Changes to the Gettysburg Borough sign ordinance are on hold. During their meeting on Monday, the council unanimously voted to delay voting on proposed revisions until April 2024.
Councilperson Judie Butterfield was absent.
The decision came after several public comments, including from the leaders of four business advocacy groups.
Carrie Stuart of Gettysburg Adams Chamber of Commerce, Karl Pietrzak of Destination Gettysburg, and Jennie Dillon of Gettysburg Area Retail Merchants Association urged the council to delay the vote and seek more input from business owners. All clarified they were not necessarily speaking on behalf of their members because they did not have time to poll them for input.
Concerns over sign ordinance
Dillon noted Borough Council minutes from recent months only state discussion on the sign ordinance would continue.
“I don’t think the business owners did have a good idea that this was talked about, even if they did come to the meetings,” Dillon said.
Dillon urged the council to support small business owners by allowing larger and illuminated signs. She previously owned Artworks on York Street, which recently closed. Dillon told the council that she would not open a business in the borough again if presented with the opportunity.
Several other business owners asked the council to involve business owners in discussions about possible sign ordinance revisions.
“We want to keep the historical character of the downtown historic district. We want to keep its charm, no one is trying to change anything,” Brian Hodges, owner of The Brafferton Inn on York Street, said. “It’s not easy to own a business in downtown Gettysburg.”
Jill Sellers of Main Street Gettysburg said she understood business owners’ concerns. Sellers noted she is often the only person who attends council meetings and encouraged business owners to stay informed.
“I do caution that overstepping and overregulation is one of the biggest hindrances to government across this nation at every level, starting at this level,” Sellers said. “That concerns me greatly.”
Sellers also told the crowd that the majority of proposed changes are in response to a Supreme Court ruling.
“Most of the ordinance pertaining to commercial properties does not change,” Sellers said.
Support for Gettysburg Borough Sign Ordinance
Paul Witt, owner of Quality Inn Gettysburg Battlefield and Best Western Gettysburg on Steinwehr Avenue, told the council the sign ordinance was first established in the 1970s after business owners erected enormous signs to advertise their establishment.
Witt, whose father first opened businesses on Steinwehr Avenue in the 1960s, encouraged the elected officials to keep the ordinance while considering business owners’ needs. Witt asked the council to allow internally illuminated signs and advised them to “tread carefully” when regulating signs placed behind windows.
Gary Shaffer, 35-year chair of the borough’s Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB), also noted the proposed ordinance includes few changes from the current law. He urged the council to keep current restrictions.
“The sizes and everything that are attracting so much attention have been in the old ordinance. I think we have a lot of businesses that thrive and I don’t think they are in trouble because of lack of signage,” Shaffer said, noting he was speaking on behalf of himself and not HARB.
Changes outlined
Council President Wes Heyser said the council began working on the proposed changes to the Gettysburg Borough Sign Ordinance in 2016 when the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of Reed v. the Town of Gilbert, Arizona that temporary signs did not need a permit. Gettysburg Borough law currently states unpermitted temporary signs can only be placed on properties where work is being performed.
Heyser said proposed changes that are not a result of the Supreme Court case include:
- Clarifying that a second facade does not increase permitted square footage
- Requiring five feet of pedestrian travel space instead of four
- Prohibiting signs in the right-of-way without specific permission
- Permitting off-premise signage up to 1000 feet from an alley-based business
- Allowing signs to be painted directly on a building if allowed by the historic district ordinance
Heyser did not seek re-election to council this year so Monday’s meeting was his last.
Move to postpone
Councilman John Lawver successfully proposed council postpone discussion on the sign ordinance until April 2024.
Lawver has been involved with borough government for decades as a public works director, manager, and councilperson. Lawver unsuccessfully sought re-election this year so Monday’s meeting was his last. Like Witt, he recapped the Gettysburg Borough Sign Ordinance’s 50-year history.
“A sign ordinance is tough. If you think you can please everybody with a sign ordinance, God bless you because you are living in a fantasy world,” he said.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.