Bloomington council adopts revised sign code and hires consultant after public concern about historic markers

Bloomington — The City Council voted Feb. 23 to adopt amendments to the city’s sign rules and to proceed with a professional services contract to rework the sign code with broad public participation.

The ordinance changes update Chapter 3 (advertising/sign code) and add a Chapter 44 zoning component to create a clear review and approval process for signage on public property and in city rights-of-way. City Manager Jurgens said the changes include routing historic-signage reviews through the Historic Preservation Commission to protect interpretive markers while establishing a consistent process for new proposals.

“Alyssa Pemberton, the planning manager, said Bloomington’s sign code was adopted in 1979 and has been largely pared back over time as case law changed what is constitutional. She told council staff preferred a consultant that “heavily focuses on public participation and visual preference of our community” rather than copying a neighboring town’s code.

The vote follows public comment raising concerns that proposed numerical limits could unintentionally exclude existing historic interpretive signs. Greg Koos, who identified himself as a lifelong Bloomington resident, thanked council members “for getting it dealt with so quickly” but told the council that the Illinois State Historical Society and the Looking for Lincoln Coalition manage interpretive signage and that, in his view, several of those signs would not fit the ordinance as originally proposed.

Council member Kearns removed the consent agenda item tied to the professional-services agreement (item 7e) for separate discussion before the council moved forward. Planning staff noted an updated ordinance was circulated the day of the meeting that increased the total proposed square footage cap from 12 to 16 to address some concerns.

The council approved the professional-services agreement and then approved the ordinance amendments with no recorded nays. Planning manager Alyssa Pemberton said the changes do not apply to private property or to IDOT right-of-way and stressed the goal of tailoring the code to Bloomington’s preferences rather than adopting the Town of Normal’s rules verbatim.

What’s next: staff will work with the contracted consultant on a public-engagement process and bring further drafts and recommendations back to the council for review and any additional changes.