Panda Express superintendent says removing OCU could reduce sign area; company aims to open Aug. 7

William Stetter, who identified himself as superintendent for the Panda Express project, told the BZA during public comment that a different mounting approach could materially change the sign area. "If you take the OCU off of there, because we did have a separate unit for that, that would reduce the sign to close to the 19.9," Stetter said, suggesting that separating the OCU from the menu board could bring the illuminated area closer to the figure shown in the approved sign license.

Stetter also explained why the hybrid design was used: crews encountered hard rock that required spread footers, so the contractor combined the OCU with the menu board rather than install multiple separate units. He told the board the company is "looking at opening on August 7," which employees and some board members cited as a reason for considering conditional relief or expedited follow up. The board denied the variance at the hearing; any operational decision about the opening remains with the applicant.