Lilburn has relaxed its sign ordinance as part of the city’s continuing effort to become more business-friendly and spruce up its commercial corridor.
To boost businesses’ exposure, the city’s amended laws allow larger, taller signs and permit companies to change billboards to electronic message boards.
The changes are expected to have the most visible effect along Lawrenceville Highway (U.S. 29), Lilburn’s commercial corridor.
The move, recently approved by the City Council, is another demonstration that the municipality of 12,000 is seeking to attract and keep businesses. Lilburn is well on its way to forming a community improvement district and the city recently relaxed its liquor laws to allow “interactive” entertainment, which includes karaoke, at restaurants that serve alcohol.
“We were long overdue for a change,” Mayor Diana Preston said.
Under the previous sign ordinance, the city limited freestanding signs to 75 square feet, based on buildings with less than 10,000 square feet. Sign heights varied from 5 feet to 12 feet, depending on the setback from the right of way. The amended ordinance allows for 100-square-foot signs with heights from 8 feet to 20 feet, depending on the setback from the right of way.
Doug Stacks, the city’s director of Planning and Economic Development, said the new laws come at a good time, coinciding with road widening and intersection improvement projects along Lawrenceville Highway.
“We anticipate these changes will encourage businesses to consider replacing older signs with ones with new, fresh and updated design,” Stacks said.
In addition to size and height changes, the ordinance allows companies to change variable message boards more than once a day. And businesses with billboards now have the green light to switch to electronic message boards as long as the size and height don’t increase, he said.
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