Board denies oversized wall‑sign variance for 5026 Market Street

The Wilmington Board of Adjustment moved to deny a requested variance to exceed the maximum wall‑sign area for the multi‑unit building at 5026 Market Street at its May 28 meeting.

Planner Grace Lame summarized that the site is split‑zoned and that multi‑unit buildings are capped by the land development code at either two wall signs per unit up to 50 square feet per unit or a building maximum of 200 square feet, whichever is greater. The applicant asked for a 521‑square‑foot wall sign — 321 square feet larger than the 200‑sq‑ft cap for the building as a whole.

Tori Rock of AWC Side and Light, representing the applicant, told the board the building’s size, height and deep setback from the roadway would make a 200‑sq‑ft sign disproportionately small and argued a larger sign was necessary for visibility and safe wayfinding for motorists. She said the proposed sign would be architecturally integrated and non‑animated.

Board members raised concerns that a grant would effectively require the other two units in the building to seek separate variances to have signage and that earlier similar requests (discussed by the board) had not met the four findings of fact. One board member moved to deny the variance for failing to meet the statutory findings; the motion was seconded and the board carried it (vote count is not specified in the transcript). The planner’s staff report and attachments were entered into the record prior to deliberations.

What happens next: denial means the applicant must comply with the existing sign standards or return with a revised application.