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Board of Adjustment Report Date August 5, 2026 Case No. BOA26-00168 Project Name Walmart #3089 Comprehensive Sign Plan Request Special Use Permit (SUP) for a Comprehensive Sign Plan (CSP) Project Location Located approximately 1,385+ feet south of the Southwest corner of East Williams Field Road and South Mountain Road. Parcel No(s) 304-34-203F 304-34-203K Project Area 16.2± acres Council District District 6 Existing Zoning Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development Overlay (LI-PAD) General Plan Designation Regional Center Applicant Sean Lake, Pew & Lake, P.L.C. Owner BCB Group Investments, LLC Staff Planner Kellie Rorex, Senior Planner Recommendation Staff finds that the requested Special Use Permit (SUP) for a Comprehensive Sign Plan (CSP) meets the review criteria outlined in the City of Mesa Zoning Ordinance (MZO) Section 11-46-3 and the required findings for a Special Use Permit (SUP) in Section 11-70-5. Staff recommends approval with conditions. Project Overview [2] Request: The applicant is requesting a Special Use Permit (SUP) for a Comprehensive Sign Plan (CSP) for a Walmart Shopping Center and Walmart Service Station (Proposed Project) within the large commercial center, Destination at Gateway. The specific request, per the submitted sign plan and project narrative, is to allow twelve (12) attached signs to the Walmart building, where seven (7) are permitted; allow three (3) signs for the Walmart Service Station and Gas Canopy, where two (2) are permitted; permit two (2) signs to exceed the maximum sign area for a sign; and, to permit all attached signs on the Walmart building to exceed the maximum aggregate sign area permitted in the LI Zoning District. An additional detached monument sign is proposed at the corner of Mountain Road and Destination Auto Drive; however, this detached monument sign meets all MZO requirements for detached signage. The proposed CSP is only for signage associated with the Walmart and Walmart Service Station. The Destination at Gateway development has a separately approved CSP for detached signage through Case No. BOA25-00058. Site Context General Plan: • The Placetype for the project site is Regional Center and the Growth Strategy is Evolve. • Regional Centers are the major retail, cultural, recreational, and entertainment destinations in Mesa. They feature major retailers, national chains, specialty shops, and a wide range of services and amenities that draw consumers from across the City and greater metropolitan area. • The proposed project supports the Regional Center Placetype by providing additional wayfinding signage for a large commercial center, improving visibility and navigation for visitors while maintaining compatibility with the site's scale and intensity of development. Zoning: • The project site is zoned Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development Overlay (LI- PAD) • The large commercial development, Walmart, requires a Council Use Permit (CUP) and the Walmart Service Station requires a Special Use Permit in the LI-PAD zoning district. Both the CUP and SUP were previously approved through Case No’s. ZON24-00593 and ZON24-00859, respectively. [3] Surrounding Zoning & Use Activity: Northwest (Across Destination Auto Drive) GC-PAD Vacant North (Across Destination Auto Drive) RSL-4.5 Single Residence Northeast (Across Destination Auto Drive and Mountain Road) RS-6-PAD Single Residence West GC-PAD Vacant Project Site LI-PAD Future Retail East (Across Mountain Road) RS-6-PAD/AG Single Residence Southwest (Across 24 Gateway Freeway) HI Vacant South (Across 24 Gateway Freeway) HI Industrial Southeast (Across 24 Gateway Freeway) GI Vacant Site History: • April 16, 1990: The City of Mesa’s City Council annexed 626± acres of land, including a portion of the subject property on the east side of Signal Butte Road (Ord. No. 2514). • June 4, 1990: The City Council approved a rezoning of recently annexed lands from County Rural (RU-43) to Agriculture (AG) (Case No. Z90-025; Ord. No. 2529). • April 4, 2005: The City Council approved a rezoning of a 10± acre parcel, 304-34-203A, from Agriculture (AG) to M-2 (Now General Industrial [GI]) (Case No. Z05-024; Ord. No. 4371). • July 12, 2006: The City Council approved a rezoning of a 11± acre parcel, 304-34-203B, from Agriculture (AG) to M-1 PAD (now Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development Overlay [LI-PAD]) (Case No. Z06-046, Ord. No. 4575). • July 18, 2018: The City Council annexed a portion of the property located on the west side of Signal Butte (27± acres) and established comparable zoning of Agriculture (AG) on the property (Case No. ANX17-00253; Ord. No. 5448). • June 18, 2018: The City Council approved a Minor General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation on the property from Employment to Neighborhood and rezoned the property from Agriculture (AG) and General Industrial with a Council Use Permit (GI- CUP) to Multiple Residence-2 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RM-2-PAD), Small Lot Residential-4.5 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RSL-4.5-PAD), Single Residence-6 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RS-6-PAD), Single Residence-7 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RS-7-PAD), and Single Residence-9 with a Planned Area Development overlay (RS-9-PAD), and General Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay and with a Council Use Permit (GC-PAD-CUP) to allow for the development of a master planned community called Destination at Gateway (Case No. ZON18-00142, Resolution No. 11171; Case No. ZON17-00247, Ord. No. 5450). • April 15, 2019: The City Council approved modifications to the Destination at Gateway PAD. (Case No. ZON18-00933; Ord. No. 5501). [4] • July 8, 2020: The City Council approved a Minor General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation on the property from Neighborhood to Mixed-use Activity (Case No. ZON20-00129; Res. No. 11544). • June 17, 2024: The City Council approved a rezone from Agriculture (AG), Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development overlay (LI-PAD), General Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay and Council Use Permit (GC-PAD-CUP), and General Industrial (GI) to General Commercial with a Planned Area Development overlay and Council Use Permit (GC-PAD-CUP), and Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development overlay and Council Use Permit (LI-PAD-CUP) to allow for the future development of an auto mall, large commercial development, and a multiple residence development (Case No. ZON22-00267; Ord. No. 5857). • May 13, 2025: The Design Review Board recommended approval of the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines to Planning Director (Case No. DRB24-00766). • May 29, 2025: The Planning Director approved the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines (Case No. DRB24-00766). • June 9, 2025: The Planning Director approved the site plan for a large format retail user as part of the Destination at Gateway development (Case No. ZON24-00593). • August 27, 2025: The Planning and Zoning Board approved a Site Plan Review and Special Use Permit (SUP) for a service station (Case No. ZON24-00859). • February 9, 2026: City Council approved a Council Use Permit to allow for two freeway landmark monument signs at Destination at Gateway (Case No. ZON25-00056, Res. No. 12472). • On April 1, 2026: The Board of Adjustment approved a Special Use Permit (SUP) for a Comprehensive Sign Plan (CSP) for the large commercial center, Destination at Gateway (Case No. BOA25-00058). Project/Request Details Site Characteristics: The project site is located 1,385+ feet south of the Southwest corner of East Williams Field Road and South Mountain Road. The project site is approved for a large group commercial development and service station on 16.2± acres combined. Walmart, as well as the Service Station, have approved elevations and Destination at Gateway has approved design guidelines with specific building materials and colors, which the proposed signage will utilize. Comprehensive Sign Plan (CSP): The applicant is requesting a CSP to allow modifications from the Sign Ordinance to accommodate signage specific to the development. The requested modifications include an increase to the maximum number of attached signs from seven (7) signs to twelve (12) attached signs on the Walmart building; an increase from two (2) attached signs to three (3) attached signs on the fuel station parcel; a request for two (2) signs to exceed the 160 square foot max sign area per sign; and to exceed the max aggregate sign area (500 square feet) for attached signs on the Walmart building. Table 1 compares the Mesa Zoning Ordinance (MZO) standards and the proposed CSP modifications per Section 11-43 of the MZO. [5] Development Standards MZO Allowance CSP Proposed Attached Signage Max Number of Signs (250’ or more of front foot of building occupancy) - 11- 43-3.D.1 5 signs, plus one additional sign for every additional 50-feet of occupancy up to a max. of 7 signs. (Walmart: 532’ of front foot of building occupancy) 12 signs Attached Signage Max Number of Signs (80’ or less of front foot of building occupancy) - 11-43-3.D.1 2 signs (Service station: 55’ of front foot of building occupancy) 3 signs Attached Signage Max Area Per Sign – 11-43- 3.D.1 160 square feet Sign 1A-1B: 1,114.63 Square Feet Sign 2A-2B: 7,074.46 Square Feet Attached Signage Max. Aggregate Sign Area (250’ or more of front foot of building occupancy) – 11- 43-3.D.1 80% of lineal front foot of occupancy up to a max. of 500 sq. ft. 2,538.01 Square Feet Approval Criteria - Section 11-46-3(D): Per Section 11-46-3(D) of the MZO, the Board of Adjustment must obtain an SUP (see below) and find at least one of the following criteria are met in order to approve a CSP. • Unique or Unusual Physical Conditions: The subject building's size and scale constitute a unique physical condition not anticipated by the MZO sign standards. The Zoning Ordinance limits occupancies to seven attached signs, with no individual sign exceeding 160 square feet. These standards are based on buildings with substantially smaller frontage dimensions. At approximately 186,000 square feet, with more than 532 linear feet of building frontage, the building significantly exceeds the scale anticipated by the sign standards. Additional and larger signage is necessary to provide adequate business identification and wayfinding for the building's multiple customer service areas located on different façades. Additionally, three signs are proposed for the fuel station, where only two signs are permitted by the MZO. The fuel station is located separately from the main building at the corner of Mountain Road and Destination Auto Drive, with two fuel price signs located on the canopy and one identification sign on the fuel center building. Due to the station's location and configuration, the additional signage provides necessary visibility and wayfinding for customers accessing the site. [6] • Unique Characteristics of Land Use, Architectural Style, Site Location or other Distinguishing Features: The elevations for Walmart and the Service Station were previously approved and the Destination at Gateway development has approved design guidelines, ensuring quality and complimentary site design. The proposed CSP exhibits distinguishing features, colors and materials found within the design guidelines and are consistent with approved elevations. • Incorporation of Special Design Features: The proposed CSP only includes one detached sign which matches the other Destination at Gateway detached signage and uses materials and colors approved through the Destination at Gateway Design Guidelines. Special Use Permit: Per Section 11-46-3(A), a CSP must be approved in conjunction with an SUP. Per Section 11- 70-5(E) of the MZO, the Board of Adjustment shall also find the following criteria are met for approval of a SUP: 1. Advance the Goals and Objectives of and Consistency with the General Plan and other Plan/Policies: The proposed CSP is consistent with the Regional Center Placetype and supports the Mesa 2050 General Plan by providing signage for a major retail destination within a planned commercial center. 2. Consistency with the Zoning District Purposes: The proposed CSP is consistent with the purpose and intent of the LI zoning district. The Walmart and service station site design, including building elevations, have previously been approved and the proposed signage is compatible with the approved development. 3. Project Impact: The proposed signage is not expected to create any injurious or detrimental impacts to surrounding properties and will support cohesive and harmonious development within the area. The signs are appropriately scaled and designed to avoid being overbearing, and will not include flashing, blinking, animation, or noise. 4. Adequate Public Facilities: The developer is currently installing infrastructure in the area and services will be available to serve the proposed project once construction is complete. Required Notification The applicant provided letters to surrounding property owners within 500 feet of the project site, notifying them of the public hearing. As of writing this report, staff has not been contacted regarding the Proposed Project. Conditions of Approval Staff recommends approval of the Special Use Permit for a Comprehensive Sign Plan, subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the final sign plan as submitted. 2. Compliance with the Mesa Zoning Ordinance, including all applicable City development codes and regulations. 3. Compliance with all requirements of the Development Services Department regarding the issuance of building permits. [7] 4. Any sign components that become deteriorated, damaged, or weakened shall be promptly repaired or replaced. 5. All signage to be reviewed and approved through a separate sign permit application. Section 11-70-5 of the MZO allows for a revocation process if any condition, stipulation, or term of the approval of the SUP has been violated. In addition to the conditions of approval above, approval of the SUP is conditioned on the information provided by the applicant at the public hearing and in the application (including any accompanying narrative and other supplemental materials) not being false or materially misleading at the time of approval. Exhibits Exhibit 1 – Vicinity Map Exhibit 2 – Project Narrative Exhibit 3 – Sign Plan Exhibit 4 – Sign Matrix Exhibit 5 – Power Point Presentation