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Board sets new sign height at 16 feet after applicants cite DOT-driven access changes
Summary
Lexington County's Board of Zoning Appeals approved a height variance for a freestanding business sign near Augusta Road, authorizing a 16-foot total height to restore wayfinding after a DOT driveway relocation; the board required the approved height be stated in the motion.
The Lexington County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to permit a taller business sign near the 4 Oaks Farm area on Augusta Road, setting the approved total height at 16 feet to help restore visibility and wayfinding after the South Carolina Department of Transportation altered the property's driveway alignment.
Walt McPherson, zoning administrator, said the property is in an ID (intensive development) district and that the applicant argued the highway expansion eliminated the original driveway and created safety and visibility issues. The packet included a written request stating that the original sign was legally erected decades ago and that relocation by SCDOT required replacement for safe wayfinding.
Trip Hansen (applicant) and Michael Mathias (property representative) told the board they planned a sign with a static top and an LED middle section; Hansen said he would prefer a new sign in the roughly 15- to 16-foot range, though the written standards in the packet also referenced a 25-foot figure. Board members and staff agreed that, if approved, the motion should specify the exact permitted height to avoid future returns for adjustment.
A board member moved to approve the variance as presented and to set the approved total height at 16 feet; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call of members present. The board discussed that if an installation later exceeds the approved measurement the applicant would have to return for compliance review or another variance.
The board's action authorizes a sign installation consistent with the 16-foot height approved at the meeting; permit issuance will require the applicant to submit engineered mounting details and to adhere to county setback provisions for signs in scenic-corridor areas.
