Valley sign ordinance scrutinized

Following criticism from car dealers and retail business owners on Sprague Avenue, the Spokane Valley City Council has reopened discussion on the sign ordinance that the city recently began enforcing.

“Now that it has been implemented, like any other institution, you are going to see some flaws in it,” Councilman Dick Denenny said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, council members said they will send the ordinance back to an advisory sign committee, the composition of which might change to better represent those affected by the policy.

A little over two years ago, the city began revising the sign regulations it inherited from the county. Early this year, city officers began enforcing the rules.

The result is a noticeable decrease in the amount of sandwich boards, inflatable displays and other attention-grabbing ads. But small-business owners say that compliance has come at a cost.

“It’s hit us drastically,” said J.R. Haase, who opened the Alpine restaurant at Sprague and Gillis in October.

Soon after moving in, his business was cited for a portable sign that he eventually took down. Sales have diminished by three-fourths since then, Haase said.

Citing the concerns of similar business owners, the City Council agreed to re-evaluate several contentious portions of the sign code. Those include the ban on portable signs, the total number of permanent signs a business can have and decorative items like flags, pennants and inflatable items that Mayor Diana Wilhite said should be excluded from the regulations.

Denenny proposed adding positions to the sign committee or replacing some members with people who represent small-business owners and aesthetically-minded residents.