Council hears proposal to update sign code to allow color electronic message boards and three-sided wall signs

Clayton Comstock, a city planning staff presenter, told the City Council on Jan. 13 that staff will bring an ordinance to the council later this month to update Chapter 106 of the sign code to allow modern electronic message boards and to relax limits on wall signage.

Comstock said the primary drivers for the proposed changes are requests from North Richland Hills-area public schools and houses of worship and the fact that current technology and the market have outpaced the city's standards. "Right now, our standards are antiquated at this point and we have technology that's surpassing the limitations of our current standards," Comstock said. He noted the current code limits reader boards to low-intensity amber lighting on a black background: "They have to be only amber with a black background."

Why it matters: staff said the proposed update is intended to allow schools and churches that are already allowed to locate in many zoning districts…