Springettsbury staff previews major sign‑ordinance rewrite, including rules for electronic message centers and gas‑canopy branding

Erin, the township planner leading the ordinance rewrite, told the board the draft includes “a pretty major rewrite of electronic message centers,” and proposes modern definitions and a clearer measurement process to determine compliance. She said staff is testing a limit that would allow electronic signs to change copy no more frequently than every three minutes, a substantial relaxation from the present rule staff characterized as “eight times a day.”

The proposed canopy rules create a distinct definition for gas‑station canopy signs and limit their content to branding and logos; the draft would require canopy signs to be attached to the canopy face and not extend beyond the canopy edges. Staff read the proposed language into the record: “signs shall be attached to the face of the canopy and shall not extend beyond the edges of the canopy,” which board members said would allow three‑dimensional letters so long as they do not extend past the canopy edge.

Board members debated whether decorative striping or color bands should count as sign content when measuring allowable sign area. One board member argued stripe elements are aesthetic and should not be tallied as branding; others cautioned that counting those elements affects the percent of canopy face a logo may occupy (the draft now limits gross design content to no more than 50% of a canopy face).

Staff also proposed clarifications for portable signs and drive‑through menu boards. Portable, on‑site sandwich‑board‑style signs brought inside nightly would be allowed under an exempt‑signage category if they meet size and ADA clearance criteria. For drive‑through menu boards, the draft limits businesses to a maximum of two menu‑board signs per premises, located entirely on the property, with a 24‑square‑foot maximum and a cap so the boards do not consume more than 20% of the site’s total sign area; board members suggested tying allowances to the number of drive‑through lanes (for example, one board per lane) to reflect operational needs.

Board members asked staff to clarify illumination rules for canopy signage (internal illumination only was suggested by at least one member) and to confirm how the canopy allowance interacts with a site’s overall permitted signage. Erin said the draft takes the more conservative route by including canopy signage in the site’s total allowable sign area but that staff can revise that approach if the board prefers.

Next steps: staff will refine the canopy and illumination language, clarify measurement rules for decorative elements, and incorporate board direction before distributing a public‑review draft for the township’s required 45‑day review period.