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Council tables QuikTrip PD amendment after debate over 'Old Town' design and signage
Summary
After hours of discussion about façade treatments, landscape screening and what council described as excessive signage, Midlothian City Council voted to table a proposed PD amendment to allow a QuikTrip gas station and convenience store at West Main Street and US 67 until its April 28 meeting.
The Midlothian City Council on March 24 tabled consideration of an amendment to PD 179 that would allow a 1.7‑acre QuikTrip gas station and convenience store at the southwest corner of West Main Street and the US 67 southbound service road.
Staff opened the public hearing with a packet-quality presentation of the site plan, elevations and requested variances, recommending approval with limits — including a recommendation that parking not exceed 41 spaces and that a designated truck bay be placed on the west side of the building. Planning & Zoning recommended approval, 6–0.
QuikTrip representatives told council the design exceeds ordinance requirements in several categories and improves circulation compared with nearby sites. The applicant said the plan would provide 45 trees (the code requires 19) and a larger-than-required 18×50 loading zone to improve truck maneuverability.
Councilmembers, however, raised repeated concerns that the proposed building and signage do not meet the PD’s intended “Old Town” architectural character. “This is not Old Town at all,” one councilmember said, urging more vertical articulation and façade movement. Several members argued the project’s canopy and building signage — including digital fuel pricing on the canopy — amounted to too much signage and light for the corridor.
Staff and the applicant defended the proposal, saying the submittal meets the written PD standards and noted multiple iterations of the elevations and landscape plan done with staff. Planning staff explained utility easements along US 67 limit tree placement, which is why shrubs are proposed in some locations.
After lengthy discussion, Councilmember Ross moved to table the item to the April 28 council meeting to allow the applicant time to revise elevations and reduce sign impacts; the motion carried following a second.
The council’s questions centered on three tradeoffs: preserving the PD’s Old Town intent, accommodating required truck circulation and avoiding conflicts with utility easements that limit landscaping options. The applicant said it would continue to work with staff before returning. The item will return to council on April 28 for further consideration.
