Minutes - Planning Commission - 10/28/2021 - Work Session

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Councilmember Musgrove asked if more research was completed related to the duration of messaging. She specifically asked for the message duration near the intersections of highways 10 and 65. Senior Planner McGuire Brigl provided details on the minimum message durations allowed by different communities. Councilmember Musgrove commented that she believes longer message durations are better in order to avoid driver distraction. Chairperson Bauer agreed that messages that change too quickly become distracting and hard to read. He recognized that some members of the Commission are opposed to billboards and asked the Commission if there is consensus to continue working on this topic. Commissioner Gengler stated that she would rather provide input on the restrictions rather than saying the Commission is opposed and losing the opportunity to have input. Commissioner Peters agreed that he would rather be able to provide input as well. He stated that location and light pollution are important issues. He noted that not everyone uses social media and therefore the messages can be helpful. Commissioner Dunaway commented that he believes the Council will move this forward and therefore he would agree that it would be better to provide input on the restrictions as well. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that he was the only Councilmember opposed to the concept of billboards, therefore he would believe the item will move forward. Councilmember Musgrove commented that there was consensus from the Council to pursue the RFP, based on the support from the EDA. She did not believe that the concept had returned to the Council again since that time. Chairperson Bauer suggested that the Commission focus on the proposed regulations which the Council will be reviewing. Senior Planner McGuire Brigl suggested that billboards be allowed through Conditional Use Permit (CUP), which would mean the Commission would still have the opportunity to review a request that comes forward and provide input. Councilmember Woestehoff asked if the signs could perhaps only be allowed in a specific zoning district, meaning that the property would need to be rezoned and a public process would be required. Chairperson Bauer noted that would become an issue of spot zoning and therefore would prefer to use the CUP tool. Planning Commission/ October 28, 2021 Page 3 of 8