The upcoming workshop session for the Thomasville City Council scheduled for Wednesday, July 20, 2016, will be devoted to the proposed sign ordinance. In this session, citizens will once again have the opportunity to learn more about the proposed ordinance and offer input or voice remaining concerns.
In 2014, the City of Thomasville began working toward improving the existing sign ordinance. According to City Planner Brian Herrmann, changes to the current ordinance are needed for clarity.
“Some of the challenges associated with the current ordinance include limited signage options for the public to choose and standards that may sometimes be unclear,” said Herrmann. “For example, the standards intended for historic districts extend into areas that are not considered historic and have a far different character and context.”
The latest workshop session comes after more than two years of work, including numerous meetings with local citizens and business owners. Most recently, the sign ordinance was part of the June 8th City Council workshop session where Herrmann provided an in-depth review of the status of the proposed sign ordinance. Several citizens were also heard, as was Chairman Bill Dickey of the Planning and Zoning Board. Following this meeting, the comments and concerns that were voiced were again taken under consideration.
“We are very fortunate to have such an engaged community, and we are taking care to be sure that the final recommendation to the City Council takes into account the concerns that we’ve heard,” said Herrmann.
While Herrmann acknowledges that there are still some points of disagreement, the draft ordinance is much improved from the current ordinance, and many changes have been made to the proposal based on citizen input.
“We changed the permitted sizes for freestanding signs and also dramatically increased the area of the city where internally lit signs are permitted in the new ordinance, all based on feedback from citizens,” said Herrmann. Other changes to the proposed ordinance that were made after citizen input include permitting for several new sign types, such as sidewalk signs and signs with electronic changeable copy.
“This workshop session will be another opportunity for citizens to learn more about the proposed sign ordinance and offer their input, which we welcome and encourage,” said Herrmann.
The workshop will begin at 4:00 p.m. and will be held in Council Chambers, 144 E. Jackson Street.