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Council amends development code to define and regulate murals downtown
Summary
The Gastonia City Council voted unanimously April 15 to amend the Unified Development Ordinance to add a definition and basic standards for murals, with downtown design review required in central business and urban mixed-use districts.
The Gastonia City Council voted unanimously April 15 to amend the city’s Unified Development Ordinance to add a definition and limited standards for murals and to require downtown design review for murals in central business and urban mixed‑use districts.
City senior planner Jordan Tubbs told the council the change fills a gap in the code: “The proposed definition for mural is ‘a sign displaying only a noncommercial message that is painted or drawn on a building wall.’” He said the amendment adds basic maintenance and material standards and limits murals to nonresidential districts and no more than two facades per building.
The change is intended to allow artistic wall treatments while distinguishing murals from commercial signage. Under the amendment, murals must be maintained in good condition, must use weather‑resistant paint and cannot obscure doors or windows. Tubbs said any portion of a mural that contains a commercial message would require a sign permit, and that applicants may include the artist’s name in the artwork.
The Planning Commission reviewed the amendment on April 3 and voted unanimously to recommend approval; Tubbs said staff found the amendment consistent with the Gastonia 2025 comprehensive plan. Council discussion focused on whether vinyl “super‑graphics” or large printed historic photographs should be treated the same as painted murals. Council members asked staff to return with clarifying language or a separate category for printed wall graphics so future applications could be processed without delay.
After discussion, a councilmember moved to close the public hearing and approve the ordinance amendment as presented; the motion was seconded and passed by unanimous voice vote. Council then approved a separate motion adopting a statement that the amendment is consistent with the Gastonia 2025 comprehensive plan and is reasonable and in the public interest; that motion also passed unanimously.
The ordinance amendment is filed as Unified Development Ordinance amendment, file number 2022500127; it takes effect according to the procedural rules for ordinance amendments and will require individual downtown design review approvals where specified.
