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Bedford staff revises sign ordinance draft, advises against electronic reader boards on wall signs
Summary
City planning staff returned a red-lined sign ordinance draft to the Planning and Zoning Commission on April 23, adding primary/secondary wall-sign definitions, clarifying HOA exemptions and lighting, and recommending against permitting electronic reader boards as part of wall signs; no formal action was taken.
City planning staff returned a red-lined draft of Bedford’s sign ordinance to the Planning and Zoning Commission at its April 23 meeting and sought commissioners’ feedback before presenting the draft to city council.
Staff highlighted two new definitions in the draft — primary wall sign and secondary wall sign — and said the revised document preserves retail and wall-sign allowances in the Master Highway corridor overlay. The draft also clarifies exemptions for homeowner and property-owner association signs, with staff noting those signs should generally be no more than 4 feet in height and not greater than 6 square feet in area.
On lighting, staff added modern lighting language and discussed how monument and pylon signs with electronic reader boards are governed separately. Staff recommended the commission not allow electronic reader boards as part of primary wall signs, saying that peer cities typically disallow them and that the committee’s examples of combined wall signs with reader boards were not appealing.
Staff and commissioners also discussed window signage and motion: staff said window signs that move or scroll would be treated as temporary or not allowed and code enforcement can require static display if necessary. On site visibility standards staff compared the current measurement method (a 7-foot by 60-foot visibility triangle in some cases and a 25-foot measure for street-to-street) with a proposed, condensed wording; staff said they may recommend setbacks based on roadway type and speed after consulting the city engineer.
Commissioners raised concerns about driver distraction, AI-generated videos in storefront windows, and whether the updated rules would date the city. Staff said the sign code was last substantially reviewed more than a decade ago and that periodic updates are typical. Because the sign ordinance is not codified within the zoning ordinance, staff presented the changes for input rather than formal action; no vote was taken. Staff said they will incorporate feedback and bring a final draft to council.
