Planning commission tables Gulf station signage update amid questions over size, color and lighting

The South Russell Village Planning Commission on June 11 tabled consideration of PC case 26-05, an application to update signage at the Gulf station at 5196 Chiliki Road, after commissioners raised questions about sign area, color limits and nighttime illumination.

Lori Williams of CB Sign Services, the applicant’s representative, told the commission that much of the requested increase in signage comes from graphics applied to fuel pumps and estimated the pump graphics alone would total about 240.3 square feet. Williams said she scaled the canopy disc down to fit a 36-inch fascia so the sign would not project above the canopy deck and removed a green diesel identifier to reduce the palette to four colors, addressing a zoning limit on color count.

Commissioners said their principal concerns were how much additional signage would be visible to nearby residents and how brightly the proposed internally back-lit canopy would glow at night. Staff reminded the commission that the station exists as a prior nonconforming use and that an earlier agreed-judgment entry governing a past expansion directs that exterior lighting be aimed or minimized to reduce spill onto neighboring residential properties. Commissioners asked whether the proposed illumination would run on a separate breaker or could be dimmed or turned off after 10 p.m.

Williams offered to provide nighttime photos and video of comparable Gulf stations, and to consult the owner about options to turn off or otherwise limit canopy illumination; she identified a nearby example (14745 Mayfield, Huntsburg) she could document. Commissioners also asked staff to confirm whether the square-footage calculation would require review by the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) as an area-variance issue.

A motion to seek additional documentation and delay final action passed on a roll call vote. Commissioners said the information the commission requested includes accurate square-foot totals for all proposed sign faces, documentation about the interior lighting and examples of the installed brand at night. The BZA is scheduled for July 15; the planning commission rescheduled its July meeting to July 16 so it could consider any BZA determinations and the applicant’s supplemental materials.

Next steps: the applicant will submit the requested night photos or video and square-foot calculations; staff will confirm whether BZA review is required and report back to the planning commission at its July 16 meeting.