Addison Grove (previously branded as Elan Addison Grove) is a mixed-use multifamily development with ground floor retail uses, located at 4150 Belt Line Road. Property management recently submitted several requests for new signage in order to provide better directional cues to residents and visitors accessing the site. During the review of these sign permit applications, staff determined that a proposed monument sign at the Belt Line Road frontage did not comply with the Town’s sign code due to the presence of an existing detached sign that was previously approved and installed.
A typical multifamily development is permitted to install one detached sign on site. For multifamily properties with more than 750 feet of frontage on a public street, one additional detached sign may be installed for each additional 500 feet of frontage, provided that there is at least 150 feet of separation between any installed permanent detached signs on an individual property.
Addison Grove has public street frontage along Belt Line Road to the north, Magnolia Street to the east, Runyon Road to the south, and Oak Street to the west, which encompasses approximately 1,600 linear feet of public street frontage. The applicant is requesting to install a monument sign near the southeast corner of Belt Line Road and Oak Street, which is in close proximity to an existing detached sign installed on the retaining wall along the southern edge of the Belt Line Road streetscape. This sign, which is comprised of 18 inch tall aluminum lettering with no backing, identifies the project name, Addison Grove.
The proposed monument sign complies with all sign dimensional standards and setbacks requirements of the sign code. Due to the proposed placement on the same frontage, within 71 feet of the existing sign, a meritorious exception to the sign code has been requested to address the following conditions:
- Installation of an additional detached sign at the Belt Line Road frontage; and
- Placement of an additional detached sign less than 150 feet from an existing detached sign.
The applicant is pursuing a Meritorious Exception to the sign code in accordance with the code provisions stated below:
Town of Addison Code of Ordinances, Chapter 62 (Signs)
Section 62-33. – Meritorious exceptions.
(d)(3) The council may consider appeals on the basis that such regulations and/or standards will, by reason of exceptional circumstances or surroundings, constitute a practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship or on the basis that the proposed improvement although falling under the definition of a "sign," constitutes art that makes a positive contribution to the visual environment.
Staff believes that the hardship criteria of the Meritorious Exception requirements is met due to the size of this development and how it is accessed by residents and visitors.
While Addison Grove benefits from having frontage on Belt Line Road, the Town’s most prominent arterial roadway, it is the only frontage that provides access to the development. All other public streets that surround Elan Addison Grove only connect to Belt Line Road. The sign code permits this development to have an additional detached sign given the amount of public street frontage; however, this additional signage could not be located at the Belt Line Road frontage. Given that this site is only accessed from Belt Line Road, additional signage on a different street frontage would provide limited benefit.
The existing signage on the building and the existing detached sign along Belt Line Road help with branding, but they are less effective for wayfinding purposes as these signs are parallel to the street and are not situated at a prominent entry point. This proposed sign would more effectively assist the public in identifying the development from the street level as the sign would be perpendicular to the street and would be located immediately adjacent to the Oak Street project entryway.
Having effective signage is important for mixed-use developments as it helps the public locate businesses within the development, in this case the ground floor retail, and it reduces driver confusion that may result in unnecessary vehicle trips on adjacent roadways such as Midway Road and Beltway Drive. |