A split Durango City Council approved sign code amendments allowing for temporary, portable signs, including sandwich boards and banners, Tuesday night on a 3-2 vote.
Mayor Sweetie Marbury and Councilor Dean Brookie voted against amending the code, but for different reasons.
Brookie said he worried allowing temporary portable signs in the public right of way would open a path for legal challenges because it could be considered contradictory to a recently passed ordinance that bans sitting and lying on sidewalks, a measure designed to limit panhandling downtown.
Marbury said the changes, especially limiting the amount of time during the year when banners could be displayed, was too restrictive to businesses, and she also recommended the city examine awarding grant money to businesses that might find it financially challenging to pay a one-time fee of $50 the city will require for a permit to display a small, portable sign, such as a sandwich board.
The measure approved Tuesday has been modified based on input from downtown business owners before it was presented to the Durango Planning Commission in February.
Under the latest revisions, sandwich boards can be made of any material after the city received complaints when it proposed banning plastic signs. Business owners said plastic signs were found to be the most practical and durable solution for sandwich boards.
Generally, small portable signs, like sandwich boards, would be required to be against the wall of the business and within 6 feet of the entrance. However, the city has approved an alternative process allowing staff discretion to allow for variances for signs off-site of a business property for shops with unique situations.
Grassburger, 726½ Main Ave., Suite 100, which is hidden off Main Avenue and not readily visible, was cited as an example of a business that would be allowed to have a small portable sign placed off its property to alert pedestrians to its location.
Under the amendments, banners would be allowed to be displayed six times a year for up to 14 consecutive days, but special-use, temporary-use and special-event permits would allow for banners to be displayed for different time periods depending on event scheduling for special events, such as the Durango Farmers Market.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
