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Planning Director Stan Boling updated the Board on this request, which deals with <br />special corridor regulations for changeable copy and electronic message signs that came out of <br />an economic development/business friendly initiative. He listed the various corridor locations <br />throughout the County, and said the purpose of the amendments is to allow business specials to <br />be displayed on permanent signs versus temporary; and the basis for these are aesthetics and <br />avoiding motorist distractions. <br />Director Boling informed the Board that the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) <br />voted unanimously and recommended that the Board deny the proposed ordinance amendment, <br />determining that the economic benefits seem to be small. However, if the Board determines that <br />the economic benefits outweigh the aesthetic benefits, County staff recommends that the Board <br />approve the ordinance <br />Attorney Collins, addressing a legal concern, remarked that the fundamental place we <br />start at is that freedom of expression is protected; and that is the basic principle. He said we can <br />have limitations on freedom of expression if they advance a legitimate government interest, and <br />those interests typically are promoting aesthetics and avoiding distractions of the motoring <br />public, traffic safety. The legal concern is, there are certain types of uses that have historically <br />been able to use the changeable copy or their needs for their business require them to change <br />copy more often. The fear is, if you are now expanding changeable copies to all types of <br />commercial and industrial users, that you get into an inquiry of why are you discriminating <br />against one (the commercial/industrial) limiting them to 40% of the copy area where the <br />traditional uses (the church, theatres) can have 80% of their copy area changeable. <br />Attorney Collins said what we are looking at from a legal perspective is, whether this <br />change in the regulation is advancing the goals of the sign regulations switch in the first place, <br />which are aesthetics and traffic safety. He concluded that it would be better to leave the <br />allowances for the traditional uses that have the greater need to change copy and not expand <br />May 19, 2009 21 <br />