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Historic commission approves Tacovas pergola and reduced neon sign in Fort Worth Stockyards
Summary
After public comment and debate, the Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission approved a pergola and two relocated signs for Tacovas at 2341 North Main Street, and narrowly approved a waiver letting a projecting neon sign extend 5.5 feet above the lowest roof point (7–2 split); one sign projection was denied without prejudice in staff recommendations.
The Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission on May 11 approved a pergola and two projecting signs for Tacovas at 2341 North Main Street in the Stockyards but split over the maximum height for the corner neon sign.
Staff told commissioners the proposal included a new pergola, a mural and painted sign, a relocated “boots” sign and two projecting neon signs; staff recommended approval of the mural, painted sign, pergola and one projecting sign (to 3 feet), and recommended denying without prejudice the projecting sign that would protrude 8 feet 10 inches above the building because it would be out of scale with the district.
The applicant, Theo Arellano, district manager for Tacovas, told the commission the expansion is intended to boost the customer experience during major events, and said the store sees roughly 250,000 customers a year at that location. Lindsay, the project’s development lead, said the neon sign was reduced in size to about 30 square feet and a total sign height of 8 feet 10 inches, and explained that, at the proposed corner location, the sign would measure about 5.5 feet above the lowest roof point rather than the 9 feet referenced in an earlier staff draft.
“People tend to come to the store, and we want to draw some more foot traffic from people who may not know Tacovas is there,” Lindsay said.
Kirby Smith, the building owner, supported the application and said the applicant had substantially reduced earlier proposals after review and landlord input. By contrast, neighborhood resident Melissa Wade Hunter urged denial of any sign that would rise above the roof line, arguing the projection would overpower historic signs such as the Isis theatre marquee and diminish the district’s character.
After extended questioning about visibility, whether trees would be removed, and alternatives such as moving the sign to a higher facade, the commission moved to split action on the case. Commissioner Brian Ketchum made the motions to approve each item following staff presentation and public comment. The commission approved the pergola unanimously (9–0). On the projecting neon sign, the commission approved a waiver amended to limit the projection to no more than 5.5 feet above the lowest point of the roof at the proposed location; that measure passed 7–2. The relocated boots sign was approved 9–0.
The staff report noted that one projecting sign (as originally drawn to extend 8 feet 10 inches and angled at 30 degrees) remained inconsistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and had been recommended for denial without prejudice; the commission’s action modified that recommendation for the corner projection by setting a lower height limit at the actual mounted location.
The commission’s approvals were procedural actions on a certificate of appropriateness and related waivers; applicants may need to return with revised details or to meet standard permitting requirements. The applicant said the tree at the intersection would remain and that some design adjustments were made specifically to reduce visual impact while maintaining visibility from the Exchange/Main intersection.
The commission closed the public hearing and completed action on HCLC-26-073.
