Committee denies request for 15x15 LED message board at Medal of Honor Heritage Center

The Chattanooga City form-based code committee voted to deny a request from the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center for a 15-by-15-foot LED message board on the Aquarium Plaza facade.

Vince Butler, speaking for the center, said the board "will not be used for commercial advertising," will be turned off at closing and would help the center reach school groups and tourists. Supporters in public comment — including Bill Rains and local historian Linda Moss Mines — said the center needs modern, tasteful ways to attract young visitors and to make the museum more visible behind trees and a pedestrian overpass.

Committee members and staff raised concerns about light pollution, precedent for other businesses in the tourist district and the practical enforceability of proposed restrictions (such as turning the board off at 5 p.m.). A staff member warned that "the issue is is light pollution and light trespass," and several members said they were reluctant to set a visual precedent in the plaza.

The chair put a motion on the record referencing Chattanooga City code section 38-5-96-4 and the form-based code conditions, specifically moving to deny allowance of the message center sign and to deny the request to exceed maximum ground-floor sign area. The committee voted "Aye" and the chair announced the application was denied on the record.

Applicants said they were willing to accept restrictions, including an agreement to remove the board if the museum later moves, but the committee concluded the request was inconsistent with the city's sign policies for the plaza and expressed concern about precedent for other tourism-area businesses.

Next steps: the denial was recorded on the meeting record; the Heritage Center may revise the proposal and return to the committee with alternatives that reduce visual impact or further clarify controls.