Homewood BZA approves larger illuminated signs for two restaurants at 195 Oxmoor Road

The Homewood Board of Zoning Adjustment on a special-called March 2025 meeting approved variances for two illuminated wall signs at 195 Oxmoor Road, allowing El Barrio (Suite 113) and Paramount (Suite 101) larger signage than the staff notice indicated, and imposing a proffer that alleyway signage not exceed 67 square feet.

The approvals matter because the building has limited options for storefront identification: board and applicants said ground signage is not allowed at the site, leaving wall signs as the only practical way to identify the new restaurants for passing motorists and customers.

Don Hawes, representing the applicant from Signage Sign Company, told the board the El Barrio sign application asked for a sign 48 inches high by 61.25 inches wide — roughly 20 square feet — and flagged a discrepancy between the ordinance dimensions and the public notice. “So we are asking for the El Barrio sign ... which is 20 square feet,” Hawes said. Tom Walker, the project owner, said a 6-square-foot sign required by the paperwork would be “a really small sign” for the 50-foot-high façade and for a 10,000-square-foot building footprint, and that the applicants had reduced an earlier, larger request in consultation with city staff.

Jeff Locker, who identified himself as one of El Barrio’s owners, said the requested sign was intended to provide unobtrusive wayfinding and to identify the business without being “gaudy.” “We’re not trying to make it loud and boisterous,” Locker said. He added the design element known to the tenant as the “guitar man” is part of El Barrio’s brand and that the tenant had not proposed removing the logo element.

On the Paramount side (Suite 101), applicants described channel (front-lit) letters with a white LED outline and internally illuminated elements. The applicants said the lighting would use a warm-white 3,000-K installation and described the illumination as a glow rather than a high-intensity, directional light.

During review, staff and board members discussed alternate approaches — for example, whether a text-only sign without the logo would meet tenant branding needs — and clarified allowed secondary signage types. City staff said the site may have alley-passage signage that could be larger but that, as presented to staff during pre-application meetings, the applicants agreed to limit such signs to the 67-square-foot design shown to staff. The applicants indicated they did not intend to paint the entire side of the building and that any painted or alternate signs beyond what was approved would require a new application or new tenant review.

The board voted to approve both cases with the same proffer limiting alleyway signage to 67 square feet as presented to city staff. Case SV-25-03-01 (195 Oxmoor Road, Suite 113; El Barrio) was approved (Gere — yes; Hand — yes; Johnson — yes; Nieves — yes; Childs — yes). Case SV-25-03-02 (195 Oxmoor Road, Suite 101; Paramount) was approved (Armstead — yes; Hand — yes; Johnson — yes; Nieves — yes; Childs — yes).

The board instructed the applicants to coordinate next steps with city staff; the meeting record lists Emily Harris Miller as the city contact to proceed with permitting and inspections.

Votes at a glance

- SV-25-03-01, 195 Oxmoor Road, Suite 113 (El Barrio) — Parts A, B, C: Approved. Vote: Gere, Hand, Johnson, Nieves, Childs — all yes. Proffer: alleyway signage will not exceed 67 square feet as presented to city staff.

- SV-25-03-02, 195 Oxmoor Road, Suite 101 (Paramount) — Parts A, B, C: Approved. Vote: Armstead, Hand, Johnson, Nieves, Childs — all yes. Proffer: alleyway signage will not exceed 67 square feet as presented to city staff.

Contact and next steps

The board’s announcement said applicants should contact Emily Harris Miller for permitting instructions and final sign-permit procedures. The approvals include the conditions and size limits presented to staff during the pre-application review; any materially different signage or a different tenant requesting a different design will require additional review or a new application.