Applicant seeks larger wall sign for Big Bend Road car wash; hearing officer closes record

Sam Ball, a planner with Hillsborough County Development Services, told the land use hearing officer that the applicant seeks a variance to increase allowable building signage for a new car wash at 10763 Big Bend Road.

The applicant, Christopher Wicks of Global Sign & Awning, told the hearing the building’s north elevation measures about 38 feet and the east elevation 120 feet, giving a combined frontage of about 158 feet 10 inches. He said that, under the land development code formula cited by staff, that frontage would allow up to roughly 197 square feet of signage, and the company is proposing a 145.42-square-foot wall sign on the north elevation.

The applicant argued the building’s orientation — perpendicular to Big Bend Road with the tunnel exit along the narrowest frontage — created a hardship that justifies concentrating signage on the north elevation for visibility. Sam Ball confirmed to the hearing officer and applicant that the proposed sign is a wall sign attached to the building rather than a freestanding sign, and county staff noted the code caps aggregate signage at 200 square feet for a unit even when frontage would calculate higher.

No members of the public spoke in favor or opposition. The hearing officer closed the public hearing for this variance; the officer said she will file a written decision within 15 business days.

The record includes staff’s citation to the Hillsborough County Land Development Code maximum sign-area rules and the applicant’s measurements and hardship statement for visibility and orientation.