cnote Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Hello all,Newbie to the forum but thought some of you may have some ideas about this particular situation. I currently reside in the area around Barker-Cypress and 290 and love it, but the new Sonic drive-thru on the North-West side of the intersection (behind the HEB under contruction) put up an eyesore of a sign probably 25 ft tall. All other signs in the area are no taller than a 4 or 5 ft., including two other Sonics close by (is the market saturated yet???), and it really stands out and looks terrible. I would have thought there was some type of restriction against this judging by all the other businesses but I guess not. Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts about the best way to get this type of thing changed? Is there any way I can review the permit they got? Any chance of a grass roots protest and signatures having any effect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I've seen it. While it's not quite as bad as a towering highway sign, it doesn't fit. Many people have already contacted Sonic and the franchisee who lives in Coles Crossing. I understand they will be reducing the height of the sign. The new HEB sign? Well that's another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I worked for HEB on and off since 1991, I think HEB would accommodate a sign readjustment more than Sonic which is usually owned by a privet citizen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Marty do you know any details about that particular store at Coles Crossing or the one at Vintage Park? Excited to have both in the area now. We've had to drive all the way to the Klein store in order to avoid Kroger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 I dont know anything about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnote Posted July 12, 2007 Author Share Posted July 12, 2007 That is good to hear, mrfootball. I would hope the HEB sign faces the freeway, where it would be more acceptable to see a taller sign (also, I am so excited about the HEB that they can do no wrong in my eyes). I just hate that when driving North on Barker Cypress you get a gorgeous swath of undeveloped tree lined creek land and a giant sonic sign. Do you happen to know how they contacted Sonic or the Franchisee? Just an email to the website perhaps? I just figure the more people who complain the more likely it is that it will get lowered.Also, to jack my own thread, I wonder what has stalled the development of the land they cleared on the SW corner of Barker Cypress and Jarvis, what goes in there could really make or break that area in terms of natural beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 That is good to hear, mrfootball. I would hope the HEB sign faces the freeway, where it would be more acceptable to see a taller sign (also, I am so excited about the HEB that they can do no wrong in my eyes). I just hate that when driving North on Barker Cypress you get a gorgeous swath of undeveloped tree lined creek land and a giant sonic sign. Do you happen to know how they contacted Sonic or the Franchisee? Just an email to the website perhaps? I just figure the more people who complain the more likely it is that it will get lowered.Also, to jack my own thread, I wonder what has stalled the development of the land they cleared on the SW corner of Barker Cypress and Jarvis, what goes in there could really make or break that area in terms of natural beauty.There was an ongoing saga about it on the Coles Crossing Group. Some people called Sonic, who put them in touch with the franchisee who lived in Coles. As for the swath of formerly heavily wooded land near Cypress Creek that had the huge old sycamores and other hardwoods, it appears some dick developer came in and razed it on spec. I'm not sure what is going in there. Those were some really beautiful woods, hated to see them go without any sort of plan for development. It makes that billboard on 290 that says "Quick, go right to the trees!" look like false advertising as the Coles developer (Jefferson) cut way too many and now the HOA is having to do an aggressive re-plant throughout the neighborhood. A shame because, it used to be as heavily forested as Longwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyEvilTwin Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 All other signs in the area are no taller than a 4 or 5 ft., including two other Sonics close by (is the market saturated yet???), and it really stands out and looks terrible. I would have thought there was some type of restriction against this judging by all the other businesses but I guess not.This is just a guess -- but there's really not much completed development on that side of Barker Cypress as you drive towards Coles Crossing, is there? (That's about to change, obviously -- the "big new HEB" is under construction). Weren't the shopping centers on the south side of Barker Cypress developed by the company that developed Coles Crossing? If so, I'd assume their signage might be restricted in some way by that entity. I thought I remembered the south side of of Barker Cypress zoned in the Coles Crossing literature as a retail section of the neighborhood when I was looking at Coles a couple of years ago. My (uneducated) guess is that the north side of Barker Cypress wasn't part of that development, and therefore doesn't have any such restrictions (nor should it, if the Coles Crossing developer didn't see fit to buy the land to preserve the look of the community on that side). If so, isn't the best you can hope for just a litte good will on the part of the new Sonic franchisee, who wants to attract the locals to his/her restaurant? (Same goes for HEB) Lacking any restrictions, might the franchisee be subject to Sonic company standards for signage?The Sonic doesn't look significantly different than any other Sonic in the Houston area to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 if the sonic sign is your only problem, then i think you have a lot to be happy about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 if the sonic sign is your only problem, then i think you have a lot to be happy about. yes, and I would think of the crazy Sonic commercials as I drive the obnoxious sign. Might as well laugh about it. (smack/punch sound) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnote Posted July 12, 2007 Author Share Posted July 12, 2007 I am just concerned about the development of the area in which I made a significant investment. And you are right, I DO have a lot to be Happy about! We love the area and think they left enough trees for us (but agree that Longwood is beautiful). It was really terrible to watch that area get bulldozed at Jarvis, but that is done and can't be brought back, so now the best we can hope for is something nice to go in (which I am getting less and less optimistic about).I think you are right that Coles has no control over the development of that side of Barker-Cypress, which is a shame and a bad call by the development company. However, I would think most visitors to this Sonic location would be locals, and if enough of them complain, we might get a little bit of that goodwill from the fanchisee. That is why I asked about ways to get my opinion out, and I know many of my neighbors are of similar mind.Good for him if the Franchisee really does lower it, I don't frequent Sonic but might have to a little more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PureAuteur Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 The Sonic sign is a big deal, but the NewQuest development at Cypress-Rosehill Rd isn't?Sadly, this kind of stuff is going to continue to get worse. The days of creating unique and sharp looking communities are gone. The only way to stop it is to have regulations, and since Cypress is an unincorporated area with no rules, developers will continue to do as they please. The residents have had many years to plan for this, but didn't seem to be concerned. Cypress is like a greedy developer's candy store. There's tons of available land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Can the councilman/woman for that area assist? It wouldn't hurt to try, otherwise it will open the door for simlar eyesores and escalate to the point of 1960 stretch appearance. Now thats as terrible as it gets as far as no zoning rules applies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnote Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 and to continue bringing up older threads.....REJOICE!!!! The Sonic sign eyesore is no more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It was replaced this weekend by a lower landmark sign that is very tastefully done. It took a while, but I am glad I can finally end my protest and get myself a Cherry Limeade!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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