Submitted Press Release
Amelia Island-Fernandina Beach-Yulee
Chamber of Commerce
September 5, 2014 7:10 a.m.
Abe Hassan, owner of Junior’s Seafood Restaurant & Grill on the A1A
corridor in Yulee, knows how important a sign announcing specials can be in
increasing traffic for a business. But, he added, it’s equally important
that there be standards..
“It needs to be something that’s classy, not trashy,” he said. “That’s important.”
Finding that middle ground has been the goal of the Amelia Island-Fernandina
Beach-Yulee Chamber of Commerce as it has provided input to the Nassau
County Planning & Zoning Board and Growth Management Department as they have
been considering changes to the sign ordinance for the SR 200/A1A overlay
which stretches from west of the Shave Bridge to the interchange ramps at
Interstate 95.
“Both as property owners and residents, Chamber members wholeheartedly
support the overlay’s goal of making sure ‘sign clutter’ doesn’t occur along
A1A,” said Wynn Fendig, chairman of the AIFBY Chamber Board of Directors.
“And we also support the design standards that are in place. We all want
attractive, safe signs on A1A.”
But the Chamber also believes strongly that the ordinance must be practical
in cost and design and allow businesses a fair chance to be visible to
fast-moving traffic along the roadway, Fendig added.
After consulting with business owners and growth management staff, the
Chamber’s Board of Directors in August sent a letter to the Planning &
Zoning Board outlining its recommended changes for making the ordinance more
workable for businesses along A1A. Some, but not all, of those
recommendations were approved by board during a workshop on Tuesday,
September 2.
Among the changes endorsed by the board were:
- Allowing banners to be displayed between a stand-alone, capped anchor with two, 2-foot wide, 6-feet high permanent columns. Those banners can be changed as often as the business wants.
- In the few instances where businesses along A1A also front another street as well, allowing those businesses to have signage on the second street.
- Allowing businesses to put up flags without getting a special events permit. A parcel or shopping center is permitted a maximum of up to three flags (on one pole or multiple poles), or up to two bow flags not to exceed 10 feet in height.
- Allowing businesses to apply for permits for special event promotions four times a year. Those events can last for up to 60 days.
- Allowing businesses whose frontage exceeds 400 feet to have an additional monument sign for each additional 100 feet, up to a maximum of 6 signs for the entire property.
The AIFBY Chamber also reiterated its support for the current ordinance’s
prohibition against snipe signs and for better enforcement of the sign
ordinance.
“We were pleased that language was added that Code Enforcement would be
proactive in enforcing the sign ordinance along A1A,” said Chamber President
Regina Duncan. “That’s one of the biggest things our members have been
asking for — fair and consistent enforcement.”
While the Chamber had recommended that design standards be developed to
allow electronic signs along the corridor, the Planning & Zoning Board
disagreed. Current existing electronic signs will be grandfathered in. Those
signs would be allowed to change once every hour instead of once a day as
currently allowed.
The changes discussed on Tuesday still need formal approval by the Planning
& Zoning Board at a regular hearing. The revised ordinance will also need to
be passed by the Nassau County Commission before taking effect.
Just when you think A1A/Rte.200 could not get any uglier, people surprise you and you learn, “Yes, it’s possible.” Can we re-name it “Blanding Blvd.” or is that already taken?
Agree with previous post. The sign thing is so out of control in all of Florida as to be a sad joke. Giant billboards, flashing signs, banners, flags. It is a blight, eye pollution. How about every business along that road gets a sign the same size. Maybe something 3×3 foot. Something that can easily be read by passing cars. What we have out there is each business feels it is entrenched in sign war. Let’s level the field. End the nonsense. What we don’t need is a further visual degradation of this area.
Up to now the core of the problem has been enforcement of the sign codes. The codes are complaint-driven. So, if no one complains, illegal signs stay where they are until they rot. Which is why for such a long time along AIA it was such a growing blight of illegal, ugly signs, banners, and blow up gorillas. Finally, by the beginning of last spring, thanks to some public complaints lodged with the County Commission, action was taken to clean up AIA which was in fact carried out, for the most part. But as we can see, this tenuous pax will not last. The very last thing we need now is a relaxation of the sign codes. This is what I feel this recent Chamber statement above represents. At minimum, we need on going, enforcement of the sign codes we have. They are far better than what is proposed here, (excepting the consistent enforcement aspect)– unless you love the Blanding Blvd look.