Leander council hears business complaints on sign visibility; staff to ease promotional permit timing and outreach

Small-business owners told the Leander City Council on Aug. 7 that existing sign regulations limit their ability to reach customers along busy roadways, particularly Ronald Reagan Boulevard and U.S. Highway 183. After public testimony and a staff presentation, council directed staff to modify the promotional sign package timelines, improve outreach to businesses about new options, and investigate specific right-of-way placement questions.

Two business owners — Dino Balara of Chuck’s Burgers and Brandon Blevins (restaurant owner) — addressed the council during the public comment period for the sign-ordinance review. Balara told the council that current temporary and permanent sign allowances are “simply too small to be effective” on roadways with 60 mph speed limits and urged changes that reflect how drivers experience the city. Blevins used photographs to show how landscaping and existing pylon signs can obstruct visibility for tenants tucked behind larger retailer signs.

Executive Director of Development Services Robin Griffin summarized recent revisions to the sign ordinance, noting a major update in September 2023 and smaller changes in 2025 that added development signs, increased flexibility for white-background signs, allowed fence wraps, and modified building‑scribe requirements. Griffin said staff has also issued a sign guide to simplify the rules and improved permit review timelines; many permit applications are now approved on first review.

Griffin told the council that monument sign dimensions were increased by the 2023 update from 10 feet/60 square feet to 20 feet/120 square feet for newly constructed centers, with Gateway 29 being the first new commercial development that could take advantage of the larger monument allowance. Staff noted that existing signs do not automatically change size; a property owner would need to rebuild an older sign to benefit from the updated standard.

Among staff’s near-term recommendations, Griffin said she will: change the promotional sign package permit to a two‑year term so applicants do not lose months at the start of a permit cycle; consider increasing the number of promotional sign events from eight to 12 times per year; create more specific application categories in the city’s development portal to make submittal requirements clearer; and develop outreach materials to notify businesses about the updated regulations. Griffin also introduced a potential new “digital kiosk” sign type intended for pedestrian‑oriented shopping centers, not highway visibility.

Councilmembers and business owners discussed several recurring concerns: whether temporary banners can be placed closer to busy roadways, how sign spacing and proliferation would be managed, and how right-of-way and visibility-triangle rules apply. Multiple council members noted the need to balance business visibility with concerns about signage proliferation and public-safety sightlines.

Councilmember comments and public testimony produced several specific staff directions: revise the promotional sign-package permit duration and frequency; communicate ordinance changes broadly to business owners and landlords (including via development plan reviewers and business outreach); investigate any sign-right‑of‑way exceptions or historical easements (staff noted a documented settlement agreement for one existing location); and check whether specific denied or restricted sign placements were due to plan submittal or code-enforcement processes.

Griffin said staff will prepare the promotional-package revisions quickly, follow up on right-of-way cases raised by speakers, and return additional ordinance edits as needed. No ordinance change was adopted on the spot; council’s motions were limited to directing staff to prepare changes and outreach.