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Business owners ask commission to review sign ordinance after notice to Lotus Up
Summary
Lotus Up owner Jamie Gilface asked the commission to reexamine the city’s sign ordinance and enforcement practices after receiving a nonconformance notice; commissioners agreed to involve Planning & Zoning and Historic Preservation in a working group.
Jamie Gilface, owner of Lotus Up Espresso, told the commission on May 19 she received a city letter alleging sign-code nonconformance and said she and legal counsel could not find where her sign violated the ordinance. Gilface asked whether downtown banners that the city installs for promotional and historic purposes are treated differently than business banners and urged the city to consider affordability and fairness for small businesses.
Gilface described costs for replacement signage—"a simple banner at 2.8, or 2 by 8 banner cost about $80" and a 4-by-8 board sign costing about $1,025 for installation—and said the ordinance’s frontage-based square-foot limits could hinder small and new businesses. Gilface asked when the ordinance was last reviewed, whether banners can be permitted for businesses, and proposed a working group of business owners, residents and staff to recommend updates and explore a permitting pathway for high-quality seasonal and permanent banners.
Commissioners and staff acknowledged historic-preservation involvement in sign permitting and agreed to refer the matter to Planning and Zoning and Historic Preservation for further study. The city administrator (Robin) said Dennis had mailed over 60 letters related to enforcement, and Mayor (unnamed) said staff will follow the ordinance but can initiate a review. Commissioners proposed a preliminary meeting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, ahead of the P&Z meeting to include representatives of Historic Preservation and Planning & Zoning and to invite business owners and the public to participate.
Gilface asked the commission to allow 30 days before any mandatory removals to permit the proposed review or to suspend notices while discussions proceed; city staff noted the ordinance already provides processes for appeals and suspensions. Commissioner Terry Smith and other speakers emphasized the ordinance’s intent to preserve downtown aesthetics and recommended the working group include impacted business owners so changes reflect community needs.
