Board approves signage variances for 1.2M sq ft distribution campus in Burlington extraterritorial area

At its June 9, 2026 meeting the Burlington Board of Adjustment considered subdivision variance 26‑02, a two‑part request to allow (1) an additional ground sign at a secondary entrance and (2) a building wall sign up to 1,200 square feet where the UDO caps primary wall signs at 300 square feet. Principal planner Jeff McClintock read the fact sheet: the property owner is Titan Issuer Trust, the applicant is Ian Phillips, and the parcel is in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Applicant representative Jason Vranstetter of Tippman Construction described the proposed development as a 1,200,000 square‑foot distribution center on 192 acres with portions up to 90 feet tall and a projected opening in 2029. He said the building sits about 950 feet back from the public road and presented renderings showing that a 300‑sq‑ft wall sign would be effectively unreadable from the road while a 1,200‑sq‑ft sign would be legible. "It is 1,200,000 square foot... It's a $900,000,000 investment," Vranstetter said, and he argued the additional ground sign and larger wall sign are proportional to the project's scale.

Board members debated the five hardship criteria required for a variance: unnecessary hardship from strict application, peculiarity of the property, that hardship did not result from owner action, minimum necessary relief, and consistency with the ordinance's spirit. Several members supported an additional ground sign on public‑safety grounds, noting the site's truck traffic and the need to clearly mark separate truck and employee entrances. On the wall sign, members weighed legibility from the road, the 950‑foot setback and the applicant's 3D renderings showing progressive legibility at 300, 600 and 1,200 square feet.

After deliberation the board voted to grant both requests: first, a variance allowing an additional ground (monument) sign for the project; second, a variance permitting a wall sign of up to 1,200 square feet on the primary facade. Both motions passed by voice vote; the transcript does not provide individual recorded tallies. The board noted the approvals were limited to the signage variances before it and did not approve other site or design elements.

The applicant and planning staff will file the board’s decisions in the administrative record; subsequent permitting (site plan, building permits, and any required HOP/traffic approvals) remains subject to separate reviews.