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Board of Adjustments approves variance for larger freestanding sign at 1603 U.S. Highway 181
Summary
The Board of Adjustments voted unanimously to approve a variance to the Unified Development Ordinance allowing Al Willeford Chevrolet to increase a freestanding corridor sign to 225 square feet and 47 feet, 6 inches in height, citing obstructed visibility from a recent ramp construction; staff recommended approval and no public comments were received.
The Board of Adjustments voted unanimously to approve a variance to Section 7.12.C.4 of the Unified Development Ordinance that allows Al Willeford Chevrolet to increase the area of an existing freestanding corridor sign at 1603 U.S. Highway 181 to 225 square feet and 47 feet, 6 inches in height.
Staff told the board that, after evaluating the three-part variance criteria, visibility of the existing sign is impeded for northbound traffic following construction of a southbound flyover ramp and recommended approval. Staff also told members that notice of the hearing was published in the newspaper on October 24 and mailed by certified mail to about 11 adjacent property owners on October 18, and that no written comments had been received.
An applicant representative presented sight-line calculations and a marketing study, saying the ramp construction reduced visibility from the northbound lanes and that a 225-square-foot sign would improve exposure while remaining below the 50-foot height allowed by right. The applicant said the current sign height is approximately 37 feet and requested the larger area to offset obstruction from the ramp. "By increasing the square footage, I think we'll get the visibility and the exposure that we're looking for," the applicant representative said.
Staff explained the variance review is a three-tier process. The board first voted that at least one Tier 1 circumstance applied, then voted that none of the Tier 2 prohibited effects would result if the variance were granted, and finally affirmed that all six Tier 3 criteria were met. After those findings, a motion to adopt staff’s recommendation to approve the variance passed on a unanimous vote.
Transcript text contained inconsistent figures for the existing sign area: at one point the packet and staff summary describe the existing freestanding sign as 145 square feet, while another passage in the record reports the existing sign area as 45 square feet. The board record shows the staff recommendation and motion to approve despite that inconsistency in the transcript.
The board closed the public hearing at 06:20 after noting no members of the public spoke during the hearing. The motion approving the variance was made and seconded, passed unanimously, and the board adjourned at 06:25.
