Doylestown Target Store Is Taking Shape; Zoning Board Approves Signage

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — The Doylestown Borough Zoning Hearing Board on Thursday granted relief to the Target Corporation for signage at its new store scheduled to open early this year at the Doylestown Shopping Center on North Main Street and Veterans Lane.

Construction is moving forward on the new 73,000 square foot retail store, which is being built across from Planet Fitness at the site of the former Bon-Ton Department Store, the Mercantile, Essentials Salon and the Hallmark store.

In addition to its retail operations, the new store will house a CVS Pharmacy and a Starbucks. The new store also will offer an order pick up service allowing customers to order in advance and pickup at the store without having to leave their car.

The new store takes shape at the Doylestown Shopping Center. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

During this week's zoning hearing board meeting, Allison Mathern, the senior portfolio and development manager for Target, asked the board for zoning relief for four signs designed to direct customers to designated parking spaces for the store's order pickup service.

The signage includes drive-up signs mounted on the side and front of the building, an order pick up sign mounted on the front of the building with an arrow pointing toward the parking area and a free standing sidewalk sign directing drivers to the order pickup parking area. The order pickup parking area will be located along the side of the store facing Veterans Lane.

Under the ordinance, the directional signs would be limited to four square feet each. The proposed signs measure between 18 and 36 square feet making them visible to the parking lot.

"When you're looking at the building you will barely see the Starbucks sign which is four square feet," said Mathern. "If you're trying to direct someone in a vehicle to somewhere in the parking lot signage that is four square feet is really not sufficient," she said.

She also noted that the order pickup service is relatively new "so we're also tying to educate customers as to where they should go. Efficient signage is the best way to do that and to get them to where they need to be quickly, safely and easily," she told the zoning board.

The signage package also included two iconic Target bullseye signs mounted on the building and the addition of a Target sign to the shopping center's directory sign on North Main Street, which did not require variances.

The shopping center is also home to more than 20 other businesses, including ACME Market, Planet Fitness, Staples, Famous Footwear, Bacco Italian Bistro, Starbucks, Wendy’s, and Turning Point.

The center has been without a second major anchor since the Bon-Ton Department store closed its doors in 2018.

Images showing some of the signage at the new Target store coming to the Doylestown Shopping Center. (Doylestown Borough)