Dispatches from the Code War

I suggest that everyone in the sign industry subscribe to Google Alerts for “sign codes”, “sign ordinance” and similar taxonomies. Trust me, you’ll receive sign-legislation updates almost daily. Here are a few more applicable news items:

• Perry, GA’s City Council has approved a new sign ordinance by a 5-1 margin, according to the Macon Daily Telegraph, although 12 of the 13 residents who spoke during the meeting’s public-comment portion opposed the proposal. The ordinance forbids banners, flags, inflatables and other “wind-blown” advertising signage. The most onerous change to constituents was outlawing the use of American flags as promotional items on commercial properties. According to City Manager Lee Gilmour, the ordinance created a uniform city sign code — banners were previously allowed in the downtown area, but not elsewhere in Perry.
• Cuero, TX residents are objecting to McDonald’s efforts to preserve a 75-ft.-tall sign at a property abandoned to open a newer, adjacent restaurant, according to the Victoria Advocate. McDonald’s had built the vertical sign in 1994, when the city lacked a sign code, and objecting residents were powerless to prevent it. McDonald’s opened a new location a block away, but said it planned to retain the vacant property to allow overflow parking. However, the article states access to the restaurant from the old lot would require crossing a five-lane highway without a crosswalk. McDonald’s applied for a conditional-use permit to keep the old property and sign, which the city granted without bringing the issue before the Cuero’s Planning and Zoning Commission or City Council. Cuero resident Jeff Steen said the move indicates poor governance; however, he’d accept the decision if the Council voted to retain the sign.
• Gallatin, TN city officials are proceeding with sign-ordinance changes that would allow electronic message centers within the city limits, according to The Tennessean. In a rare joint planning meeting, the Gallatin City Council and Planning Commission discussed allowing the displays for businesses usage, as well as green lighting the replacement of static billboards with electronic counterparts within city limits. Lamar Outdoor Adv.’s Nashville branch, which operates 23 billboards throughout Gallatin, initially requested the sign-ordinance change. Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown said, “I don’t want our city to look junky, but I also have seen digital billboards that look good. There has to be some way to control [them] and provide the opportunity for business.”
• San Clemente, CA’s City Council is considering a ban on all signs that face I-5 as it passes through the city, which has aroused vocal local opposition. In the San Clemente Times, local resident Christy MacBride-Hart said she opposed new signs on vertical poles that reach the freeway, as well as video signage or building wraps that face the freeway, but added, “Zero signs facing the freeway? Does that mean Staples will have to remove its sign over its front door because it can be seen from the freeway? Why can’t the City Council find compromise that won’t hurt local business?” Also published in the Times, fellow San Clementean Kerry Sink opined, “In Santa Barbara, you need a smartphone to find your destination and it sucks. This city needs signs to take advantage of the constant delays in freeway traffic to welcome visitors as they pass through our lovely town, not having to be distracted by their smartphone to locate a restaurant or a mini shopping spree to break up their commute.”