Subject:
Title
Work Session on Proposed Amendments to Temporary Sign Regulations
Body
At its July 6, 2020 meeting, Town Council set a public hearing for September 14, 2020, on amendments to the temporary sign regulations of Chapter 18 - Zoning, Article 19, and referred the matter to the Planning Commission for consideration.
As background, in 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided Reed v. Town of Gilbert, ruling that the regulation of temporary non-commercial signs must be content neutral and that content-based regulation is unconstitutional. Currently, the Town of Vienna’s zoning code regulations of temporary signs is content based, providing different requirements for temporary real estate signs, temporary public and semi-public signs, temporary election signs, and temporary construction signs.
In February, 2019, the Zoning Administrator made a determination that the Town would enforce the least restrictive standards for all temporary signs, allowing not more than 50 square feet total of temporary signs.
The Local Government Attorney’s Association of Virginia has prepared a model sign ordinance, which staff has utilized to draft proposed amendments to the temporary sign regulations.