Tampa Premium Outlets won approval from a development review panel for a wide-range of internal signage that will brand the retail complex.
But a 90-foot pylon sign beckoning to motorists as they whiz down Interstate 75 is one landmark the mall’s developers might have to redesign or do without.
(Courtesy of FRCH Design Worldwide)
It is well above the county’s 30-foot height limit. And Pasco Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein said the sign also wouldn’t meet regulations of the Florida Department of Transportation and could affect Pasco’s share of highway funds.
“Our office is going to object,” he said.
Goldstein did, however, suggest that developers explore a compromise of a smaller, clock tower.
It is not clear if that type of structure would clear state department of transportation hurdles or fit in with Pasco’s new ordinance to encourage developers to create unified signage for their projects that enhances architectural styles and establishes a sense of place. The outlet mall’s application is an early test of the county’s new sign plan.
The Pasco County Commission will have the final word.
Visibility is a critical issue for the outlet mall, said John Dionis, senior director of development for New-Jersey-based Simon Property Group.
“We’re looking to have a national advertising marketing campaign to draw people to the center,” Dionos said. “We like to dovetail that with visibility, with branding so people know how to get to the center from the outside.”
As a regional mall, about 75 percent to 80 percent of customers are expected to come from outside the area, Dionos said.
It is too easy for motorists, especially those unfamiliar with I-75 and State Road 56, to zip past the off ramps funneling traffic toward the mall, he said.
Developers are in the process of seeking the state transportation department’s approval for identifying signs at highway ramps, but Dionos said, “I don’t think that solves it entirely.”
Interstate drivers would have about two seconds to read the signs, he said.
“They’ll forego the trip and say ‘well, maybe next time’, “ Dionis said. “They’ll get generally frustrated.”
Members of the review panel were sympathetic to the developer’s concerns but skeptical about the pylon sign’s appropriateness.
“The overall plan, with the exception of the pylon, is attractive and is something we can be proud of,” said Carol Clarke, Pasco’s zoning administrator.
Dionos described the sign as “tasteful” and mimicking the Florida cracker style of architecture throughout the outlet mall.
County Administrator Michele Baker said the county wants to help developers find a path to success. But she also said, “If you haven’t gotten the gist yet, Pasco does not like pylon signs, and we don’t like billboards.”
Published April 1, 2015
