Board approves TD Bank alterations at 515 King Street with staff-recommended non-halo lighting

The Alexandria Board of Architectural Review on an administrative vote approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for alterations and signage for a new TD Bank location at 515 King Street, with the board imposing staff-recommended limits on sign illumination.

The approval covers three elements the applicant proposed: reducing a storefront double door to a single door for ADA clearance, installing an exterior-facing through-wall ATM, and installing two new storefront signs. Brian Giroux, an architect with Core States Group representing TD Bank, said the bank is relocating a short distance on King Street, downsizing its footprint and seeking to “condense it down from a pair of double doors to a single door” to address ADA requirements. Giroux also described the ATM as “24 hour” and said the applicant planned to reuse previously approved storefront products and finishes.

Board members/questions and staff focus centered on the proposed signage. Giroux said the applicant proposed two halo-lit signs but planned to use only “60% of the allowable signage” under the zoning ordinance’s frontage calculations. He described the proposed halo illumination as modest, saying it amounted to “only 671 lumens per square feet” (as stated by the applicant) and that the halo signs would match adjacent retailers and not protrude from the façade. The staff report, however, recommended externally mounted illumination rather than halo-lit signs on the King Street elevation.

Several board members agreed with staff. One board member noted inconsistent lighting treatments on the same building — citing the Tate Bakery’s externally lit sign and a nearby pet hospital’s halo-lit sign — and concluded that staff recommended external illumination specifically for the King Street elevation. Another board member asked whether the signs needed to be lit after business hours; Giroux replied the ATM will be used after hours and thus there will be activity at the frontage.

A motion to approve the staff recommendation (external illumination) passed; the board chair advised the applicant that the applicant could appeal the board’s decision to Alexandria City Council if it wished to pursue halo-lit signage instead.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed with the door modification, the through-wall ATM and externally illuminated signage consistent with staff conditions. The applicant was told the option to appeal the signage determination to the city council remained available.