“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign,
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind.”
Those were the lyrics of the hit song “Signs” by the Five Man Electrical Band back in 1970, and now, in 2019, the High Point Planning and Development Department is holding a public input meeting to hear recommendations from citizens on proposed new sign ordinances for the city. Hopefully, once new sign ordinances are adopted, no new signs will be blocking scenery or breaking minds.
The public input session will be held on Thursday, April 11 at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall at 211 S. Hamilton St. At that time, Cooper Consulting Company, a firm hired to help the City of High Point update and modernize its sign regulations, will present its suggested ordinances. In June 2018, the High Point City Council approved the hiring of the consultants to address the issue.
High Point Planning Administrator Heidi Galanti said this week that the city’s sign ordinances needed updating since they haven’t been completely rewritten in nearly three decades.
“This is the first time we’ve done so since 1992 and there is a real need to update and modernize it,” she said.
Galanti said that some types of signs being reviewed are electronic message signs, video signs, yard signs and temporary signs. The city will also look at signs in mixed-use districts – which will determine the rules for signage in the area around the city’s new downtown baseball stadium.
According to Galanti, one question under review is, “Should businesses be allowed to have more signs?”
One of the city’s goals is to rewrite the sign rules to create user-friendly regulations with simplified language and graphics in order to illustrate the regulations wherever possible. The city has already reviewed the current rules, held interviews with targeted groups and conducted public input surveys. Now that the consultants’ work is done, this April 11 meeting will allow citizens to offer feedback as to their recommendations on the new ordinances.
