Presenter
Presenter
Christopher Looney, Planning and Community Development Director
Contact Info
clooney@nbtexas.org
Subject Header
SUBJECT:
Title
Discuss and consider a request for a conditional sign permit for QuikTrip 4040 to allow a pole sign to exceed the adopted height and sign face area standards, addressed at 2017 FM 1102.
Body
BACKGROUND / RATIONALE:
Case No.: CS19-0223
Council District: 4
Applicant/Owner: David Wanders
QuikTrip
742 NW Loop 410, Suite 102
San Antonio, TX 78216
(210) 332-4037
dwanders@quiktrip.com
Staff Contact: Holly Mullins, Planner
(830) 221-4054
hmullins@nbtexas.org
The subject property is currently a vacant 1.77-acre lot located at the northeast corner of FM 306 and FM 1102 (Common Street) and is zoned M-1 Light Industrial District.
New Braunfels’ Sign Ordinance allows sign types and sizes based upon the zoning district and specific street frontage. The subject property is allowed the following signage:
• The M-1 zoning district allows either:
o One monument sign up to 10 feet in height and 48 square feet in area (including monument structure), with a 10-foot minimum setback; or
o One low-profile pole sign up to 10 feet in height and 20 square feet in area, with a 10-foot minimum setback.
• With 170 feet of FM 306 frontage, the property is also allowed:
o An additional monument sign up to 10 feet in height and 60 square feet in area (including the monument structure), with a 5-foot minimum setback.
• Alternatively, properties on FM 306 may have a 28-foot tall, 200 square-foot sign containing an electronic message face (digital sign) up to 100 square feet in area; however, no other free-standing signs are allowed on a property if an electronic message sign is constructed.
• Note: If the subject property had 300 feet of frontage along FM 306, it would have qualified for a high-profile monument sign up to 25 feet in height and 225 square feet in area, per the adopted Sign Ordinance.
The conditional sign permit process is intended to:
1. allow an applicant flexibility in creating alternative signage designs to complement a development’s unique characteristics;
2. increase sign area and/or height in lieu of multiple signs they would otherwise be allowed; and/or
3. allow additional signage due to unusual constraints associated with the property.
Through this process, City Council can consider such requests within the context of a specific location.
Proposal
The applicant’s proposed pole sign is requested to be:
• 25 feet tall, exceeding the maximum pole sign height limitation by 15 feet; and
• 134 square feet (a 17.6-foot by 7.5-foot sign face), exceeding the maximum sign area for a pole sign by 114 square feet.
The proposed pole sign would be internally illuminated with the QuikTrip corporate logo and gas prices. No electronic messaging is proposed. The pole sign would be set back approximately 23 feet from the property line (at least 30 feet from the drive lanes) due to the location of a utility easement on the lot.
If the request is approved, the applicant has agreed no other free-standing signs will be placed on the property.
Nearby Sign Heights
Below is a table of nearby signs and their respective approximate heights. Most of these signs were erected before New Braunfels had rules or permitting requirements for signs. Therefore, the sign face area is not known, but staff conducted field measurements to obtain the approximate heights.
|
Sign Location |
Sign Type |
Approx. Height |
|
Valero (across the street) |
Pole |
24 feet |
|
Mahindra (reface of former gas/convenience store) |
Pole |
25 feet |
|
Shell |
Monument |
6 feet |
|
Shell |
Pole |
11 feet |
|
El Nopalito |
Pole |
30 feet |
|
Gruene Self Storage |
Pole |
20 feet |
|
Brooks Stone Ranch (FM 1102) |
Pole |
27 feet |
Note: Existing off-premise signs (billboards) on FM 306 were subject to different height and size standards when constructed. New off-premise signs are no longer permitted, per the adopted Sign Ordinance.
Surrounding Zoning and Land Use:
North - M-1/ Undeveloped
South - Across FM 1102, M-1/ Commercial-Industrial (Coleman Company)
East - M-1A/ Commercial-Industrial (stone and gravel sales)
West - Across FM 306, C-1/ Undeveloped
ADDRESSES A NEED/ISSUE IN A CITY PLAN OR COUNCIL PRIORITY:
|
City Plan/Council Priority: Envision New Braunfels Comprehensive Plan |
Action 2.8: Establish or expand architectural standards for quality of design across the city. Action 3.6: Pro-actively provide a regulatory environment that remains business and resident friendly. Action 7.8: Enhance pedestrian quality of the City by limiting the realm of the automobile. |
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
Recommendation
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Sign visibility is not an issue at this location due to the elevated railroad crossings and location at a signalized intersection where traffic naturally slows. Additionally, the adjacent property presently exceeds 300 feet of FM 306 frontage and therefore would qualify for a high profile monument sign up to 25 feet in height, but could be obscured by the proposed sign. However, staff recognizes the need for consistency of the development pattern at this intersection, balanced with opportunities to reduce overall signage numbers and limit electronic message signs that distract motorists. Therefore, staff recommends approval with the following conditions:
1. That the proposed sign be the only freestanding sign (pole or monument) on site;
2. That, the allowed height be comparable or no taller than the Valero sign across the street;
3. That the sign face be designed primarily with a dark background, as proposed in the applicant’s submitted illustration, and
4. That an electronic message/digital sign may not be erected on site, either separately or within the cabinet of the proposed sign.