Board of Zoning Appeals on May 1, 2025, approved a variance permitting the State Farmers Market to increase the changeable-copy area of its commercial center sign from 60 square feet to approximately 95 square feet at the market entrance on Charleston Highway.

Walt McPherson, zoning administrator for Lexington County, presented variance 05-25 and told the board the parcel is zoned ID (Intensive Development) and sits along Charleston Highway, which the county’s landscape and open-space ordinance designates as Scenic Corridor 3. McPherson said the request follows a site relocation of the market entrance tied to construction of a new DNR headquarters and related driveway realignments.

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) and sign contractor representatives said the larger electronic display will let the market convey event information and emergency messages more effectively. Aaron Wood, assistant commissioner at the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, said the sign “would be used to advertise events, that’s hours and people who rent our facilities, the big sheds that we have at the farmers market, the market tenants, and the businesses and the public safety messages,” and added that the improved aspect ratio and resolution should make messages easier to read and reduce distracted driving.

Brian Lawton of Diversified Signs and Graphics described the existing display as a narrow strip with aging components and said the project replaces failing technology with a higher-resolution screen and a more usable aspect ratio: “we were looking at ... making the sign more effective and increasing the usefulness of the sign,” he told the board. Aaron Wood said the market campus now houses multiple state agencies and roughly 1,000 additional people as a result of recent headquarters moves, increasing the need for clear on-site communications.

McPherson noted the site is one of the state’s three farmers markets and is the largest at approximately 174 acres; the campus contains facilities for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Education. He also noted the county maintains roads on the campus and that an MOU with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division provides for use of the market as a staging area in disasters.

The proposed sign is about 20 feet tall with an approximate 95-square-foot LED board. Staff said the sign structure and most dimensions meet ordinance standards; the variance request is specifically for the increase in changeable-copy square footage. Board members moved to approve the variance; Charles Kaufman, Debbie Heim, Kevin Eubanks, Chairman Keith Moore, Vice Chairman Bruce Innocenti and Travis Spainhour voted in favor and the motion passed.

Staff noted the sign has been installed except for the digital board component and that the applicant will return to install the board following the variance approval. The county will continue to address permitting details as required by the sign code.