Commission reviews sweeping sign‑code update; billboards barred and nonconforming rules tightened

Staff presented a comprehensive rewrite of the sign code, describing a district‑based approach that lists permissible sign types, clarifies which signs need permits and aims for content neutrality. The draft explicitly prohibits new billboards and sets standards for nonconforming signs: a sign damaged or destroyed to 50% or more of its pre‑damage value cannot be restored as nonconforming and must be brought into conformance when rebuilt.

Commissioners discussed several implementation details. One commissioner asked whether historically significant or cultural sites could put up multiple exempt signs; staff pointed to aggregate‑area limits and frontage limits in the draft. Another raised a recent high pole sign (Dunkin') as an example and staff explained most pole signs are nonconforming; a face change is typically allowed but a full reconstruction above a threshold would trigger conforming requirements.

On projecting signs, staff said a downtown alternative allows projection up to 6 feet from the facade on multistory buildings, provided a minimum vertical clearance of 13 feet; some commissioners worried the 6‑foot projection was large but others noted the height and area controls reduce visual impact. The draft also regulates audio components for drive‑through signs, limiting audio to customer‑service communication to avoid neighborhood nuisance, though the commission declined to adopt a decibel standard.

Commissioners suggested small clarifications — e.g., limiting marquees to a primary entrance and fixing ambiguous language about who issues final recommendations for historic signs — and asked staff to refine examples and diagrams before returning the code for a vote.