Peoria council takes first step to modernize sign code, updates billboard inventory to 83

The Peoria City Council on March 24 received and filed a first reading of proposed amendments to the city’s Unified Development Code governing signs, a package staff said is meant to bring local rules into compliance with a 2015 Supreme Court decision on content‑neutral regulation.

Leah Allison, assistant community development director, told the council staff proposes classifying temporary signs as commercial or noncommercial and regulating them by size and placement rather than message. "The biggest adjustment ... is to be content neutral," Allison said, explaining the update affects temporary signage and the categorization of commercial versus noncommercial temporary signs.

Among proposed permanent‑sign changes, staff recommended reducing the maximum freestanding sign height to 15 feet and increasing separation requirements in some cases to reduce visual clutter. Allison also presented an updated inventory of off‑premise billboards and said there are currently 83 billboards in the city; the proposal updates the code to reflect that number and would allow replacements of nonconforming billboards under specific conditions, including replacement by right if a billboard changes ownership.

Corporation Counsel Hayes added the replacement provision is meant to remove an unintended market advantage billboard operators used in lease negotiations and to restore negotiating power to property owners. Councilmembers asked about how the city determines a traffic hazard, inventory accuracy and how changes would apply across form‑code districts. Staff said they will return with targeted language and graphics for council review.

A motion to receive and file the first reading passed unanimously; staff will prepare specific amendments and return for further consideration.