Garland committee explores ways to preserve mid-century commercial signs; facade grant limits cited

The Garland Development Services Committee on March 17, 2025, discussed how to preserve several mid-century commercial signs, including the Beef House sign and the Ridgewood Shopping Center sign, and whether the city could use its facade improvement program to help restore them.

Staff summarized the city's criteria for historic sign designation: the sign must generally be at least 50 years old, retain the majority of its character-defining features, be architecturally and aesthetically representative of its period, and be structurally safe. "...it has to be architecturally and aesthetically representative of the period of construction that existed 50 years or prior," a staff member said. The staff member added the council can, with an affirmative vote of seven council members, declare a sign historic even if it is between 25 and 50 years old.

Committee members, led by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Tim Luck and Councilman Bass, expressed interest in preserving the Beef House and Ridgewood signs but said property owners and tenants have been unwilling to participate in matching grants. "I can tell you now that neither the tenant nor the property owner, would want to contribute to anything at all, which has kind of been the problem in that shopping center in the first place," one committee member said.

Staff and Andy (a staff member) discussed legal and code-compliance levers. Andy noted that if a sign is a legal nonconforming structure and is damaged beyond 60 percent, the code requires repair or removal, and without historic designation the repaired sign could be brought up to modern standards rather than restored to its historic appearance. "If it's legal nonconforming and it's damaged beyond 60%, they're required to fix it or remove it," Andy said.

The facade improvement program is a matching grant; staff said the program can fund sign work but requires participation by the property owner for matching funds. The committee asked staff to explore alternatives, including whether the city could act as applicant for historic designation, explore acquisition or preservation agreements, or establish an "arts display" or municipal collection for preserved signs.

What happens next: Staff will research legal mechanics for allowing the city to facilitate or sponsor applications, examine facade-grant flexibility, and report back with options to preserve historically significant signage. The committee did not adopt any designations or funding at this meeting.