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Commission advances draft to allow taller interstate-facing signs, defers measurement details
Summary
Commissioners supported raising the allowable freestanding sign height near Interstate 90 from 30 feet to 90 feet in a draft overlay, but deferred a decision about how to measure height (street elevation vs. lot elevation) and asked staff to codify measurement methodology in the standard signage section.
The Brandon Planning Commission reviewed a draft amendment to the interstate signage overlay that would permit freestanding signs up to 90 feet tall within 1,400 feet of the Interstate 90 centerline. Commissioners signaled support for increasing the height limit from current standards but did not finalize how sign height should be measured — from the adjacent street elevation, the property-line grade, or the lot yard where the sign is placed.
Staff explained choices and concerns: measuring from the street provides a consistent baseline and limits attempts to create artificial mounds on private lots to gain extra height, while measuring from the lot yard better reflects the sign’s actual placement and topography at the sign location. Commissioners noted examples where large retaining mounds or ramping interstate grades could produce inconsistent or unfair results and asked staff to adopt a single, consistent measurement method in the standard signage section rather than within the overlay itself.
The draft sets a 90-foot height limit for freestanding signs in the overlay, keeps the current per-sign area cap (200 square feet) under discussion, and contemplates limiting the number and placement of freestanding signs per frontage. Commissioners asked staff to return with alternative drafts and clarified that the overlay change should be coordinated with the general signage ordinance so that measurement methodology and square-footage rules are applied consistently citywide. Staff also noted a pending developer interest in a 90-foot sign for a convenience store and suggested moving forward with the overlay while finalizing the measurement standard in the signage section.
On nonconforming signage, commissioners directed staff to allow replacement of sign faces so long as the replacement face matches the existing sign’s size and dimensions and does not enlarge the structure. For freestanding signs, staff said the draft limits individual sign area to 200 square feet and uses frontage-based calculations to allocate total allowable sign area; commissioners asked staff to redraft the section to make caps and spacing clearer and to avoid clustered signs that would defeat the intent of visibility controls.
No final ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff will prepare revised drafts clarifying measurement, per-lot caps, spacing requirements and how the overlay interacts with the general signage rules.
