For the second time in a month, Buda city leaders opposed a restaurant group’s bid for a variance to construct a sign beyond what’s allowed in city ordinance.
The Buda City Council unanimously denied a second appeal by the Panda Express Restaurant Group Jan. 17 for a variance from the city’s maximum allowed sign height of 12-feet.
Panda’s appeal followed the Buda Planning and Zoning’s (P&Z) denial of the variance, which sought to build a 35-foot sign.
According to Chance Sparks, Buda assistant city manager, members of P&Z met Jan. 10 and denied the variance request 4-3.
Jamie Green, a representative with Panda Express Restaurant Group, requested the appeal to P&Z’s latest decision to deny the variance based on the close vote. However, council members were informed Jan. 3 that P&Z would not take a third review of the appeal.
“This is a town we want to be in ... We think it’s going to add jobs and services to the city that the people want here.”
Jamie Green, representative with Panda Express Restaurant Group
Green stipulated that in order to make the property developable, the restaurant needed the 35-foot sign.
Council member Eileen Altmiller asked Green where the company was in negotiations with neighboring businesses in the area to include a Panda Express sign on their existing signage structures.
Green said Cracker Barrel denied their request due to the competition between the two restaurants. Walmart, however, agreed to sell Panda Express a portion of their existing sign on which to advertise, but Green implied that it would not be ideal.
Council member George Haehn said he was torn on the variance appeal as he hoped to try and balance the need for further development in Buda’s gateway corridor within Buda’s regulations on development.
“The more development the better.” Haehn said, “But I don’t think we should supersede P&Z’s decision.”
Buda Mayor Todd Ruge and Altmiller previously agreed Jan. 3 that Panda Express may be suffering from a “self-inflicted wound” by not doing due diligence regarding Buda’s sign ordinance before looking into development in the city.
“To me this is caused by you, not by us, and for a variance request to be approved, you need to prove that it wasn’t a self-inflicted wound,” Ruge said.
Green said he “respectfully disagreed,” citing that in the process of the company’s due diligence, they discovered the city’s sign ordinance, which led them to P&Z for the variance request.
“Sometimes exceptions can be made,” Green said.
Green pled with council members to approve the 35-foot sign variance based on the desire of Buda residents to have a Panda Express Restaurant locally, instead of traveling to Kyle or South Park Meadows.
Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Lane said if Panda Express were interested in local traffic, that Buda residents would not need a 35-foot sign to know that the restaurant was on Old San Antonio Street. Lane asked Green if the restaurant would be successful based on the “if you build it, they will come” ideaology.
“It will cost $1.7 million to build the building and we are not willing to risk spending the money to build it without the sign variance to guarantee customer volume,” Green said.
Council member Wiley Hopkins motioned to deny the variance request, which was seconded by Ruge.
