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Board of Adjustment approves two monument signs at reduced heights for Wawa in Highland Park
Summary
After a quasi‑judicial hearing, the Board of Adjustment approved a variance allowing two monument signs for the Wawa at Highland Park to accommodate FDOT access changes; the board reduced the company's requested height on State Road 26 and approved an 18‑foot sign (instead of 23') and an 8‑foot sign at the rear, voting 3–2.
The Board of Adjustment voted 3–2 on Nov. 24 to grant a sign variance for a proposed Wawa at the Highland Park planned development, allowing two monument signs but reducing the highway‑fronting sign to 18 feet and approving an 8‑foot sign on the rear frontage road.
Staff explained that the Highland Park PD currently permits a single multi‑tenant sign and that Florida Administrative Code requires fuel retailers to display current prices legibly to motorists. The intersection redesign mandated by FDOT, staff said, routes some inbound traffic to a rear frontage road; the applicant argued that a second monument sign on the rear approach is necessary for fuel‑price transparency and safe access.
Anthony Kachuk, representing Solid Rock Property Group (Wawa applicant), said FDOT’s access configuration makes it difficult for some westbound motorists to see a single State Road 26 sign and that 'meeting that standard necessitates the proposed placement and sign size of both signs' to comply with state legibility and safety requirements. The applicant offered a smaller alternative after discussion; the applicant’s sign vendor explained Wawa’s national signage standards but confirmed that an 18‑foot design was possible if landscaping and sightlines were coordinated.
After discussion about consistency with other fuel‑station signs, landscaping, and PD design, the board voted 3–2 to adopt a motion approving an 18‑foot sign along State Road 26 and an 8‑foot sign on the rear frontage road. The meeting record shows Board Member Coleman voted aye and Board Member Menon voted no; the final tally was 3–2.
What happens next: Staff will incorporate the approved sign sizes into the permit documents and continue work on a PD amendment to provide a consistent approach for signage across Highland Park.
