Council approves electronic message center sign despite downtown aesthetics concerns

The council approved a conditional use permit for an electronic message center (EMC) freestanding monument sign at 122 Fort Worth Highway after a short public hearing and council discussion about downtown character and brightness.

Lynn Baber (speaker 14), a downtown resident, said she worried the sign’s 24/7 lighting and changing messages would be “a very odd addition to the…historic downtown” and questioned whether it would be lit and changing around the clock. Carrie Davis (speaker 15), who said she owns digital signs, told the council Weatherford’s ordinance requires an eight-second hold time and prohibits flashing: “These signs in Parker County and in Weatherford are static. They simply have a static image that changes every 8 seconds.”

Applicant Tony Aaron (speaker 16) said the monument sign will be shorter and match the brick of the building it serves and that the intent is to promote downtown events and the car museum, not create a flashing nuisance. Council members asked staff (Scott McDonald, speaker 12) about lumen/brightness controls; staff confirmed regulations limit brightness (nits) for LED EMCs and that the city enforces those standards. Mayor Pro Tem Zach Smith (speaker 3) noted similar signs already exist nearby and sought a compromise, suggesting the council consider lumens limits if needed.

After discussion the council moved to approve the permit (motion by Mayor Pro Tem Zach Smith; second by Rod White). The applicant and supporters argued the sign will help promote downtown activity; opponents raised the need to preserve the historic streetscape and to enforce brightness limits.