County alters zoning sign requirements
, Staff Writer
07-29-2010
A change in the Pulaski County Zoning Ordinance will eliminate a requirement that applicants post signs on properties subject to zoning changes, but staff will continue to do the postings as a matter of policy.
Community Development Director Shaun Utt said the county’s zoning ordinance has required applicants to post signs for a period of time before public hearings are held on the applicant’s petition. Although the county is required to send letters to adjacent property owners to inform them of requests to change zoning, he said the only way the rest of the community is informed is through required newspaper advertisements.
Since there is no guarantee members of the community will see the ads, Utt said he thinks it is still important to post signs on the property to inform the community as a whole.
However, state code does not address sign postings for zoning matters and a court in the Lynchburg area ruled localities do not have the authority to require an applicant to post a sign.
To alleviate any conflict, Utt suggested the posting requirement be eliminated from the zoning ordinance and county staff be instructed to post the signs “as a matter of policy.”
He estimated the signs that have been supplied to applicants cost the county $3 to $4 apiece and have been used at a rate of about 100-150 per year. In an effort to lower costs, the department intends to purchase about 10 generic signs that can be reused.
Pulaski County resident John Jackson said he thinks signs should be posted to insure all property owners affected by a proposed zoning change are informed. He suggested the county attach a fee to the application process to cover the cost of signs, noting that the applicants should be able to afford to pay for the signs if they can afford to do a project requiring a change in zoning classification.
Ingles District Supervisor Ranny Akers made a motion to remove the posting requirement and have the county staff post signs instead. However, he questioned whether the county can charge a fee for the signs if it cannot legally require the applicant to post them.
“I think we should continue to post (the properties) in some form,” Akers added.
The motion passed 4-0. Massie District Supervisor Frank Conner was absent due to illness.
Other Top Stories
