City of Amarillo, looking to update business sign ordinance
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The last time the city of Amarillo updated it's business sign ordinance was back in 1968, so city staff presented Amarillo's city commission with a presentation about sign trends and what concerns have arisen with the current rules in place.
"Some of the calls we are getting is they're just getting too big and now with the signs being full motion video, it's just with us not having any regulations at all, that we need to really look at that," said Kelley Shaw, Amarillo's Planning Director.
Under the current ordinance, there are lenient regulations regarding size, height, and spacing of business signs. Currently the size can be up to 900 sq. ft., and to give some perspective a billboard averages 670 sq. ft. The height may be up to 65 ft. tall, and there is no rule on spacing, you could put as many 900 sq. ft. signs on your property as you please.
The main point is that city staff and city commissioners believe that some new regulations need to be set in regards to business signs. Shaw and other staff members will take the next week or so and bring back recommendations to the commissioners to see what action they may take in the future.
"Really what we were trying to get across today is some of the bigger issues," said Shaw.
"There ought to be some limitations, some development standards regulating some of those signs with the new technology that's available.
That new technology is really referencing the new (CEVMS) or changeable electronic variable message signs. Essentially signs that are electronic self-luminous advertising signs with anything from static images, and text, to full motion video. Many of them use (LED) or light emitted diode technology. A good example is the very large sign in front of the Country Barn restaurant of I-40 west.
Currently there is no regulations in the city's business sign ordinance regarding these electrical or lighted signs.
"It's just a matter of, what do you think is adequate for a business sign, do you want to see the 65 ft. high lighted sign on every street corner, on every lot? Or do you think that there is a balance as we do, that there ought to be some limitations," said Shaw.
A couple of quick notes, these regulations and ordinance is concerning business signs only, not political, real estate, billboards, or other advertisements. The new ordinance would not be retro-active, meaning the current signs would be grand fathered in and would not have to change anything.
