Sign kitsch to be debated at Waynesville hearing
Business owners and merchants in Waynesville angling for bigger, flashier attention-grabbing devices have piloted a rewrite of the town’s sign ordinance, which will be considered by the board of aldermen this month.
If passed, the changes will open the door for giant blow-up characters, bouquets of balloons, plastic banners strung from awnings or poles, and billowing fabric figures that gyrate when piped full of air. It would also allow for larger signs in some commercial districts and allow businesses to cover a larger portion of their store windows with signs.
A public hearing on the sign changes will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, at town hall before the Waynesville Board of Aldermen.
The rewrite of the sign ordinance initially stemmed from a debate over sandwich boards, those folding signs set on the sidewalk to advertise the daily latte or quiche special at cafés. The sandwich board ban would be lifted under the new sign ordinance, a rather innocuous matter now compared to the other changes in the revised sign ordinance. It was crafted by a de facto committee of town planning board members and business owners.
The Waynesville town board could accept or reject the proposed changes, or pick and chose which to allow.
