You know the one.
That towering, empty Shell sign off West Bandera Road, across from H-E-B. You’ve seen it from I-10. You’ve passed it on your way into town. And you’ve probably wondered — why is that thing still there?
The gas station underneath it was torn down quite some time ago. The tanks were pulled out. And yet, the pole remained — just a giant, rusting eyesore on the horizon.
Well, you’ll be happy to know that it’s finally coming down.
At Monday night’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the developer behind the new Chase Bank (in case you missed it, we broke the story earlier this week that Chase is replacing the Shell station) confirmed that the sign will be removed before construction begins.
In its place? A much shorter, modern monument sign (25 feet tall, about 2 feet wide) — built to city code and more in line with the scenic corridor standards.
The developer is just waiting for permit apprval from the city, and the sign will be removed before construction begins on the new building.
It might seem like a small thing, but for anyone who’s lived here a while, it’s one of those “finally” moments. One more step in cleaning up a highly visible corner of town — and replacing an eyesore with something less intrusive.
We’ll keep an eye on the Chase project as it moves forward. But for now, you can go ahead and say goodbye to the old Shell sign — its time is up.