December 9, 2025

By Mary Beth Gahan

The largest sign at Marcus High School’s stadium is 6 feet tall. At Flower Mound High, it’s 4 feet.

When Argyle ISD’s new stadium in Canyon Falls is complete, they hope to affix a sign with its logo on the back of the press box. Its proposed size is 24 feet tall.

That was too large for Flower Mound planning and zoning commission, which recommended denial for the signage at its Monday meeting. Even though other high schools in the metroplex have larger logos, commissioners said, that size is not in line with stadiums in the town and doesn’t follow local code.

“I think it’s enormous,” said commissioner Clare Harris.

The exception request will go to the town council, where there will need to be a super majority to approve it.  

Before commissioners moved to deny, the architect pointed out that Flower Mound and Marcus’s stadiums were built decades ago and the trend is bigger now.

“It’s consistent with the stadiums that are being built across the state of Texas now, and Marcus and flower mound, have been involved in some of those stadiums as the architect along the way back 20 years ago, they’re older in height,” said Marty Sims of VLK Architects. “They are not what we’d propose if we were building Marcus or Flower Mound stadiums today.”

Sherman ISD will soon open a $55 million stadium designed by VLK. Arlington ISD’s Glaspie Field, also a VLK project, has 10,000 seats and a three-story press box.

In Flower Mound, an ordinance allows for signs up to 300 square feet. The proposed sign on the would be 534 square feet, if approved.

The athletic complex includes an indoor athletic center with a 60-yard artificial turf field and stadium that will seat 7,500 people. Funds were approved through a 2022 bond election and both projects are expected to cost nearly $36 million total.

One planning commissioner asked why the architects didn’t realize the size of the sign would be a problem when they made the press box so large.

“I don't understand how we got here. It feels like we're kind of stuck, right? I don't understand why this didn't come up while you were designing the building,” commissioner Scott Langley said.

Sims said they went before planning and zoning commission, as well as town council, for to allow the height of the 11,000-square-foot press box to exceed the town’s maximum of 35 feet. Both approved the variance and the press box has been constructed to be 105 feet tall.

Now, a smaller sign on the press box would “look like a postage stamp,” Sims said.