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Council considers allowing limited electronic message centers on Madison Street, Tiny Town and Fort Campbell corridors
Summary
City planning staff proposed allowing limited electronic message centers on Madison Street and in Tiny Town and Fort Campbell design overlays, setting size and dimming guidelines while deferring citywide EMC rules for more stakeholder input.
City planning staff presented an ordinance amendment that would allow electronic message centers (EMCs) — LED signs displaying text or images — in the Madison Street design overlay and codify allowances already recommended for the Tiny Town and Fort Campbell corridors.
Mister Tindall said the amendment grew from a December 2023 review and recent business and school/church requests. He explained the Madison Street allowance would permit a freestanding sign up to 50 square feet with up to 25 square feet of EMC and a maximum height of 20 feet. A monument sign could be up to 30 square feet and 4 feet tall, with 60% of that monument sign (about 18 square feet) allowed as EMC. The ordinance also would allow smaller existing changeable‑copy signs to convert to EMCs so long as they do not exceed their current area and remain under 25 square feet.
Tindall said the council deferred citywide EMC regulations to refine technical standards such as animation pause time and dimming requirements. “We have no rules right now on electronic message centers,” he said, and the deferred section will address timing, dimming, and anti‑flicker provisions. The amendment already includes site‑lighting rules: parking and security lighting must be directed downward, not cast into the right of way, and must not strobe or flash.
Council members generally voiced support. Councilman Streetman said many older sign change jobs are difficult for church volunteers and that EMCs would modernize the corridor; Councilman Chandler expressed concern about not penalizing existing businesses and asked about enforcement of lighting that spills into the right of way. Chandler said many businesses currently point lights toward the right of way and asked how enforcement would be handled; staff noted enforcement would come through the planning/building and code‑enforcement processes during permit and compliance checks.
No final council vote on the Madison Street portion is recorded in the transcript; Tindall said the deferred, citywide regulations would return next month after additional stakeholder discussion.
