The Town of Pagosa Springs has been in the process of revising and updating its Land Use Development Code (LUDC) and is in the final stages of getting input and proposing changes to the Town Council. It is important that our business community weigh in on several issues. One such issue is the revision of the sign code.
At the Chamber of Commerce, we hear comments when businesses are opening a business or getting a new sign about the regulations they face. There is now an opportunity for you to weigh in on the revisions. Comment will be taken until tomorrow, Friday, August 18.
You can download a copy of the sign code changes here.
Here is a brief rundown of the changes.
The changes will be in sync with the area of town. Downtown regulations will be different from west side or east side, and this is based on the density of the area or sign zones.
The Town’s objectives of the proposed Sign Code changes are intended to preserve and maintain our mountain town aesthetic while balancing business owners’ needs for effective and attractive signage. Primary changes include aligning sign heights and overall sizes with vehicle speeds. Signs can be a powerful indicator for pedestrian oriented areas versus autocentric ones which impact safety and creates a sense-of-place. The proposed changes result in more, but smaller sign districts.
Specific standards for height and size are tailored to those districts and corresponding vehicle speeds.
Keep in mind, the LUDC only applies to properties in the town boundary and not in unincorporated Archuleta County. The other objective is to ensure free speech rights are preserved and protected by eliminating any content-specific regulations. For example, in some sign areas, the signage proposal is to reduce the square footage in height and width. What may have been 25 sq feet could be 20 or 16 square feet to better align with the character of the district. Verbiage on the sign is also specified as “content neutral” to ensure freedom of speech.
The changes and a summary in each of the sign categories including banners, temporary signage and lighting of signs can be located in the proposed LUDC sign code which can easily be found on the www.mypagosa.org/ludc-update. At this website you can give your input on the sign changes as well as other topics through the draft which is about 90% complete. You still have time to comment, and the Town is seeking your input. Be a vested part of this change and give constructive feedback.
This input does not have to be negative. It can certainly be positive input as to the changes that are being proposed. Please take the time to look at your sign and the signs around your business and interpret how these changes might positively or negatively affect your business community.
Mary Jo Coulehan is Executive Director of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce, and also serves on a number of local and state boards.