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Council approves joint hearing for Cultural District expansion and sign-code updates
Summary
City staff proposed expanding the Cultural District overlay and amending the sign code to regulate billboards, electronic messaging and sign heights by roadway; council adopted a resolution to hold a joint City Council–Planning Commission hearing April 1 and directed alternative notice procedures.
City staff presented a proposed expansion of San Angelo’s Cultural District overlay and a set of sign-code amendments at the March 7 meeting; the City Council voted 6–0 to adopt a resolution calling a joint public hearing of the council and the Planning Commission on April 1, 2025.
Planning staff described the proposed Cultural District boundary that would encompass Fort Concho, the RiverStage, the railroad museum and adjacent areas from Abe Street to Russ/Allen Street along the Concho River. The overlay would align zoning to allow general commercial, office-warehouse and residential uses consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and would simplify approvals for some institutional properties such as Fort Concho. Staff said properties that become vacant for two years would revert to general commercial from heavier commercial designations.
On signage, staff recommended classifying billboards clearly (rather than the prior “off-site” designation), updating standards for electronic message boards (including dimming and residential buffers), and moving from zoning-district-based sign heights to roadway-classification-based heights (arterial/collector/local) to reduce confusion and increase predictability. Staff said the proposal responds to recent court rulings and aims to balance business communication needs with aesthetics and driver safety.
Staff scheduled town-hall meetings for both items (March 13 at the Tom Green County Library for signs; the Fine Arts Museum for the Cultural District), said draft ordinances are posted online, and requested an alternative notice procedure of publication 15 days before the joint meeting. The council approved the resolution to call the joint hearing and the alternative notice method by unanimous vote. Councilmembers thanked the task force and staff for the work and asked staff to continue outreach to property owners and sign companies.
