White Glove-CS 971218CASE NO.:
CITY OF COPPELL
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
S-1074RR, WHITE GLOVE EXPRESS
P & Z HEARING DATE:
C.C. HEARING DATE:
December 18, 1997
January 13, 1998
LOCATION:
SIZE OF AREA:
East side of Denton Tap Road, approx. 500 feet south of Braewood
Drive.
1.58 acres; 4,850 s.f. car wash and 1,727 s.f. lube building
CURRENT ZONING:
C-S.U.P. (Commercial, Special Use Permit)
REQUEST:
Amend the conditions of the Special Use Permit relative to signs.
APPLICANT:
Lenny Poulsen
White Glove Express Car Wash, Inc.
250 S. Denton Tap Road
Coppell TX 75019
(972) 304-3267
HISTORY:
City Council approved the initial special use permit on February 8,
1994, and the final plat on June 14, 1994. An amendment to add the
lube facility was approved December 10, 1996, after a favorable
recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission.
TRANSPORTATION:
Denton Tap Road is a 64ane divided (P6D) thoroughfare, contained
within a 110'-wide fight-of-way.
Item# 7
SURROUNDING LAND USE & ZONING:
North -
South -
East -
West -
Coppell Professional Plaza; C
Vacant; C
Braewood residential subdivision; SF-7
Vacant; C
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The Comprehensive Plan shows the property suitable for mixed use
development.
DISCUSSION:
City Council authorized the addition of a lube facility to White Glove Car
Wash approximately one year ago. Both at the Planning and Zoning
Commission heating and at the Council hearing, the size, color and location of
attached building signs were topics of significant discussion. The applicant
agreed to remove the signs currently on the car wash building and to replace
them with one smaller sign. The applicant also agreed to install two signs on
the lube facility, all three signs to be of the same color scheme.
The approved signs were rectangular backlit plastic panels with a beige
background, red and black letters, and the White Glove logo. The sign on the
car wash was to be 6' high, 8' wide and placed on the west side of the building.
The sign on the west side of the lube building was to be 31/2' high and 11'-5'
wide. An additional sign, to be placed on the north side of the lube building at
the eastern end, was to be 41/2' high and 14'-8" wide.
About two months after these derisions were made, the Committee to Improve
the Visual Image of Coppell published its report. The committee
recommended that, for all office, retail and commercial development, attached
signs consist of individually mounted channel letters. While it was suggested
that there be no restriction on form or typestyle, the committee recommended
that backlit plastic be only in neutral colors and that metal letters be in natural
finishes or painted in neutral colors. CMC also recommended that in unified
developments all sign colors be the same throughout.
CIVIC made these recommendations knowing fully that they mn counter to the
marketing philosophies of the fast food industry, other nationally franchised
businesses, many corporate chains, and the petroleum industry. However, the
group derided that to the residents of Coppell the image of thek city is more
important than the corporate image of any nationally advertised business or
service. Also, the group had seen examples of how McDonalds, Texaco, and
other similar finns had adapted their trademarks and logos to conform with
local preferences in several communities throughout the country. In fact, this
"community friendly" signage philosophy is becoming the role rather than the
exception for business expansion.
Item # 7
It can be argued that the lube facility was authorized with panel signs prior to
the CMC findings. It also can be argued that Quaker State uses individually
mounted letters on many of its Q-Lube facilities throughout the Dallas-Fort
Worth area, and that by asking for a change in the signs a year later, the
applicant now should comply with current thinking with respect to channd
letters.
RECOMMENDATION TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION:
Because the exteriors of the two buildings are of the same wall materials, staff
recommends foremost that the graphics on the two buildings be a unified
package. One means to accomplish this would be through the use of identical
colors. Difference in typestyle could distinguish the two separate business
entities. Another means would be by standardizing typestyle, but 'allowing
subtle variation in color. With the combined resources of Quaker State, White
Glove Express Car Wash, Inc., and Heath Signs, it should be possible to
submit a graphics package that complements the architecture of the two
buildings.
We consider the choice of panel signs versus channel letters, as well as the
issue of neutral colors, to be matters of Commission and Council discretion,
although staff prefers channel letters. Before maldng its decision, staff
recommends that both Commission and Council ask for resubmission of the
earlier sign submittal for the purpose of comparing how the proposed Q-Lube
signs will look next to the approved White Glove Express sign. If Council
agrees to permit the panel signs as submitted, staff recommends at a minimum
that the lozenge-shaped borders on the Q-Lube signs be executed in black,
limiting the amount of green on the signs to the trademark Q.
1) Recommend approval of the request
2) Recommend disapproval of the request
3) Recommend modification of the request
4) Take under advisement for reconsideration at a later date.
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Building elevations
2) Sign elevations
Item # 7