Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Commercial Signage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Architectural Review Board approves Shake Shack signage with limits on illumination and placement
Summary
The board approved signage for Shake Shack at 621 King St. while discouraging internal illumination; the approval included staff recommendations, allowed the applicant flexibility to swap a blade sign for a wall sign, and added a friendly amendment requiring the blade sign be placed on the same facade plane as the Shake Shack storefront.
The Alexandria Architectural Review Board voted to approve a signage package for Shake Shack at 621 King Street, granting the applicant limited flexibility on sign type while endorsing staff recommendations that avoid internally illuminated signs.
Applicant representative Jesse Amador described the proposed signs and emphasized brand standards, saying the blade sign would be "a solid aluminum cabinet" with routed copy and a warm diffused LED backer so "you get a warm color... and then we put vinyl on the face of the copy." Board staff noted concerns about internally illuminated projection signs and recommended targeted external illumination instead; the boarddiscussion repeatedly circled to whether a blade (projection) sign should be internally lit or use external spot/halo lighting.
Board members raised size, placement, and redundancy concerns. One member pointed to dimensional details (applicant noted a logo height of about 10 inches and text at about 14 inches) and questioned whether the rendering incorrectly located the blade sign on an adjacent bay; the applicant acknowledged a placement error in the rendering and agreed to move the blade sign "closer to the storefront" to lie on the same plane as the Shake Shack leasehold.
A motion to approve the application with staff recommendations passed; the motion included a friendly amendment to require the blade sign be mounted on the facade plane of the Shake Shack storefront rather than appearing on the neighboring bay in the rendering. The board also noted staff preference against internal illumination and preferred external spot or gooseneck lighting if illumination is needed. The applicant was referred to Ms. Hellman and city planning staff for final compliance and stipulations.
The decision balances the applicantbrand placement needs with ARB staff guidance on signage illumination and historic district context.
