Chesapeake Beach planning panel finalizes structure for revised sign ordinance, schedules public hearing

The Chesapeake Beach Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a near-final draft of the town's sign ordinance on Aug. 27, focusing on document organization, definitions, temporary and portable signs, and enforcement language ahead of a planned public hearing next month.

Commissioners and staff said the draft is close to completion but recommended structural changes to make the ordinance easier for the public and code users to navigate. Planning staff (referred to in the meeting as Miss Franklin) summarized the most recent edits and described four exemptions she removed from a "permit required" subsection after cross-checking the draft.

The commission discussed moving an applicability statement into a separate section so the ordinance's opening "function and purpose" paragraph can stand alone. "I want that beautiful statement to stand alone," one commissioner said, and the panel agreed to place the negative applicability sentence under a new applicability subsection so the purpose language remains prominent. Miss Franklin said the applicability text in the current code and the proposed text were "very similar" and recommended deleting the redundancy.

Member…