Commission approves Comfort Inn building signs; pylon and off‑premise signage deferred for code review

The Morgan City Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve building‑mounted signage for the Comfort Inn at 215 Commercial Street and asked planning staff to study off‑premise and pylon signs for that property and return with options.

Background and staff recommendation

Jake (planning staff) told the commission the hotel's rebranding requires replacing multiple building signs atop the cupola and replacing smaller directional signs; staff found the proposed building signs generally consistent with the historic overlay and the CC zone. However, staff flagged a larger, 25‑foot pylon (pole) sign and a preexisting monument/pylon sign that may stand on land outside the hotels recorded parcel. Jake said that earlier pole/monument signage at the site was never formally approved by the city and that staff lacked written authorization from the adjacent landowner for several off‑site directional signs.

City attorney Gary told the commission the city cannot rely on the continued existence of an illegally placed sign as a rationale to permit other off‑premise signage without clear authorization. "Just because one illegal sign continues to exist doesn't mean you have to allow it to continue to exist," he said, and noted that allowing off‑premise signs without clear parameters could create de facto billboard‑style signage.

Motion and conditions

Commissioner Ray moved to approve the three building signs (signs 1–3 in the application) and to authorize staff — including the planner and city attorneys office — to develop clear options for pylon/pole and directional signage and any code amendments needed. The motion passed unanimously. The commission and staff discussed practical next steps: either relocating a pylon or monument sign onto hotel‑owned property, pursuing a code change to allow limited, set‑back pylon signs for buildings set back from the street, or drafting standards governing off‑premise directional signage for downtown locations and future alleyway access changes.

Property owner authorization

Staff emphasized that any approval for signage located on a parcel owned by a different landowner would require written authorization from that landowner before a sign permit could be issued. The commission asked staff to prioritize options that would allow the hotel adequate wayfinding without expanding billboard‑style off‑premise signage in the historic overlay.

Next steps

The commission approved the proposed building signs and directed staff to return with proposed code language or other options for the pylon/directional signs at a future meeting. Any replacement pylon or monument sign sited on a parcel owned by a different entity will need written authorization from that parcels owner before a permit is issued.