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LDRC approves definition changes to treat big-box retailers like shopping centers for sign limits
Summary
The commission approved privately initiated amendments adding definitions for "big box retailer" and "shopping center" so big-box stores will be regulated the same way shopping centers are under the county's sign code.
The Marion County Land Development Regulation Commission voted to approve privately initiated amendments to the county's Land Development Code that add definitions for "big box retailer" and "shopping center" and apply shopping-center signage rules to those large single-occupancy stores.
Attorney Jessica Iserman of Stearns Weaver Miller, representing the applicant On Top of the World Communities, told the commission the change addresses a longstanding mismatch in the sign code: single-occupancy buildings are limited to a maximum wall sign of 96 square feet under current code, while shopping centers receive signage based on frontage (1.75 square feet per linear foot) with no explicit maximum. "We're just trying to treat big box retailers the same way as shopping centers," Iserman said, noting modern big-box stores often contain multiple departments and function similarly to shopping centers.
Iserman used national examples to show how existing single-occupancy limits can be unworkable: "To give you some perspective... the minimum parking size spot in Marion County is a 162 square feet," she said, contrasting that with the 96-square-foot limit for single-occupancy building signage. The proposed change does not alter the formula for shopping centers; it simply allows similarly sized single-occupancy retailers to be regulated on that basis.
Staff reported no objection to the definitions at the LDRC level. After opening for public comment on both the definitions and a related sign-code amendment, the commission closed public comment and approved the two related items. A motion to "approve as presented" carried; commissioners voted to forward the recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for the formal public-hearing process.
Ending: The change is a procedural, code-definition adjustment meant to align sign allowances with the scale and function of modern large-format retailers. The BOCC will receive the LDRC recommendation for its public hearings and final action.
