Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Signs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council continues sign‑ordinance rewrite, asks staff for scaled electronic‑sign options
Summary
The council continued consideration of proposed sign‑ordinance updates — including limits on electronic/video sign square footage and whether to scale size by lot frontage — and asked staff to return in two weeks with size/scale options and examples.
Hurricane — The City Council continued discussion on proposed revisions to the sign code, focusing on the maximum allowed size for electronic/video signs and whether exceptions should be allowed for large freeway‑facing or high‑impact commercial sites.
City planner Gary (speaker 11) summarized a draft that currently proposes a 200‑square‑foot limit for video displays, and offered alternatives including 100 or 50 square feet. Council members said they were sympathetic to limiting video sign size to preserve the city’s character while still allowing businesses appropriate exposure. One council member proposed scaling sign allowances by lot frontage or acreage; another warned that adding many conditional‑use exceptions could create legal inequities and potential challenges.
Council asked staff to return in two weeks with an options memo showing numeric alternatives (for example 50, 100, 150 sq ft), how a frontage‑or‑acreage scale would work, and comparable examples from other cities. Staff also said the draft would explicitly prohibit variances for video signs under the proposed rules but could allow a narrow, written exception process for major commercial sites if the council desired.
The debate underscored council concerns about balancing economic development needs and the downtown character; no vote on final sign sizes occurred tonight, and the item was continued for further refinement.
