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Planning commission unanimously approves Mount Airy Walmart signage amid national rebrand
Summary
The Mount Airy Planning Commission unanimously approved a signage application for the Walmart at 209 East Ridgeville Boulevard after staff and the applicant explained how the town measures allowable square footage and confirmed the rear directional signs will be non-illuminated and set back from residences.
The Mount Airy Planning Commission on April 7 approved a signage application for the Walmart at 209 East Ridgeville Boulevard, concluding that the proposed signs fit the town’s measurement of allowable signage and would not produce additional illumination toward nearby homes.
John Breeding, the town’s director of planning and zoning, told commissioners the town uses the primary parking frontage to determine allowable linear footage and that, under that method, the store’s calculated allowance is roughly 485 linear feet — sufficient for the applicant’s proposed total of about 457.15 square feet. "Again, the applicant provided the road frontage of 398 feet 4 inches... the total signage for the property is 457.15 square feet," Breeding said.
Jeff Davis, the architect of record with PB2 Architecture and Engineering, described how corporate rebranding will reconfigure signs (separating Walmart and Spark signage and adding directional and pickup signage) and said many rear-facing signs will be non-illuminated. "All those signs that are being proposed are mainly in front visible for the benefit of the customer," Davis said, explaining the rear and auxiliary signs are tucked behind the store.
Commissioners asked whether rear signage would be illuminated and how close the back of the building is to residences. Davis and staff said rear signs would be non‑illuminated and estimated roughly 250 feet to the nearest homes, with intervening tree cover and fencing. Commissioners discussed measurement methods for square footage; staff said parking-frontage measurement is supported by the code provision permitting general‑parking-based calculations.
Chair moved to approve the sign package and the commission voted unanimously to grant the application. The applicant said the store remodel and sign changes are part of a national rebranding and indicated work should begin mid‑2026 and conclude around year‑end 2026.
The commission’s decision applies only to signage and the application does not require, and was not judged on, the store’s exterior paint color, which the applicant described as part of a corporate branding change.
