Banners and off-premise sign allowances were discussed at the Warsaw Plan Commission Monday with the board recommending restrictions and a temporary moratorium.

The board is recommending to the city council that banners be limited to one per lot and only banners describing public or commuity events, sponsored by not-for-profit organizations, be located off-premises.

The size of the banners is limited to 36 square feet in display area, except banners over Center Street which would be no larger than 4-feet by 20-feet. The Center Street banners would only be available for not-for-profit agencies.

Noffsinger said Noblesville, Bloomington and Valparaiso prohibit banners and other attention-getting devices.

The recommendations came from a plan commission task force including Jim Gast, Trish Brown, Bill Rhoades, city planner Jeff Noffsinger and assistant city planner Kristy Mehlburg.

There are 69 off-premise signs, billboards or outdoor advertising signs throughout the city, Noffsigner said. In 1998, the zoning ordinance removed off-premise signs from the books.

The ordinance refers to all signs on- or off-premise as freestanding signs. The height, size and frequency of all freestanding signs are regulated.

Loopholes in the ordinance have allowed several large, obtrusive signs to be erected.

"The task force is recommending a temporary moratorium as directed by Mayor Wiggins," the city planner said. The moritorium allows the task force time to determine if revisions are necessary.

It is the task force's intention to contact business owners, the chamber of commerce and others to get their input on the sign restrictions.

The commissioners approved the task force's recommendations which will be forwarded to the city council for action.

Warsaw city council returned a text amendment to the zoning ordinance to the plan commission and, in the end, the commissioners agreed with the council's recommendation.

The council denied April 17, in a 4 to 3 vote, the commissioners maintain doing away with a special exemption status of gasoline sales and convenience stores, thereby ensuring public hearings.

The proposed language allowed the city planner to approve such stores in-house as long as all requirements are met.

Dr. Joe Thallemer and Jeff Grose, both city councilmen, interpreted the council's wishes as giving the BZA the opportunity to review any gas station development in a Commercial-3 or Commercial-5 zone.

Commissioner Dewey Lawshe argued against changing the text saying no C-3 or C-5 zoned area would be near a residential area and the city planner could make the decision.

"Jeff (Noffsinger) should have the ability to approve them. If it were close to my house I'd like to review it," he said. "But the C-5 zoning is made for retail. That is what we hired him for, let him have the authority."

Alan Clingman, who also sits on the BZA, said the current BZA members are in agreement with the current plan commission, "that doesn't mean that will happen in the future."

"I want to make sure we can open up a public hearing," he said. He wasn't sure the BZA had to approve the land use, though, as gas stations are permitted in C-3 and C-5 zones.

It was agreed to send the amendment back to the city council to include a sixth criteria - that the plan commission shall approve a development plan in order to call a public forum.

The next plan commission meeting is June 11 at 7 p.m. in council chambers in city hall.

Commissioners are Joe Thallemer, Jeff Gross, Jim Gast, Dewey Lawshe, Richard Keevan, Lacy Francis and Alan Clingman. [[In-content Ad]]