Loomis planning commission recommends council review updated sign ordinance with limited digital signage
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Summary
After extended staff presentation and public comment, the Planning Commission voted to forward an amended Title 13, Chapter 13.38 sign ordinance to the Town Council, recommending limits on animated content, proposed locations for programmable monument signs on town property, A-frame rules and a maintenance requirement; staff will consolidate edits for council review.
The Loomis Planning Commission voted to forward recommended amendments to Title 13, Chapter 13.38 (signs) to the Town Council, adopting Resolution 2602 as amended by the commission. The changes aim to update a 2003 sign code to address programmable digital displays while limiting animated or flashing content and specifying eligible locations and content restrictions.
Town Planner Christie explained the ad hoc committee’s work dating to 2022 and described what the amendment would allow and prohibit: programmable digital monument signs and limited digital sandwich/A-frame displays are under consideration, but digital billboards, animated/moving/flashing messages, wall-mounted animated displays and programmable window signs are prohibited. The amendment would limit programmable digital content to public information, safety messages and town-related events, with staff proposing a content standard to avoid commercial advertising on town-owned monument signs.
Staff presented candidate town-owned locations for monument signs (Horseshoe Bar Road near the Starbucks entrance, Station 18, Chamber of Commerce property, the Loomis Library, Veterans Memorial Hall, the Depot and associated parking areas) and offered cost estimates for sign types (traditional reader boards $1,000–$10,000; programmable LEDs roughly $1,000–$7,000; full-color digital $10,000–$15,000). The draft also replaces the term "site" with "parcel" in several places and proposes an allowance for one A-frame per business (rather than per parcel) or, alternatively, discretionary authorization by the town planner for multi-tenant parcels.
Commissioners debated political sign time windows (45 vs. 60 days before an election and 14–15 days after) and resolved to harmonize the code to reference a codified election date; they also discussed adding a maintenance provision requiring permitted signs be kept in good repair and linking enforcement to the town’s nuisance-abatement process.
Public comment included business and resident perspectives. Frank Nieto told the commission the ordinance is "timely and important" but warned that strict operational burdens (encroachment permits, insurance, daily removal, ADA constraints) could discourage small businesses; he urged flexibility to support local revenue and sponsorship opportunities. Longtime resident Cheryl Benson urged preserving Loomis’s "classic" character and opposed widespread digital signage, saying residents "like it that way" and expressing concern that enforcement capacity is limited. Another resident described glare from an existing illuminated clock and said that increased digital signage could be visually intrusive.
Commissioners and staff discussed enforcement and liability: encroachment permits and insurance requirements are likely to remain for signs that occupy the public right of way, and town enforcement is complaint-driven with a part-time code officer; commissioners suggested periodic outreach to remind businesses of ADA clearance and maintenance obligations.
After incorporating commissioner edits and the public comments into the draft, the commission moved to recommend the ordinance to the Town Council (Resolution 2602, as amended). The motion passed; one commissioner said they were "still uncomfortable" with the scale of change but voted yes. Staff will consolidate the commission’s edits and present a clean draft to council for final action.
