Fountain Hills planners debate expanding downtown sign rules; no formal change adopted

The Fountain Hills Planning and Zoning Commission on May 12 discussed potential revisions to Chapter 6 of the town zoning ordinance that governs sign types and display limits in the downtown and commercial areas.

Commissioners heard staff present a range of options — from allowing more A-frame signs and lengthening banner-permit durations to creating rules for railing signs and setting different limits on yard signs during election season — and took public comment from a Chamber of Commerce representative and a resident who raised safety concerns about railing signage.

The discussion matters because any change would affect downtown visibility for businesses, the town’s visual character along avenues such as the Avenue of the Fountains, and homeowner and public-safety concerns.

Staff summarized current rules and suggested edits. Under the existing ordinance for A-frame signs staff said each commercial business may place one A-frame sign (two if the business has two public entrances); one sign may be up to 6 square feet, or a cumulative 9 square feet if two signs are allowed, and display is restricted to between sunrise and sunset. At the January Council meeting, a council member proposed allowing up to four A-frame signs and increasing size limits to 8 square feet; commissioners largely expressed concern that allowing four unlimited signs could create visual clutter and defeat the signs’ purpose.

Banner permits currently last 30 days with up to four renewals (a total of 150 days) at $50 per renewal; council discussion suggested extending the initial permit to 90 days with an option to reach up to 364 days in total. Commissioners debated that extension versus keeping a shorter initial limit with the option of a temporary-use permit for additional display time.

Commissioners also discussed railing signs (no current provision). Some commissioners and several commissioners’ comments favored limiting railing signs because they approach building-mounted signage and create a cluttered appearance; others said railing signs could be allowable in specific alcove situations where storefront visibility is limited. Commissioners suggested options such as allowing either a building-mounted sign or a railing-mounted sign but not both, and limiting size by square footage. A Chamber of Commerce speaker had told the commission earlier that a merchants’ letter included 37 wet signatures supporting the downtown initiatives: "And it's the initiatives that the Avenue Merchants Association spent countless hours to put together and had 37 wet signatures of businesses who participated in that. So I do believe it brings with it a lot of weight of what the business community would like to see happen." (Betsy LaVoy, Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce).

On yard signs, the current ordinance allows two yard signs per residential property. Commissioners discussed allowing four during election season and limiting other commercial-style wire-frame yard signs outside of election season; some commissioners proposed time limits (30–60 days) or tying temporary service-related signs (for roofing, painting, etc.) to an active permit.

Commissioners emphasized several implementation options rather than blanket changes. Multiple speakers suggested the special-use-permit (SUP) process as a case-by-case alternative for businesses with unique storefront constraints; others warned that using SUPs for temporary or small-scale signage would open a “Pandora’s box” of administrative workload and might be inappropriate for these low‑permanence signs.

Public comment included a Chamber of Commerce representative who provided merchant petitions and support letters for downtown sign flexibility, and resident Lori Troller, who urged caution about railing signs on safety grounds: "Railings are a safety thing... There's got to be OSHA standards, and I wouldn't think you're allowed to hang anything off a safety thing that's probably OSHA related." (Lori Troller, resident).

There was a motion on the dais to recommend no changes to the existing sign ordinance, made during the meeting and seconded, but the mover withdrew the motion after staff advised that the item had not been advertised as a decision item and additional public input might be warranted. No formal recommendation was forwarded to the Town Council at the meeting. Staff told the commission it will review the transcript, refine options and return with a text-amendment proposal if warranted; commissioners signaled they want staff to bring a more focused set of proposed edits to a future, advertised meeting prior to any Council action.

The commission closed the sign discussion without adopting ordinance language; next steps are for staff to prepare draft text amendments for a future meeting where the commission can take a formal recommendation to Town Council.