Dallas arts-district panel approves consolidation and expansion of sign-district boundaries

On June 17, 2025, the Arts District Advisory Committee voted unanimously to approve staff-recommended amendments to expand and consolidate the Dallas Art District Sign District to include portions of the downtown special provision sign district (including the Chase Tower subdistrict and a portion of the central business district) and to fold the Art District extension area into a single sign district aligned with the Art District Connect master plan (approved by resolution 510290 on Jan. 27, 2021).

The change is intended to simplify multiple overlapping sign subdistricts, give consistent standards for signage near cultural institutions and commercial corridors, and protect pedestrian safety by excluding new kiosks from the Art District, staff said. Committee members and outside counsel also discussed how a separately managed public-works kiosk contract could affect implementation on public rights of way.

Oscar Aguilera, a city staff member presenting the application (SBHC 189, national 10), summarized the proposal and the district history, saying the amendment would “incorporate all these particular areas into this” and recommending approval. Aguilera described how Plan Development District (PD) 145 and PD 708, earlier ordinances and subsequent amendments, relate to the proposed boundary changes and to the Art District Connect master plan.

Staff materials cited economic context for the district, saying the arts district contributes about $341,000,000 in expenditures and supports about 6,000 jobs (citing Americans for the Arts/EAP, Feb. 2023). The amendment would consolidate the existing Art District sign-district subdistricts, absorb parts of the downtown SPSD that include the Chase Tower subdistrict and portions of the general CBD subdistrict, and simplify the code language affecting restaurants, façades and sign placement.

Victoria (Jackson Walker), speaking for outside counsel, said the provision on digital cultural-institution signs is intended to “memorialize what exists in the district already, and just sort of uniformly define those and identify where those signs are already in place.” She added that the provision is not intended to permit additional digital cultural-institution signs beyond those already present.

Committee members raised pedestrian-safety concerns tied to freestanding kiosks and “barrel” signs. Staff said the proposed ordinance explicitly excludes kiosks from the Arts District and that existing barrel signs are being addressed under a separate vendor contract; however, staff and counsel cautioned that kiosks placed on public rights of way are governed by Public Works contracts and may be outside the permitting scope of the SPSD code. One committee member noted that while the ordinance can prohibit new kiosks within the SPSD, removal or placement of signs on public property is controlled by the city’s public-works contract.

The committee discussed outreach and stakeholder engagement; Aguilera said staff held one stakeholder meeting at the museum and that he could provide an attendee list by email. Commissioner questions also addressed whether consolidated rules would create new signage allowances; staff and counsel said most existing protections and façade limitations were retained in the revised ordinance and that the primary substantive change would be simplifying subdistrict boundaries and enabling selective commercial activation on Ross Avenue with limits to prevent clutter.

Commissioner Kingston moved to approve the staff recommendation; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Jennifer (last name not specified in the transcript). The committee conducted a roll-call vote and the motion passed unanimously.

The committee had no further business and adjourned at about 11:40 a.m.