City Council to discuss electronic signs, economic development

The Oak Ridge City Council will review the city’s electronic reader board sign ordinance during a work session at 7 p.m. today.

The meeting will also include a presentation and report on the city’s economic development programs and possible changes in how the city supports new jobs and companies, improves retail opportunities, and enhances housing improvements.

Changes to the city’s electronic sign ordinance were proposed late last year, but they were pulled from a December meeting of the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission agenda after a backlash from business owners.

The revisions would have governed message display times and brightness.

Among other things, business owners had objected to a letter they received that gave them 10 days to fix any violations of the city’s sign ordinance. The letters, sent to 18 businesses with electronic signs, said signs that have messages that are animated, moving, or flashing are generally prohibited in Oak Ridge.

The proposed revisions would have required that electronic sign messages be static and shown for at least 10 seconds, and they would have set a maximum light intensity for the signs. The city staff said drivers and residents have complained about the electronic reader board signs.

But business owners, who say the signs are effective, said they thought they were in compliance with the municipal ordinance, and the letters they received, which threatened legal action for non-compliance, didn’t cite the specific infractions at their businesses.

Since then, the violation notices have been canceled.

Tonight’s work session is in the Multipurpose Room of the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane, behind the Kroger and Kmart shopping center.