ARB approves Wellington Green Building A expansion and limited signage deviations with design controls

The Village of Wellington Architectural Review Board approved petition 2025-0025-ARB for an expansion and exterior modifications to Building A (the former Office Depot) at the Plaza at Wellington Green, including allowance for additional secondary signage on the east elevation facing State Road 7, subject to design conditions.

Planning staff, represented by Damien Newell, said the overall multi-use planned development (MUPDE) is about 10.25 acres and that Building A would increase from 15,986 square feet to 18,480 square feet as the developer encloses an existing screened loading area to create a medical office and multiple north-facing retail tenant spaces. Staff said ARB approval was required for proposed elevation changes, materials, colors and wall signs for multiple tenant spaces.

Applicant Michael Rem (JBL) and architect Bob Webber (MWA Architecture) described the plan to repurpose the Office Depot footprint into three north-facing retail suites and a medical office in the former loading-dock area, add storefront glass and aluminum canopies, update the color/material palette to neutral tans with stone accents, and reconfigure parking. Rem said two tenants were under contract, including a medical-office operator (identified in the meeting as Tenet Healthcare) and Yoga Joint as the middle retail tenant; another retail space remained unleased at the time of the hearing.

The central discussion concerned a requested deviation to permit secondary wall signage for tenants that do not have a rear or side elevation visible to State Road 7. Under current code staff said secondary signs are limited (staff noted that a secondary sign is limited to 50% of the principal sign). The applicant asked to relocate one tenant’s existing west-side secondary sign to the east facade and to add one additional secondary sign for the center tenant (Yoga Joint), which otherwise lacks a side or rear wall entitlement.

Board members expressed support for the architectural updates but concern about setting signage precedent and the visual effect of multiple tenant logos on a single facade. The board and applicant reached agreement on conditions intended to standardize appearance: secondary signs along the east elevation must be uniform in color and illumination and be halo/back-lit (white illumination at night), with a contrasting border (black or bronze) for daytime contrast; sign sizes remain limited by code (secondary sign maximums already in the approval). The applicant offered to provide sign design schematics to staff for final review to ensure a consistent look. The board also discussed landscaping along SR 7 to reduce visual clutter and noted the applicant’s commitment to refresh site landscaping.

A motion to approve 2025-0025-ARB “as presented and on staff’s recommendations,” with the added east-elevation sign uniformity and halo-lit/contrasting-border condition, was made and seconded; the motion carried (vote tally not specified in the transcript). The approval included staff-recommended conditions for elevations, materials and signage.

The board’s action allows the building expansion and the limited sign deviations to proceed under the stated design controls; staff will finalize the signage color/illumination details with the applicant before sign permits are issued.