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Danville preservation board opens broad review of downtown signage, enforcement and district priorities
Summary
The Danville Architectural Heritage Board spent the bulk of its Dec. 3 meeting debating sign-design guidelines, enforcement gaps across the city, and plans for a Jan. 7 district walkthrough with the hired consultant; members favored focusing the board on permanent architectural impacts rather than temporary signage.
Members of the Danville Architectural Heritage Board used the Dec. 3 special call meeting to begin a wider review of sign-design rules, enforcement and how the board should prioritize its workload in the historic district.
Preservation staff told the board it will hold a walkthrough on Jan. 7 with the hired consultant and invited the chair or vice chair to attend. Staff urged commissioners to review suggested window-design guidance and signage project objectives provided in the meeting packet before a larger public meeting in January; the consultant has experience with Covington, Ky., design guidelines and was recommended as a model.
Board members debated whether the board should create stricter signage criteria or pursue incentives and education. One member urged the board to write a structured letter to the city, county and planning and zoning offices asking for more consistent enforcement of yard signs and poles, saying repeated violations near downtown undermine the district’s aesthetic. Another member argued incentives and awards might be a better tool than rigid rules: "We could come up with awards for people who do sensitively thoughtful, architecturally appropriate [signage]," a board member said.
Staff cautioned that the board’s authority should focus on permanent architectural changes that alter or obscure historic fabric; temporary signs that do not affect the building’s architecture were described repeatedly as an aesthetic issue best handled through standards plus enforcement. The board discussed both enforcement limits and the potential for including signage categories in the board’s forthcoming report to the city commission. Staff advised the board that the National Park Service does not require a certificate of appropriateness for signage, so establishing sign standards would not jeopardize the board’s Certified Local Government status.
Other items: staff noted the board had been granted a subscription to the National Association of Preservation Commissions and encouraged members to complete a webinar; staff also updated the board on a successful Crawford House restoration in Perryville and said the owner (Harold Edwards) is a candidate for a preservation award.
Next steps: staff will convene the Jan. 7 walkthrough and a larger public meeting, circulate Covington design examples and consultant materials, and the board discussed drafting a letter to enforcement authorities about recurring yard- and pole-sign violations.
