P&Z ponders sign regulations
SANDPOINT — The balance between providing business freedom and maintaining local character is back under discussion — this time involving sign regulations.
The Sandpoint Planning Commission tackled its third session examining sign regulations last week. Progress on the issue has slowed over disagreements among commissioners on striking a balance between preserving business flexibility while encouraging owners to present an image in line with the Sandpoint Comprehensive Plan.
To help find that balance, commissioners are planning a public workshop, tentatively set for Sept. 17, to help establish a public consensus on some of the more divisive issues.
Business owners — especially those located in the downtown area — are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts on the proposed changes to city code. Commission members also intend to present visual examples of what they consider and don’t consider to be effective, attractive signage.
One of the more controversial issues at the commission meeting centered on feathered or banner-type signs. The signs — usually shaped into a swoop or teardrop and made of impermanent materials — are sometimes prone to fading or tattering with age.
On one hand, some commissioners felt it was important to allow the signs on a conditional basis, particularly for new business owners still testing the waters.
“Some businesses might not want to invest in a permanent sign until they see if they’re going to make it or not,” Commissioner Kathleen Hyde-Bordenave said.
Other commissioners, however, maintained that allowing feathered signs would open the door to unappealing usage. Furthermore, promoting the use of permanent signs would promote local artisan sign-makers, artists and craftspeople. Commissioner Collin Beggs argued these practices were in line with the vision charted in the Sandpoint Comprehensive Plan.
Another key point commissioners hope to address through the new sign code concern businesses facing Sand Creek. Because some businesses may wish to display signs toward the byway to draw out-of-town traffic, commissioners aim to establish guidelines encouraging creative, artistic approaches. Beggs hopes to see less reliance on simple name-bearing signs and more emphasis on attractive artwork.
As a result, commissioners are considering a limit on lettering size. That limit is set for a proposed 20 inches — the minimum size recommended by Federal Highway Administration engineers — but that figure is another point commissioners aim to discuss at the upcoming public workshop.