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Sign board asks SmartQuest Academy to take three sign design options to council
Summary
The Southlake Sign Board voted 5-0 to require SmartQuest Academy (Suite 105, 280 Commerce Street) to present three sign options to City Council: a code-compliant option, a version with brown lettering changed to black, and the applicant's full-color design including a 31-inch logo.
The City of Southlake Sign Board voted 5-0 on Aug. 21, 2025, to send a sign-variance request for SmartQuest Academy (280 Commerce St., Suite 105) to City Council with instructions that the applicant present three design options.
Staff told the board the site is covered by a conditional sign permit that limits logo height to 18 inches, total sign area to 43.4 square feet and sign copy color to black. The applicant is requesting a logo height of 31 inches, a sign area of 100.41 square feet, and multi-colored lettering (brown, orange, green, yellow and blue). Staff presented two renderings: an applicant-preferred, full-color design and a second option that would comply with the conditional permit.
Elisa Cabriglione, identifying herself as a SmartQuest Academy representative, told the board the building owner requested the variance and said the colors were selected to make the preschool look “more preschool friendly and welcoming.” Cabriglione said the owner, Carla, “just liked those colors a lot.”
Board members debated three issues: logo height, sign area and sign color. Several members said they opposed setting a precedent by approving larger logos or bigger sign area, while others proposed a compromise. One commissioner recommended allowing the logo and color but keeping the copy in black so the signs remain visually consistent with neighboring tenants. Dr. Springer proposed a motion requiring the applicant to take three options to council: (1) a no-variance option that complies with the ordinance, (2) a version that changes the brown letters to black, and (3) the existing colored-letters design as submitted.
The board approved that motion 5-0. The board’s action sends the variance request and the three design options to City Council; the applicant will present the options at council for a final decision.
The board did not adopt a variance at the sign-board level; the vote directs the applicant to prepare the three versions for council review. Staff advised the board the west side of the building is not subject to the same conditional permit and may display different signs that already include color.
