Planning and Zoning recommends changes to wall-sign rules, sends ordinance to city council

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted July 2 to recommend that the city council adopt amendments to the town's wall-sign ordinance. Staff said the change shifts measurement from a single lot-total cap to allocation by frontage and by building facade length for large lots, which would allow larger developments and large standalone buildings to use more sign area in ways that reflect their building scale.

Patrick described the problem using the Rechurch lot as an example: "Currently, we limit CB and GB wall signage to three per one with a maximum total for the lot at 200...for the Rechurch lot...they have roughly 350 some square feet of signage on a lot. You can only have 200." The proposed approach assigns 200 square feet per building frontage and adds a building-facade calculation so larger buildings are not unduly constrained.

A long-time meeting attendee who said they had followed meetings for almost a decade criticized the existing approach as inflexible, noting a recent editorial about the Rechurch sign and urging the commission to adopt common-sense fixes.

After discussion, Sherman moved and Johnson seconded a recommendation to city council to adopt the ordinance changes; the motion carried. Staff said the ordinance will appear on the upcoming city council agenda and was expected to be on Monday's council agenda, initiating the council review process.

The commission's recommendation sends the ordinance to city council for its readings and possible adoption; the planning body did not set additional local conditions at the hearing.