DeKALB – Trixy O’Flaherty said she’s pleased with proposed changes to the city’s sign ordinance regulations since they’ll allow her to add more signage to the outside of Gordon Hardware, 514 E. Lincoln Highway.
“I like how you guys clarified the calculation of wall sign area that can be brought in,” O’Flaherty, a new commissioner on the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission, said Wednesday. “That’s honestly why I haven’t put more signage on the outside of my store. This seems to have cleared any of those issues up that I had.”
The commission unanimously supports proposed changes to the city’s sign regulations which remove sign restrictions based on content and ease regulations for flashing signs and temporary signage. The changes are also an attempt to update the city’s Unified Development Ordinance as it pertains to sign regulations after a 2015 United States Supreme Court case Reed vs. Town of Gilbert, Arizona, which ruled that regulating signs based on content was unconstitutional.
The amendments next head to the city council for a final vote at a later meeting.
O’Flaherty has owned and operated the downtown hardware store since 2006, city documents show, and said she supports also new changes that will allow business owners to obtain a sign variance easier than before.
“The biggest [concern] I had was the inability in the past to get a variance and having to do either a planned development,” she said. “Which, when I was looking at it was $1,500 and just an enormous hindrance. So I’m very happy with that.”
Commissioner Ron Klein said while he’s not a big supporter of business signs, he commended city staff for their work.
“Generally speaking, I’m not a great fan of signs, especially a lot of the signs that are on the road,” Klein said. “But I guess they’re here to stay. And I like less regulation as a general principle so I think you’ve done a very good job about wading through all of this.”
Though he agreed with Klein, Commissioner Steve Becker also said the changes will allow more businesses in DeKalb to have better support from the city.
“The things that kept popping in my head that I appreciate in your efforts was consistency, clarify and ease of access,” Becker said. “I think those from a governmental body are some of the most important things you can do for your business community.”
Olson said the content neutrality changes will ease some of the city’s legal burdens.
“It seems small but can end up in court a lot,” Olson said. “It’s a matter of First Amendment freedom of speech issues.”
Restrictions on signs in certain zoning districts, size and height, lighted and unlighted, on public or private property, and along the roadways will still remain, according to city documents.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
Be First to Comment