Moab planning commission begins rewrite of sign code to simplify rules and clarify enforcement

The Moab City Planning Commission on July 19 began a multi-step review of proposed amendments to the municipal sign code intended to make the rules easier to use and easier for staff to enforce. Associate Planner Johanna Blanco told commissioners the goals are to "simplify the language," delete duplicative sections, and bring the code "up to what we currently do." Blanco said staff will collect commission and departmental feedback, revise the redlines, and either return the item as a standalone amendment or incorporate it into a larger code rewrite.

Commissioners spent much of the workshop asking staff to preserve key community objectives—character and safety—while removing technical overlaps with the Moab Outdoor Lighting Ordinance (MOLO). Blanco proposed keeping technical lighting definitions in MOLO and cross-referencing them in the sign code, and the commission signaled support for a tighter, less discretionary regulatory framework that still allows for community character choices. "If Caitlin's watching," Blanco said when describing draft updates, "we can provide visuals or examples so commissioners understand square-foot impacts," a reference to public input staff will include in later revisions.