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Board tables U‑Haul request for 75‑foot pylon sign, asks staff to draft conditions
Summary
Spotsylvania supervisors tabled a special‑use permit request from U‑Haul for a 75‑foot pylon sign after staff recommended denial. The applicant argued the facility is not visible from the primary access road; the board asked staff to draft conditions addressing maintenance, lighting and decommissioning.
The Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on SUP 22001, an application from Americo Real Estate/U‑Haul to install a 75‑foot double‑sided pylon sign on a 3.661‑acre C‑3 parcel off Patriot Highway (addressed as 5801 Southpointe Center Boulevard).
Planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended denial. Staff found the proposal inconsistent with Spotsylvania County's sign regulations for parcels within 2,600 feet of an Interstate‑95 interchange, which generally cap freestanding sign height at 35 feet in that area and allow alternative by‑right signage (pole, roof or building facade signs) that could be combined. Staff said the proposed 75‑foot sign would have visual impacts inconsistent with the character of the area and could invite similar requests along the commercial park near I‑95.
The applicant's representative, Jay Morgan (Americo Real Estate), and site staff said the facility sits well back behind strip commercial development and hotels and is set down in grade; they presented a crane test and said visibility from Patriot Highway and I‑95 is obstructed except at taller heights. The applicant argued that U‑Haul customers (who may be driving long rental trucks without onboard navigation) need a visible cue to make safe lane changes and locate the business without using handheld devices while driving.
Board members questioned staff and the applicant about maintenance and about whether the county can require a decommissioning mechanism if the sign falls out of use. Staff said county code does not currently include a decommissioning bond requirement for signage but that conditions could be drafted that require maintenance and decommissioning if the board chooses to approve the taller sign. Supervisors also discussed limiting illumination during nighttime hours near adjacent hotels.
Rather than vote to approve the SUP, the board voted 7–0 to table the item and gave staff direction to draft conditions (including maintenance, lighting controls and decommissioning/repair language) and return with recommended language.
