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Dawson County planning panel denies BP gas station sign variance
Summary
The Dawson County Planning Commission denied a request for an 80-square-foot, 15-foot sign for a new BP station, citing self-created hardship and traffic-safety concerns; vote recorded as 3-0 with one abstention. The applicant may pursue other remedies or appeal to the Board of Commissioners.
The Dawson County Planning Commission on its March agenda denied a variance request for a larger monument sign at a proposed BP station, voting 3-0 with one abstention.
Caleb Bicciardi, a sign contractor representing the applicant, said the business was asking for a 15-foot, 80-square-foot sign so the new station could compete visually with nearby stations such as a Circle K. "We are requesting a 15 foot, 80 square foot sign for the BP gas station under construction," Bicciardi told the commission, adding the sign would be set back about 30 feet from the road and that the proposed design included a brick base.
Opponents raised safety and legal objections. Jane Graves, who said she had emailed the commission, called the requested hardship "self-created" and said a larger sign on a congested intersection with large industrial trucks would increase driver distraction. "The hardship is self created," Graves said, and argued variances should not be granted solely for marketing and visibility.
During deliberations, commissioners and staff noted that many larger gas-station monuments in the area pre-date the current sign ordinance. After closing public comment the panel moved to deny the variance; the Chair announced the motion carried 3 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention and that the variance was denied.
The denial concludes the commission's role in this land-development variance. The applicant may request reconsideration, seek an administrative appeal if allowed under county rules, or pursue alternative sign designs that comply with the Dawson County Land Development Code.
