Stephens Co. Commission Extends Hwy. 17 Sign Moratorium

Stephens County Commissioners keep a sign moratorium in place for the Georgia Highway 17 corridor.

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Stephens County Commission unanimously approved a 90-day extension of the temporary moratorium for signage along the unincorporated portions of Highway 17 from the Franklin County line to the intersection of the Toccoa By-pass and then continuing along the By-pass until it reaches the Habersham County line.

This extends the moratorium on new signage along that corridor larger than 4 feet high by 8 feet wide that commissioners originally passed in February.

County commissioners originally passed the moratorium while work continued on a sign ordinance proposal for Stephens County.

Stephens County Commissioner Debbie Whitlock said that the county continues to work with a citizens group called “Toccoa Tomorrow” on a proposed sign ordinance, focusing on the soon-to-be finished four-lane Georgia Highway 17 corridor through the county.

Whitlock said opinions are still varied on how far to go with a proposed sign ordinance.

“Some of the board members with ‘Toccoa Tomorrow’ are very interested in making that a scenic highway or a scenic corridor and want no signage on that road,” said Whitlock.

However, Whitlock said that feeling has to be balanced with what the property owners along the highway might want.

“People have rights to advertise and they may want to sell some of their property rights to allow somebody to put a billboard up or a sign, so there are different things we have to look at,” said Whitlock.

Whitlock said they would be talking to those property owners on the issue also.

Fellow County Commissioner Dean Scarborough asked if 90 days would be enough time to finalize a sign ordinance for the commission to consider.

Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers said that she thinks so.

“Their next meeting is May 31 and I think they are getting pretty close,” said Ayers.

County Attorney Brian Ranck said that the commission can re-visit the moratorium in 90 days if a sign ordinance proposal is still not complete at that time.