Toccoa Tomorrow Supports Sign Ordinance at First Public Hearing

One person spoke in favor of the sign ordinance during last night’s first public hearing for the sign ordinance.

The language for this ordinance was approved at the county commission’s last meeting which includes separating billboards from all other signs, giving a square footage of 300 square feet for billboards and 75 square feet for all other signs. It also says that no billboard will be permitted to be constructed on Currahee Parkway and reduces the required setback for the sign 10 foot.

Joe Ferguson from Toccoa Tomorrow, the group that’s been working on the sign ordinance, spoke on behalf of the group that’s in favor of it.

Ferguson said that putting this ordinance in place will help the community maintain a neat and orderly appearance, which has economic value.

“As we all know, a neat and orderly appearance of a community has an aesthetic value and if the people who live there are pleased with what they see and live among,” said Ferguson. “Neat and orderly communities generally represent places in which the residents have a pride of place and work and devote necessary resources to keep their place in good order. If you talk to those who know about such things, you’ll find that a neat and orderly appearance of a community has an economic value as well. Businesses are prone to locate in communities that can offer this pride of place. A pride which demonstrates in many respects the quality of the people residing there, people those businesses will need to work in their factories and shops. One of the most obvious blights on the community is that of signs and billboards out of control.”

He added that Toccoa Tomorrow believes that this sign ordinance protects the community as well as businesses.

“The sign ordinance which is being considered, in our opinion is an excellent vehicle which can be used to protect our community without undue restriction on businesses in the community,” said Ferguson. “First the prohibition of billboards along GA Highway 17 protects a multi-million dollar gateway into Stephens County. We begged for years to have attractive gateways in our community. This provision within the proposed ordinance will go a long way to protecting the appearance of that gateway for generations to come. Secondly, the proposed ordinance recognizes the need for businesses to identify themselves and their products and to have directional signs to their places of business. The proposal accomplishes that by establishing well thought out guidelines for commercial signage while avoiding sign blight. You’ll be protecting Stephens County from such blight while at the same time accommodating the businesses of the community.”

There will be a second public hearing at the commission’s next meeting which is also the adoption date.