Applicants seek variance for 90-foot QuickStar sign at Brandon I‑90 Plaza; board pauses decision pending code changes

Owners of the Brandon I‑90 Plaza and representatives for QuickStar asked the Board of Adjustment for a variance to allow a 90‑foot freestanding sign with roughly 567 square feet of sign face and multiple freestanding signs at the plaza. Board members declined to grant or deny the request during the meeting while staff and applicants discussed pending zoning code changes that could address the same issues.

Marwan Hofer, owner of the Brandon I‑90 Plaza, said the proposed convenience store is the development’s “linchpin,” and that QuickStar is ready to proceed. “They bought three acres here. They closed here a month ago. QuickStar. They do great business,” Hofer said during the board hearing.

Project manager Matthew Lekki and QuickStar real‑estate representative Zach Poggle described the requested sign as larger and taller than typical city limits for General Business (GB). Patrick (city planning staff) told the board the planning office is drafting an interstate overlay district that would allow taller signs near the interstate; the draft overlay would allow heights up to 90 feet for lots within 1,400 feet of the interstate centerline but the overlay had not yet been adopted.

“Right now the maximum would still be 200 [square feet] per sign” under the city’s proposed General Business language, Patrick said, adding that the overlay process includes public hearings at Planning and Zoning and then readings at City Council. Staff warned that granting a variance before those code amendments are adopted could be perceived as setting a de facto policy and could draw public opposition at later readings.

Why it matters: The requested sign would materially exceed the city’s typical size limits and, if approved as a variance, could set a precedent for similar requests citywide absent the targeted interstate overlay. City staff described two parallel processes: (1) a variance for a single project and (2) a code amendment process to change sign height and number for the interstate corridor.

Board discussion and procedural notes - Staff timeline: Patrick said the planning commission public hearing on the interstate overlay was scheduled in mid/late summer and that, if the zoning amendment cleared city council readings and the required notice period, an effective date sometime in August–September was plausible. He cautioned that “amendments to the zoning code take a long time.” - Precedent concern: Several board members noted that a granted variance can be treated as a significant precedent if its circumstances are not tightly unique. One member observed that approving a variance now “becomes a standard citywide” unless the board limits the decision narrowly. - Evidence and measurements: Board members sought clarification about sign dimensions and the numeric display area (one commissioner noted the digits on the price sign read 8 feet 4 inches rather than 8 feet 10 inches, which affects area calculations). - Procedural options: Patrick reminded the board that it could approve the variance, approve with conditions, deny, or table the request; if denied the applicant could appeal to City Council within five working days.

Outcome and next steps The board did not grant the variance during the meeting. Staff recommended allowing the ordinance amendment process to proceed and then reassessing the variance request if the overlay or GB changes failed or did not resolve the applicants’ needs. Applicants emphasized construction timing and said QuickStar’s buildout timeline is quick; they warned that delays could affect construction scheduling.