By Luisa Loi
La Conner Community News
With the Town Council’s preliminary approval on Oct. 27, the proposed sign code is headed to the state for feedback.
Most notably, the draft includes a clearer definition of sign and a clarification that inflatables are prohibited (except in the residential zone) “regardless of message, content or intent.”
During the public comment period, resident Linda Talman lamented “the war on inflatables” and asked for this prohibition to be extended to the residential zone for the sake of consistency.
Talman also argued the Town should address lighting before signs, pointing out bright lights creating nuisances for residents, and lights on First Street that trespass into the residential zone.
In an email, Planning Director Ajah Eills wrote that the Planning Commission will discuss lighting — including holiday lighting — next.
Signs that are attached to windows are allowed as long as they don’t occupy over 25% of the window space and don’t include flashing, strobing or moving lights.
Legal notices, traffic control signs and signs required by law are exempted from the provisions.
The new code would exempt civic streetscapes that are not associated with a particular business or private event, but rather benefit the town as a whole, and encourage designs that are naturalistic and match the historic period.
The commission also removed bans on signs worn by people and added language allowing commemorative bench plaques.
While signs located within the historic preservation district are required to match colors from a historic palette, new code would require that at least 75% of the sign colors be selected from the historic palette unless otherwise approved by the Planning Commission.
Whereas the current code gives people 30 days to remove an unlawful permanent sign, a 30-day grace period before civil penalties are assessed and a 30-day appeal period, the new code would shorten those to 10 days and add that a second violation by the same person must be removed within 48 hours.
“If a sign has been legally established according to the code at the time, then it becomes a ‘non-nonconforming sign’ and is allowed to remain under the provisions of the chapter,” Eills wrote. “If the sign is changed or altered, then it must be brought into compliance.”
After the state’s mandatory 60-day review period, the council will decide whether to codify the changes or make further amendments.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
Photo by Nancy K. Crowell
