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Knoxville BZA accepts amended sign variance for Walker Springs Plaza after debate over interstate adjacency
Summary
The City Board of Zoning Appeals voted to accept an amended variance request that reduces the proposed secondary detached sign at Walker Springs Plaza from 30 feet/180 sq ft to 20 feet/165 sq ft; the board cited an ordinance interpretation about interstate-adjacent signage and asked the applicant to provide measurements and scaled drawings.
The City Board of Zoning Appeals voted to accept an amended variance request for a secondary detached sign at Walker Springs Plaza, reducing the applicant’s requested maximum height from 30 feet to 20 feet and the sign area from 180 square feet to 165 square feet.
The variance request, filed as VZA250057, prompted a lengthy staff presentation, testimony from the applicant and tenant representatives, and opposition from Scenic Knoxville. The board said an amended request consistent with the city’s interstate-adjacent signage rules would be more appropriate and voted in favor of the amended dimensions.
Lee Cowden, senior vice president of operations for BCU Properties, said the property owner is seeking larger secondary signage so new tenants—specifically a proposed Golden Corral—would be visible from I-40. “The impact that not having pylon signage on I 40 makes to their businesses. It's a huge draw attention to folks coming up and down the road,” Cowden told the board, describing the existing sign as dilapidated and damaged by vehicles.
Joyce Stout, president of Scenic Knoxville, read the sign code aloud and urged denial unless the applicant met the ordinance’s conditions for interstate-adjacent secondary signs. Stout cited the provision stating that on parcels adjacent to the interstate, a secondary detached sign located within 100 feet of the interstate right of way and oriented perpendicular or radial to the interstate is subject to the primary-detached sign maximums.
Board members and staff discussed whether Bridgestone Drive/Ridgetale Road between the property and the interstate should count as an intervening access road that defeats the “adjacent to the interstate” standard. Staff noted the ordinance defines “adjacent” as “immediately nearby and separated by nothing at the same or similar time,” and said an intervening street can mean the parcel is not adjacent. The board also asked the applicant to supply scaled drawings showing the sign location and exact distances to the interstate crown; staff said the calculation may use the highest interstate roadway surface to determine permitted height where applicable.
After discussion the board recommended—and a motion was made to accept—an amended variance aligning with the city’s interstate frontage allowance (20 feet tall and 165 square feet). The board voted in favor of the amended request. Members voting in favor: Amy Sherald (chair), Daniel Odo and Kimberly Black.
The board directed the applicant to provide a scale drawing and measurements showing the sign’s distance to the interstate crown and the final proposed location on the site; staff said it will follow up with the applicant by email to confirm details and whether the amended request meets measurement requirements under Article 13 and the sign code.
The BZA did not grant the originally requested 30-foot, 180-square-foot variance as presented; instead the board approved the amended request and requested additional documentation before final permitting. The applicant and staff agreed to exchange the required drawings and to confirm the measurement baseline used to determine sign height under the ordinance.
The board noted that approval was contingent on the amended request and documentation; any later change in location or dimensions could require a new variance or additional review.
