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Last week's Dahlonega Planning Commission meeting turned into a round table talk as attendees discussed possible changes to City sign codes.
City Attorney Doug Park’s presentation to the Dahlonega Planning Commission included a memorable disclaimer last Tuesday evening. “You know the lawyers ruin everything,” he said jokingly. “I hope you understand that.” The comment drew laughs around the City Hall meeting room as attendees discussed and debated a proposal that, if accepted as written, would essentially ban murals by defining them as wall signs in downtown city limits while at the same time requiring business owners to pursue permitting in order to display inflatable holiday decorations. Commissioner Noah Steinberg seemed hesitant to adopt the measures as is.
“A mural is art,” he said. “We’re going to call art a wall sign? . . . We’re calling inflatables signs. There are inflatable signs, but there are also holiday decorations. And I think we’re blurring the line. … Don’t you see the slippery slope?”
However, Parks said that the proposed regulations were only a starting point. “We will try to make this something that is palatable to everyone by the time we’re through with it,” Parks told the assemblage. “Tonight this is just a beginning point.”
Last month, the Dahlonega City Council unanimously continued a moratorium on “wall signs painted on the exterior of [a] building or through the use of alternatives to paint such as vinyl or similar materials.”
Though the action was essentially intended to regulate businesses, it also applies to all buildings, even private homes. That point was determined after the meeting through a series of follow-up emails to Mayor JoAnne Taylor.
“As the code is currently written, it applies to all,” Taylor told The Nugget. “Our consultant will be looking at all aspects prior to presenting options to City Council.”
Those suggested changes were made by consultant and attorney Dana Maine, who was the original author of the existing sign ordinance. So far she has billed the City for a reported total of $540 for her work on this latest round of regulations.
CLEANING UP
On Tuesday, Parks indicated that a certain smiling Mr. Clean vinyl wrap sign on the new carwash on Morrison Moore Parkway helped spur this process forward.
“One of the things that prompted this, I don’t know if you’ve been by the carwash,” he said. “… That is a very large Mr. Clean that you see there. We really didn’t have anything that regulated it.”
As the meeting began, Parks suggested that all attendees gather around the conference table for a more casual discussion instead of speaking across desks and podiums.
That roundtable included University of North Georgia art student Abigail Brown, who has seen the impact of the mural moratorium firsthand since she’s actually enrolled in a mural painting class.
“That’s why I’m here,” she said. “Because I wanted to know more about the murals. It’s been [talked about] in every single one of my classes. It’s really disheartening as an art student.”
Brown pointed to The Nugget’s own mural, which was painted by a trio of UNG students, as an example of a work of art that adds to the City ambiance.
“That’s the beauty of the mural painting class, it’s supposed to teach community,” she said.
Local business owner Henry Ostaszewski had similar comments as he pointed out that lately other cities in the region have encouraged wall art as a way to brighten downtowns and bring in tourists.
“I think it adds value to our town,” he said. “I think it creates a vintage authentic feel that I think we’re looking for in Dahlonega.”
Prior to opening Blue 42 Market, Ostaszewski said he actually opted for a hand painted sign on the side of his Arcadia Street business since it seemed to fit Dahlonega.
“I could have gotten an inexpensive $500 or $600 sign and illuminated it,” he said. “But I chose to get an artist from Atlanta who hand-painted the sign . . . so it did fit the vernacular of Dahlonega.”
The proposed ordinance, as written, would dictate that a wall sign cannot exceed five percent of the area of a building wall. The current ordinance allows for 10 percent.
During the meeting, Ostaszewski pointed out that this could have actually regulated the size of Mr. Clean without any need for a zoning re-write.
ON INFLATION
Last Christmas saw a mini-controversy erupt when complaints were filed against holiday-themed inflatables in and around the downtown square. It turned out that, as the regulations were written, all Santas, snowmen and inflatables of every kind were categorized as signs and technically not allowed in the city.
Parks indicated that the new ordinances should clear things up for city residents.
“Inflatable signs are clearly allowed now in residential districts,” said Parks. “You can have your Santa Claus or whatever, that gap is clearly removed.”
However, in the commercial district it would be a different story as a permit will be required for business owners to display inflatables. Those inflatables would be no taller than eight feet high, must be located 10 feet from the property line and can only be displayed for 30 days at a time.
In response, Commissioner Michael Feagin had some concerns about bringing red tape into the holiday season.
“That’s my whole issue with the permits and variances,” he said. “That’s a lot of trouble for someone to have to go through.”
TILL NEXT TIME
Ultimately the discussion was tabled as Parks suggested that he would make an effort to get more feedback from Ostaszewski, Brown and other members of the UNG art department and come up with some regulations that could be more appealing to the community. This, he said, was the spirit behind the first set of ordinances written years ago.
“When this sign ordinance came about it was a total community effort,” he said. “We had a number of meetings. The business community was all involved. It was a great time in the history of our city in the sense that everybody joined together to contribute and we had virtually complete buy-in on the sign regulations at that time.”
Ostaszewski indicated that he appreciated the effort.
"I see that," he said. "... To me this feels much more welcoming than standing at the podium."
Meanwhile, Feagin said he'd like to see more community involvement.
“The more folks, the more feedback,” he said.
The Dahlonega Planning Commission will reconvene Tuesday, April 2.
Any new ordinances will ultimately have to be approved by the Dahlonega City Council.