After months of discussion and sometimes heated City Council debates, the Moab City Council has finally passed a new citywide sign ordinance.
With a 5-0 vote, council members approved the new law that will limit the size, height and types of signs permitted within the city limits.The new ordinance will apply mainly to new signs. That was a big sticking point in the public debates over how the ordinance should be worded. Businesses in Moab had invested a lot of money in their signs and felt it wasn't fair to change the law and make them tear down or redesign their signs.
According to the new ordinance, existing signs that do not meet the new rules will be allowed to remain until the business is sold. At that point, the new owners will have six months to bring the sign into compliance.
No new signs with blinking lights will be allowed under the new ordinance. All lights on the signs must remain constant.
The new sign ordinance is just one step for Moab as it grapples with long-term development problems and increased tourism.
Recently the City Council voted to ban the use of sandwich-board-type signs on Main Street.