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Council grants sign variance for Sonic at 1709 Military Road after owner's testimony
Summary
Benton City Council granted an appeal and approved a sign variance for Sonic Benton at 1709 Military Road after owner David Hall described the investment in the property and said the new sign would not be brighter than the existing sign.
BENTON, Ark. — The Benton City Council on Feb. 23 granted an appeal and approved a sign-variance request for property at 1709 Military Road, where Sonic Benton plans to replace a preexisting sign.
David Hall, owner of Sonic Benton, addressed the council in support of the variance. Hall said the store has operated at that site since 1980 and that the project represents substantial investment. "This project is north of $4.5 million so far," Hall said, and added that the restaurant currently employs about 80 people with plans to grow toward 100. He told council the proposed sign would be roughly the same size as the existing sign (about 50 square feet) and would use standard LED lighting rather than flashing or higher-intensity illumination.
Council members and staff discussed the specifics of the appeal and noted that the city's sign regulations require the council, when granting relief, to allow only the minimum variance necessary and to ensure relief is consistent with the public welfare. A council member suggested sending the sign ordinance back to committee next month for potential clarifications to handle cases like this.
The council accepted the appeal and documented the variance for city-council consideration; the ordinance language in the meeting record states the variance was approved and that required notice procedures and record-keeping would be followed.
