Planning commission recommends electronic display sign at Ivy Baptist Church with nighttime limits
November 05, 2025 | Newport News (Independent City), Virginia
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Planning staff said the church is a permitted community facility under the city’s 1 City, 1 Future 2040 comprehensive plan and that the sign ordinance allows an electronic display on a community facility in a residential district with a conditional use permit. Staff noted the proposed sign dimensions (7.5 feet in height and a 19.9‑square‑foot electronic display) fall well under ordinance limits (10 feet and 32 square feet) and recommended 14 conditions to limit impacts, including automatic dimming controls tied to ambient light, a complete shutoff of illumination between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and brightness caps (no greater than 10,000 foot‑candles from sunrise to sunset and no greater than 700 foot‑candles between sunset and sunrise, with the sign not illuminated between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.).
Gail Chalmers, a trustee of Ivy Baptist Church, confirmed the electronic display will replace the existing reader board and that the church understands and will operate the sign within the proposed illumination schedule.
Planning staff recommended approval subject to the 14 listed conditions; the commission voted to forward the recommendation to City Council. The City Council will hear the request on Dec. 9, 2025.
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