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Commission denies request for two additional Dunkin' wall signs, split vote 3–2
Summary
A variance request to add two 25.7-square-foot wall signs to a Dunkin' at 1920 Eagle Drive was denied 3–2 after commissioners debated branding consistency versus the ordinance limit on wall signage area.
Cherokee County planning commissioners denied a request from a signage contractor for two additional wall signs at a proposed Dunkin' location at 1920 Eagle Drive by a 3–2 vote.
Staff explained that commercial lots in the general commercial (GC) district are allowed three signs total and that only one of the three may be a freestanding sign. The applicant already held permits for two wall signs (20.6 square feet each) and a monument sign; the new request sought two additional wall signs of 25.7 square feet each on the east and west elevations facing the drive-through and menu areas. Staff calculated total allowable wall-area signage as 1 square foot per lineal foot of wall (72 feet total wall length for the elevations in question) and said the proposed additional signage exceeded that allowance.
Denise Grama, a project manager for Index Sign Service, said the additional copy—branding lines such as “Woodstock runs on Dunkin'” and “Something Fresh is Always Brewing”—is consistent with Dunkin' franchise branding and improves the customer experience in the drive-through.
Commissioners split on the request. Some members said the interior, drive-through-facing signs support customer flow and brand consistency; others cited the ordinance's area limits and said the extra branded elements were not necessary to identify the business from Eagle Drive. Commissioner Ragsdale (Rexdale) and two others voted to deny; two commissioners voted against denial. The motion to deny passed 3–2. Minutes reflect that the two commissioners voting against denial said they favored the signage for aesthetic and branding reasons.
The denial means the applicant may proceed only with the previously permitted signs and the monument sign unless the applicant revises the design or seeks further relief.
