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Staff moves to ease downtown sign rules and allow larger highway signs under GDC amendments
Summary
Planning staff reported proposed Garland Development Code changes to streamline sign standards, create an 'iconic sign' designation, and permit larger signage near I‑30, 190 and 635 with administrative minor‑waiver options to shorten review time.
City planning staff presented proposed amendments to the Garland Development Code intended to clarify sign regulations, add an 'iconic sign' designation, and make targeted size allowances on parcels adjacent to major highways.
Naveen Leonard, director of planning and development, told council staff converted lengthy sign text into tables to improve readability and proposed procedures for designating existing or proposed "iconic" signs so they can be reviewed through a streamlined process. He said staff identified three freeways (State Highway 190, Interstate 30 and Interstate 635) where signs could be permitted at larger sizes without council review for visibility and economic purposes; near those corridors certain signs could be "permitted to be multiplied by a factor of 2," and in some instances (signs mounted in the uppermost 25% of a façade) a factor of 3 could apply.
Leonard also proposed raising some downtown façade allowances (for example, allowing up to 30 square feet for certain façade signs regardless of sign height) and creating an administrative minor‑waiver option for downtown applicants whose proposals meet citywide standards. He framed the changes as a way to increase predictability for applicants while still preserving the pedestrian environment and a path for council review when impacts merit it.
