GUILDERLAND — It’s back to the drawing board for Costco as the Guilderland Zoning Board of Appeals wants the price club to reduce the number of out-of-compliance signs it’s looking to place on its Western Avenue store. 

Costco, via project developer Pyramid Management Group, is seeking an area variance for five signs over 250 square feet each while town code allows for just two signs with a total area of 50 square feet.

Pyramid asset manager James Soos told board members on June 4 that the proposed signs were consistent with what was included in the project’s 2023 special-use permit, which Chairwoman Elizabeth Lott made clear had no bearing on the current situation as signs are taken as a separate application in Guilderland.

Soos also noted the sign package was typical and consistent with what is found at other Costco stores across North America, another claim that left board members unmoved. 

The signs were discussed as they appeared on design plans, B1 through B5: 

— B1 is located on the Western Avenue side of the building, at the intersection of Western and Crossgates Mall Road;

— B2’s location is near the rear of the building, where Crossgates Mall Road bends and continues toward Western Avenue; 

— B3 faces Crossgates Mall, near Gabriel Terrace;

— B4 faces Gabriel Terrace, near Crossgates Mall Road;

— B5 faces Western Avenue, on the Gabriel Terrace side of the building; 

There is also a large sign denoting the tire center, in between B1 and B2, facing Crossgates Mall Road.

Additionally, there are four signs proposed, each a little more than 20 square feet, on the four sides of the fueling canopy, and a monument sign is proposed for the corner of Western Avenue and Crossgates Mall Road. 

Soos made the case that so many signs are necessary because Costco doesn’t do traditional marketing or advertising and relies on the visual presence of the store and signs, once again leaving board members unmoved. And at least one member of the public noted the price club already has a cult-like following. 

Sandra Dollard, director of the Guilderland Chamber Commerce, spoke in favor of the signs, reiterating an earlier point about Costco being a “regional” project and customers coming to Guilderland from all over, meaning signs on all sides of the building are necessary for visibility.

Robyn Gray, who chairs the Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth, argued that Costco is a membership club whose members won’t get lost. The proposed signs, Gray said, are for a business on an interstate highway while Guilderland’s Costco is located in a residential-business area.

Lott and board member Sharon Cupoli took issue with the sheer quantity of signs, feeling there were “too many,” and  questioned the necessity of having two signs on one side of the building (B1 and B5 along Western Avenue), suggesting B1 alone might be sufficient. 

Questions were raised about the necessity of signs on other sides — B2 and B4 — in particular B4 on the southeast side of the building near Gabriel Terrace, given the visibility of other signs, like B3 from Crossgates Mall Road, and the primary entrance location.

There were also concerns raised about the signs on the gas canopy. Cupoli noted that, with previous applicants like Cumberland Farms and Stewart’s, the board allowed for digital advertising of gas prices, but not brand-related signage. 

In the end, the board suggested that multiple signs — B4, B5, and those on the gas canopy — be eliminated, and Soos agreed to come back in July after speaking with Costco on a new sign plan.