Chesapeake Beach planning commission starts rewrite of town sign ordinance, asks staff to draft exemptions and illumination rules

Chesapeake Beach — The Chesapeake Beach Planning & Zoning Commission on Jan. 22, 2025 reviewed a draft update to the town’s sign ordinance and directed staff to return with a revised draft that (1) creates a dedicated exemptions section, (2) spells out illumination and electronic-sign rules (brightness and motion), and (3) reorganizes the code so temporary, portable and prohibited signs are easier for residents and businesses to find.

The discussion followed a slideshow by town planner Sarah Franklin, who analyzed existing signs and identified a mix of permitted signs, signs installed without permits and a number of electronic or internally illuminated displays. “A lot of this is electronic signs, and with electronic signs, your biggest issues are, like, how bright they are and how that motion is happening,” Franklin told the commission during the presentation.

Why it matters: Commissioners said clearer, shorter ordinance language and explicit exemptions would reduce enforcement confusion, protect pedestrian and driver safety and give business owners predictable rules. Council Member Kathleen Berault, who attended the meeting, said the town needs a careful but usable code: “I’m a real strong proponent of a strong signage ordinance,” she said, adding public safety and visual aesthetics should be top priorities.

What staff presented and what commissioners debated

Franklin showed photos and short video clips of signs across town that the draft labels nonconforming — examples included electronic message boards, neon “open” signs, multiple paper/window signs at single storefronts and a rooftop sign that projects above the roofline. She noted the current ordinance contains a 20-foot height limit for freestanding signs and that the volunteer fire department’s electronic sign was permitted through a variance; most of the other illuminated signs shown lack permits.

Commissioners and the planner focused on several recurring issues:

- Electronic signs and illumination: Commissioners discussed regulating both brightness (a measurable limit Franklin said she could provide) and hold/change times to reduce distracting motion. The commission asked Franklin to draft explicit illumination standards and options for limiting how often content may change on electronic displays.

- Nonconforming signs and repairs: The draft currently allows repainting or repapering of existing signs without a new permit. Commissioners asked staff to add clearer nonconforming-sign rules (for example, a definition of “substantial repair” or a percentage threshold) so owners cannot replace an old nonconforming sign piecemeal and effectively create a new, noncompliant installation.

- Organization and user clarity: Commissioners asked that the ordinance be reorganized so exemptions, temporary signs, portable signs and prohibited sign types are easy to find (several members said short bullet sections help lay readers and code enforcers).

- Legal limits and content neutrality: Franklin cautioned the commission that sign rules cannot regulate content; she said the town attorney had reviewed draft language intended to allow existing, unpermitted electronic signs to remain only if they meet new limits on motion and brightness. Commissioners asked staff to confirm wording with town counsel so the ordinance remains content-neutral and defensible.

Quotes from meeting participants

“I'm a real strong proponent of a strong signage ordinance,” said Council Member Kathleen Berault, adding that public safety, visual aesthetics and business identification should guide drafting. Sarah Franklin, the town planner and newly promoted zoning administrator, summarized technical concerns: “A lot of this is electronic signs, and with electronic signs, your biggest issues are, like, how bright they are and how that motion is happening.” The commission chair said they would not vote on any ordinance changes that night but asked Franklin to return with the reorganized draft and illumination guidance.

Staff directions and next steps

The commission did not adopt ordinance language or take a formal legislative vote on the text. Instead commissioners gave clear drafting directions to planner Franklin: produce a revised draft that (a) adds a dedicated exemptions section, (b) includes measurable brightness and hold-time limits for electronic/illuminated signs, (c) clarifies treatment of nonconforming signs and repairs (including proposed definitions or thresholds), and (d) reorganizes the document for readability (separate sections for temporary, portable and prohibited signs). Franklin said she would prepare a new packet and a comparative slideshow for the next meeting.

Votes at a glance (housekeeping, not ordinance votes)

- Motion to approve the Jan. 22, 2025 meeting agenda — mover: Mary Sue Greisman; second: Larry Brown; outcome: approved (housekeeping vote). - Motion to approve minutes of the Nov. 20, 2024 meeting — second recorded; outcome: approved (housekeeping vote). - Motion to reschedule November/December 2025 dates (housekeeping scheduling item discussed) — outcome: approved (housekeeping vote). - Motion to adjourn and set next meeting for Feb. 26, 2025 — outcome: approved; meeting adjourned.

What was not decided

No ordinance text was adopted and no public hearing date for final action was set at the meeting. Commissioners discussed a goal of completing a draft suitable for council review by spring, but several members said the work likely will take a few more meetings. The commission also left open the precise numeric values for brightness and message-hold times pending Franklin’s research and legal review.

Next meeting

Planner Franklin said she would return with the revised draft (including an exemptions section and illumination guidance) plus an annotated slideshow. The commission scheduled its next meeting for Feb. 26, 2025 to continue deliberations and to review the revised material.

Reporting note: The article is based on the Jan. 22, 2025 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting transcript for the Town of Chesapeake Beach; quotes are verbatim from the meeting record and are attributed to speakers who spoke on the record about the sign ordinance.