Crestview planning board recommends ordinance imposing spacing and height limits for signs along Fallen Heroes Way

The Crestview Special Planning and Development Board on May 27 voted to recommend Ordinance 2001 to the City Council, approving new spacing and height restrictions for commercial signs along the Fallen Heroes Way corridor near Interstate 10 (I-10) and the planned East West Connector.

A city planning staff member told the board the draft ordinance revises the earlier proposal to include a minimum spacing requirement for signs, sets a fixed maximum height rather than tying allowed height to the interstate or connector roadway, and reduces the geographic scope so the sign rules stop at the southern boundary of Fallen Heroes Way. “What staff did was go through and revise the provisions in the ordinance to have a spacing requirement for the signs in the corridor area, to establish a maximum height … and then we modified the area to stop at the southern boundary of Fallen Heroes Way,” the staff member said.

The staff member also said upcoming changes to Florida statutes influenced the decision to take a more restrictive local approach now, noting that it would be easier to relax local rules in the future than to tighten them if state law changes. “If we need to, we can reevaluate in the future,” the staff member said.

A motion to recommend approval of Ordinance 2001 was recorded in the meeting. The record shows a board member identified in the audio as “Mr. Eckles” moved the motion and Board member Medlock seconded it; the board approved the recommendation by voice vote. (Earlier in the meeting a person identified as “Mr. Echols” led the pledge; the audio contains both pronunciations/spellings.)

The ordinance title read into the record describes the measure as an amendment to Section 7.020.05 of the City of Crestview Land Development Code and includes standard municipal provisions for authority, severability, scrivener’s errors, liberal construction, repeal of conflicting codes and an effective date. There were no public comments on the item at the special meeting and the board adjourned shortly after the vote.

Ordinance 2001 will next be considered by the Crestview City Council, which will determine whether to adopt the code changes.

Ending details: The special meeting concluded with no public speakers on the agenda item and no further board discussion recorded.