Vienna council upholds BAR denial of Ace Hardware sign at Cedar Park Shopping Center

The Vienna Town Council voted on Oct. 27 to uphold the Board of Architectural Review’s decision denying a proposed wall sign for the new Ace Hardware at Cedar Park Shopping Center.

At a public hearing that filled much of the council’s agenda, Director Levy and Patty Hanley, chair of the Board of Architectural Review, told the council the BAR found the sign deviated from the shopping center’s master sign plan — citing color palette mismatches, an asymmetrical layout and an excessive area of light ("white") negative space. Hanley said the BAR recommended a more symmetrical design consistent with neighboring signs and the master-plan parameters.

Faisal Thobani, the franchisee operating as Ace Hardware of Vienna and representing Signs Unlimited at the podium, said he and his contractor submitted the sign to Fairfax County and the landlord, and that including the word "Vienna" was important to his store’s identity. "It was extremely important for us to have the word Vienna in our sign," Thobani said, adding that the design was the best option the brand standards allowed. A Signs Unlimited representative on the phone also apologized for installing the permanent sign before the local review process was complete and said the company was willing to work with town staff and the BAR.

Councilmembers debated whether to defer to the BAR’s expertise or take a de novo look at the design. Several councilmembers — including those who said they welcomed the new business — said the town customarily gives considerable weight to the BAR’s design judgment and that the BAR’s recommendations were clear in asking for a more symmetrical design. Councilmember Baldwin, who summarized the code-based issues, said the BAR’s August direction and a September staff email provided the applicant with a concrete path to resubmit.

Councilmember Anderson moved to affirm the BAR’s denial; the motion included direction to staff that the town would work with the applicant and that, as a practical matter, a replacement application could allow the currently installed sign to be treated as temporary while a new design is reviewed. The town attorney reminded council that an applicant would have 30 days to file a further court appeal of a council decision. Director Levy told the council that, in practice, the town generally works cooperatively with applicants who are responsive and that enforcement steps are used only if applicants do not engage or fail to submit a timely replacement application.

The council’s roll-call vote upheld the BAR decision. Councilmembers who spoke urged the applicant to work with BAR members in a work session — a collaborative, informal meeting that several councilmembers said often resolves design impasses.

What happens next: Town staff said they will continue to work with the applicant and the BAR on resubmittal options. The applicant retains the right to appeal the council’s decision to the court within statutory timeframes; the town attorney said that if the applicant files a replacement application and cooperates, planning and zoning would likely treat the installed sign as temporary pending a permanent approval process.

Attribution: Quotes and attributions above are drawn from public hearing remarks by Patty Hanley (Chair, Board of Architectural Review), Director Levy (Planning staff), Faisal Thobani (owner/franchisee, Ace Hardware of Vienna/Signs Unlimited) and councilmembers recorded in the town transcript.