BRENHAM OFFICIALS MEET WITH BUSINESS OWNERS ON SIGN ORDINANCE
A sparse crowd including several Brenham city officials met Tuesday at City Hall to address the city’s sign ordinance.
Brenham’s new Assistant Development Services Director, Stephanie Doland, spoke with community members about her role with the city, along with ideas for new definitions in the city’s signage ordinance.
Brenham Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Eckermann said Doland, formerly a planner in the city of Bryan, has been a “breath of fresh air”.
Doland said that conversation has come up and dropped off several times about the city’s sign ordinance from 1981. She also said the city’s current ordinance does not define many signs, and as a result prohibits many.
Saying the current ordinance may be “vague” and “outdated”, Doland looks to adopt one that would define around 60 types of signs.
City Engineer Lori Lakatos mentioned the possibility of adopting wayfinding signs in the style of TxDOT signs along highways, directing to gas stations, lodging, and restaurants. She said a problem with that, however, is that businesses are required to pay in order to appear on those signs, and she’s not sure how the city could implement something like that without angering business owners.
One of the talking points from the meeting was the importance of balancing the legal and business side of affairs.
Tom Bartley, attorney at the Brenham Mediation Center, said the city needs to keep in mind the business owners trying to make a living when it considers regulation.
Eckermann said one of her main priorities with this new ordinance is to make sure signs are regulated fairly and in a way that keeps the historic appeal of downtown Brenham.
Doland and Lakatos said they plan to have a second meeting on either November 6th or 15th. At that meeting, they plan to begin work on a draft for a revised ordinance. Doland said she expects to have multiple meetings and reviews, before she submits a draft to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review.