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Board approves larger monument sign for new Arby’s at 2223 North Verity Parkway
Summary
The Board granted an area and dimensional variance allowing a 15-foot-tall, 88-square-foot monument sign for a planned Arby’s at 2223 North Verity Parkway, citing surrounding commercial context.
The Middletown Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance allowing a taller, larger monument sign for a proposed Arby’s at 2223 North Verity Parkway.
City planning staff described the request as an area and dimensional variance because the B-2 Community Business District limits freestanding signs on lots with 0–150 feet of frontage to a maximum of 8 feet in height and 50 square feet in area (table 12-20-2). The applicant asked to install a monument sign 15 feet tall and 88 square feet in area for the new location.
An applicant representative, Justin Scalp, who identified himself as the sign installer and the applicant’s representative, told the board the lot configuration and the applicant’s desire for sign logo and changeable copy drove the proposed dimensions. Scalp noted nearby established commercial signs are often taller and called the sign design “the newest product from Arby’s.” He said the sign would use backlit stationary letters rather than an LED display and that the opaque sign background would limit outward light.
Board members considered the prevalence of larger, grandfathered signs on the Verity Parkway commercial corridor and whether denying the variance would place the new Arby’s at a competitive visibility disadvantage. One member said the proposed monument sign was preferable to a taller pole sign; another suggested eliminating the text panel to meet the code if members preferred a smaller footprint. After discussion, a member moved to approve the variance citing review criteria tied to the commercial context and the minimum relief needed to permit reasonable use of the lot. The motion passed on roll call: Thomas Evans — yes; Jerry Heidenreich — no; AJ Mintel — yes; Gary Gross — yes; Stefan Wanamaker — yes; David Cash — yes.
The variance (case 24-25) permits the applicant to install the proposed monument sign; staff noted administrative adjustments could allow modest increases without variance but not to the level requested. The approval recorded the board’s reliance on the commercial corridor context and the size/shape of the lot in its rationale.
The applicant indicated no members of the public appeared in opposition at the hearing.
