Argyle planning commission recommends denial of variance for two monument signs at Shops at Gateway

The Argyle Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 6 voted 3-1 to recommend that the Town Council deny a variance request to allow two multi-tenant monument signs for the Shops at Gateway, a retail development at 8131 Gateway Drive.

Commissioners heard staff presentation that the building, completed in 2024, contains nine occupied suites (the design accommodates 10) and that the town sign code allows one multi-tenant monument sign per street frontage under section 14.4.6.B. Harrison (staff member) told the commission the development’s proposed signs deviate from the town ordinance and that one monument sign as shown in the application would satisfy the tenant-panel need.

The applicant’s representative, Adam Crawford, said the development’s long frontage along FM 407 and visibility concerns motivated the request. “We really felt like the 2 monument signs… would help add to the overall aesthetic, the development for community as well,” Crawford said, and added the applicant would comply with landscaping, height and permitting requirements if the variance were granted.

Staff analysis and commission discussion focused on three points: (1) the sign ordinance’s limit of one multi-tenant monument sign per street frontage, (2) whether the proposed second sign would function as an off-premise sign or advertise businesses not on the property, and (3) whether the 10-panel sign the applicant proposed already accommodates tenant needs. Harrison noted that off-premise signs are not permitted under the code and questioned why a second sign was necessary when the first sign shows 10 tenant panels.

Commissioners debated options including approving as submitted, denying, or tabling the matter to allow the applicant to submit more detailed sign drawings and a clearer “rule book” for the variance. One commissioner said a table would let the applicant return with more specifics; another said the application lacked a demonstrated need for a second sign for a building with fewer than 10 tenants.

After discussion a commissioner moved to deny the variance request; the motion was seconded and passed 3-1. The commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to Town Council for final action at the council meeting on Aug. 18.

Votes at a glance: the commission recommended denial of the request for two multi-tenant monument signs for 8131 Gateway Drive; the motion passed 3-1.

What happens next: Town Council will take up the commission recommendation at its Aug. 18 meeting. If the applicant wishes to pursue two monument signs, staff and commission members suggested the applicant could return with a more detailed proposal (specific sign designs, landscape treatments, and a written variance “rule book”) or ask for a formal town-initiated interpretation about panel sizing and placement prior to a variance request.