Amador County – Amador County Supervisors discussed a sign ordinance last week that would allow temporary directional signs, but critics said it could lead to a “sign war.”

Discussion included who could get signs and where they could be located. Supervisor Richard Forster said it should be OK in Martell for temporary directional signs, but they should “stay out of the Shenandoah Valley,” try to keep it where the businesses are located, and “not create an eyesore.”

Supervisor John Plasse said he had difficulty with a provision allowing it in one area, but not another. He also pointed out that locating a business in Martell may have been a bad business decision. Strings Restaurant of Martell requested a temporary sign, due to economic hard times, leading to the draft ordinance.

Supervisor Brian Oneto was “concerned that we might have a sign war” with the ordinance. Former Planning Commissioner Brian Jobson agreed, saying Amador County has done well to not be “trashed” with “signs and billboards,” and the Planning Commission has “religiously defended its sign ordinance,” including against “churches that put up internally lit signs without a permit.”

He said “if businesses all get a directional sign, it’s going to be a sign war,” and business could decline rather than accelerate.

Jobson said the Martell Shopping Center (where Strings is located) has a monument post “with three empty name plates.” He said: “There are unused monument placards” and Strings and other businesses “need an incentive to use them,” and “monument signs have been approved there for 20 years, and there’s space on it. I think there is a solution to the problem already in place.”

Former Supervisor Richard Vinson said he thought that the sign issue was all worked out when the county approved the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant’s sign several years ago, with its issues of sign lighting, and airport proximity.

A checklist by the Land Use Committee had 22 conditions for the proposed temporary directional signs. One was that Supervisors must declare there is an economic need for the sign. It also listed limiting it to being no further than a half-mile from the business, and suggested it be a 12-month, renewable permit.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.