As individuals with business interests in Grants Pass you need to be aware of a proposed ordinance that is being considered by the City Council. The proposed changes to the current sign ordinance will have a negative impact on business in our community. The City Council needs your input to make an educated decision on this ordinance. You have two opportunities coming up that will allow you to learn more about the proposed sign ordinance and its impact on your business and to give you the opportunity to speak in front of the Council on this very important issue.At the February 6th 7:00 pm Council Meeting, there is an agenda item to extend the current moratorium on freestanding and signs in the CUE (City Utility Easement), and on February 11^th at 11:30 am the Council will hold an open forum to get input from local business and community members.

We would also encourage you to use the phone numbers and e-mail addresses below to contact the Council members and let them know how the changes will impact your ability to do business in our community.

While the following outline does not include all of the proposed changes, we have outlined the more impactive for your review.

Under the Proposed Sign Ordinance in the General Commercial Zone:

1) Each parcel of land would be permitted 1 freestanding sign per street frontage with a maximum height of 20 feet and maximum of 100 square feet.

2) No freestanding sign may be located within, or project over, any existing City Utility Easement (CUE) or potential CUE unless constructed with the following provisions:

a. Maximum height 8 feet.

b. Maximum square footage 32.

c. No freestanding sign may project over the public right-of-way.

d. Changing image signs (electronic message centers) are not permitted within a CUE.

3) Changing Image Signs (Electronic Message Centers) will have to conform to the following limitations:

a. Maximum of 21 square feet per street frontage.

b. Image cannot change more than once every three seconds. Animated, blinking, rotating or flashing images will not permitted. Streaming video will not be permitted.

c. Sign image or message may consist of scrolling copy subject to the following:

i. The scrolling image or message shall be completed within no less than two seconds and no more than five seconds.

ii. The complete message shall remain static for no less than three seconds before scrolling recommences.

d. Changing Images Signs will not be allowed within a City Utility Easement or Neighborhood Commercial Zone.

4) Roof signs will not be permitted.

5) The most alarming part of the proposed changes is the impact of this ordinance on existing signs. According to the ordinance, signs that are nonconforming (any existing sign, lawful at the time it was erected, that does not conform to the requirements of this code), will be allowed to remain until one of the following conditions occurs, in which case the sign must be removed or brought into conformity with the requirements of this Code:

a. A business’s principal use changes to the extent that a Site Plan Review is required, or

b. A request is made for a permit to relocate or alter the existing sign, or

c. For freestanding signs only, a period of ten years has elapsed since the date of adoption of this ordinance.

This will affect every sign over 20 feet tall in Grants Pass, including shopping centers, restaurants, motels, gas stations, every sign along the I-5 corridor in the city or urban growth boundary. It will also affect every sign within the CUE. Take a minute to look out your business window, if none of these items directly affect your signage, which in turn will effect your business, there’s a good chance one of your neighbors will be effected.

What we need to do is encourage our City Council to lift the current moratorium on signs, deny the proposed ordinance as written and then determine if there is a problem with the current sign code. If the answer is yes, then a Citizens Advisory Committee should be established to help determine the direction a new sign ordinance should take.

URGENT: Time is short to protect your business sign. This code is more far reaching than you realize. It is time to call your City Counselor and express concern and ask them to take more time to study the draft.

Call your councilor now:

Jeff Hyde- NW Ward 1 -479-3351 -jhyde@evergreenbanking.com

Del Renfro- NW Ward 1 -476-1262 -ndr@uci.net

Jack Patterson, Jr. - NE Ward 2 -471-3656 -qpward2@msn.com

Bill Kangas- NE Ward 2-474-2531 -Kangas2@earthlink.net

DonnaJean Wendle- SE Ward 3 -479-5680 -donnajeanwendle@yahoo.com

Tim Cummings- SE Ward 3- 471-8231

Jocelyn Richardson- SW Ward 4 -955-4649- Jmhr1601@hotmail.com

Lisa Berger- SW Ward 4- 955-7270 -lisab@ccountry.net

If you have further questions regarding this issue, or would like more information please contact Dean Saxon, affected business owner, at 660-1389 or artistic1@qwestoffice.net.

Thank You.