Council passes new District sign guidelines

After months of negotiation between Columbia’s Special Business District Board and downtown business and property owners, the City Council passed amendments to the District’s sign and awning ordinances Monday night.

The ordinances will reduce the number and size of signs downtown through new rules that vary by type of sign and location. Board members said smaller signs will make the District more attractive for shoppers.

Existing signs that don’t fit the new guidelines will be allowed to remain in place until they need to be altered or removed.

The council tabled the proposal two weeks ago, saying technical changes hadn’t been available for public review.

The passed ordinances are less restrictive than previous proposals, which drew criticism from many downtown business and property owners.

Though the board had revised its ordinance several times since October, it wasn’t until two weeks ago that opponents accepted a compromise.

“We’ve got a bunch of people who care about the economic vitality of the area,” Board Director Carrie Gartner said. “Even when we disagreed, everyone wanted what was best for downtown.”

The council also voted to approve the 2007 Columbia Sidewalk Master Plan, which is intended to provide guidance on new sidewalk projects over the next 20 years. It contains 48 proposed projects that would add 28 miles of sidewalk.

Karl Skala, who is currently running for the Third Ward council seat, said people on Ballenger Lane, a road in northeast Columbia, have complained about a lack of sidewalks. Yet, it’s not listed in the master plan because the expense of adding sidewalks is so high.

“Sometimes where we need sidewalks the most is where it is most expensive,” Mayor Darwin Hindman said.

Before passing the plan, council members agreed it would be a living document that could accommodate future changes.

Also, in a pre-meeting work session, members discussed how the city should respond to a neo-Nazi demonstration planned for Saturday. Hindman said the council might consider an “emergency, one-day name change” for the downtown streets where the group will march. For example, Ninth Street could be changed to “Freedom Way” for the day.

“We don’t want to end up on the national news for things if the situation gets out of hand,” Hindman said.

Council members said they planned on making a final decision at the end of their meeting — after press time.