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Ocoee commission denies Walmart Neighborhood Market sign variance after planning staff recommended denial
Summary
The commission voted to deny a variance request for oversized signs at a proposed Walmart Neighborhood Market in Ocoee Village Center, with staff and the planning commission finding no special conditions to justify the requested increases (largest increase cited at about 360%).
The Ocoee City Commission unanimously moved to deny a variance request for the sign package at a proposed Walmart Neighborhood Market (project VR‑26‑02) on July 7, 2026 after staff and the planning commission recommended denial.
Planner Belzer presented the request and said the property sits in the Ocoee Village Center PUD but lacks signage deviations; staff found no special conditions that would justify variance relief and concluded the requested sizes and heights would confer special privilege. "We believe that the allowed sign area, height and width is ample for the property," the planner said, and noted the planning commission recommended denial at its June 2 meeting.
Commissioners emphasized adherence to the land development code. One commissioner noted frustration that the commission and planning board spend significant time developing sign standards only to see variance requests that, in the commissioner’s view, lack justification. Commissioners discussed the magnitude of the requested increases: staff and a commissioner calculated that some signs would increase sign copy area by more than 150 percent, and the largest wall sign increase was described as about 360 percent.
A motion to deny the variance was made and carried by voice vote; the denial stands and the applicant may revise plans or pursue alternatives consistent with the city code.
