Commission discusses I‑90 signage overlay; board approves 50‑foot sign variance for Les Schwab

The City of Brandon commissioners spent substantial time discussing whether to create an interstate overlay district to standardize sign size and height requirements near the I‑90 interchange and then considered a variance request by Les Schwab Tire Centers to increase a freestanding sign height from 30 feet to 50 feet for a lot on East Martin Place.

Planning staff explained that an overlay district would be an additional layer of regulations applied over underlying zoning to allow the city to modify rules — for example, sign height, illumination, or spacing — for a defined set of lots near the interstate. Commissioners asked how an overlay might be bounded geographically (options included the Brandon 90 Plaza, hotels near the interchange, and parcels west of Highway 11) and whether the district should use a fixed height allowance or a formula that accounts for grade changes between parcels and the interstate.

“We had not a lot of consensus on whether there should be an overlay district,” said a planning staff member summarizing stakeholder meetings. Developers and property owners including Marwan Hoefer of Brandon 90 Plaza urged a solution so tenants would have sufficient interstate visibility. Hoefer said his partnership needs visibility “to draw people off the interstate” and supported the timing of a possible overlay.

Commissioners and staff noted a roughly 38‑foot grade difference between the I‑90 interchange and the subject lots; the change in elevation was cited repeatedly as the key factor behind Les Schwab’s variance request. Planning staff said the overlay process would typically take 60 to 90 days to prepare and then additional weeks for public hearings and council readings; conservatively, adopting an overlay could extend into late spring or early summer if the schedule aligned.

During the Board of Adjustment hearing the applicant requested a sign height variance for 1324 East Martin Place (future Les Schwab location) to raise the maximum freestanding sign height from the code limit of 30 feet to 50 feet. The applicant and representatives argued the grade difference and existing tall utility poles create a unique physical circumstance on the lot that makes a strict 30‑foot limit effectively render a freestanding sign unreadable from westbound I‑90 traffic.

Planning staff outlined the variance standard the board must apply: an unnecessary hardship tied to a unique physical condition of the property, not owner convenience. Board member Brooke Snow moved to approve the variance, stating the hardship was the lot’s position below the interchange which would make a code‑compliant sign unviewable from one direction of interstate traffic. The motion passed in roll call.

Board members discussed possible conditions to limit light spill toward residential areas that border parts of Brandon 90 Plaza and asked staff to bring overlay options with numerical height/size proposals back to the commission for further consideration. Staff said they would return with recommended dimensions and a proposed geographic boundary for an I‑90 overlay.

Votes and formal action - Board of Adjustment: Approved variance to allow a freestanding sign height of 50 feet for lot at 1324 East Martin Place (Les Schwab), citing the site’s grade as the primary hardship justification; motion by Brooke Snow; roll call recorded affirmative votes (motion carried).

Ending: Commissioners instructed staff to draft overlay language and numeric options for size/height and to return to planning and zoning for additional public hearings; the variance decision applies to this lot but commissioners noted future requests could be handled either by variance or by the creation of an overlay district.