Title
Ordinance Amending Chapter 30 of the Land Development Ordinance (LDO) With Respect To Zoning, Planning and Development - Sign Ordinances (Various Sections)
Body
Department: Planning
Council District: All
Public Hearing: Yes
Advertising Date/By: January 31 and February 7, 2019 / City Clerk
Contact 1 and Phone: Sue Schwartz at 373-2149
Contact 2 and Phone: Mike Kirkman at 373-4649
PURPOSE:
The purpose of the text amendment is to update and revise the Land Development Ordinance (LDO) provisions related to signs. The City Council is required to hold a public hearing on this amendment before considering its approval.
BACKGROUND:
In the summer of 2015 the US Supreme Court, with its decision in the case Reed vs. Town of Gilbert, raised the level of scrutiny for sign regulations that result in different requirements for signs based on the content of the sign or where commercial speech is favored over noncommercial speech. In the wake of this decision, communities throughout the country have been evaluating their sign ordinances to identify potential changes needed to ensure their sign regulations can meet these enhanced constitutional requirements.
Starting in early 2016 the City hired Dr. Eric Kelly, a prominent national expert with experience in both drafting and litigating sign ordinances, to evaluate Greensboro's ordinances and help identify potential areas of concern. As part of Dr. Kelly's evaluation, a series of small group meetings were held with developers, sign contractors, businesses, neighborhood representatives and City staff. From Dr. Kelly's analysis and these conversations several areas of concern were identified:
* Confusion on what should and should not be considered a sign and thus subject to regulation
* Areas of the ordinance that currently regulate signage differently based on content, or where commercial signage has greater rights than noncommercial signage regardless of the underlying zoning district where the signage is located...
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