By Susan Gibbs
Published: March 20, 2008

Greene’s Board of Supervisors focused its attention on the County’s aesthetics at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, March 11.

Specifically, it amended the Greene County Zoning Ordinance regarding signs.
“We want to regulate the size (of signs),” Zoning Administrator Bart Svoboda told the Board. “With that comes some aesthetics, but not to the architectural … level of Charlottesville or Albemarle. We’re not (regulating) colors; mainly size, and how those sizes work with different buildings.”

The stated purpose of the amendment is as follows: “ … to regulate signs in such a way as to establish a compatibility of sign usage with the land use patterns and standards for the zoning district, and to permit such signs which will not, by reason of their size, location, construction or manner of display cause an annoyance or disturbance to citizens, detract from the community’s aesthetic attractiveness, create a hazard, confuse or mislead traffic, obstruct vision necessary for traffic safety, or otherwise endanger the public health or safety.”

The new ordinance—approved unanimously by the Board—regulates, in addition to the size of signs:  the area the sign shall take up; the height of free-standing signs; amount of signs permitted per shopping center and corner lots; type of signs allowed for home businesses, occupations or professional offices; and, planned unit developments.

It regulates the distance signs can extend from the sides of buildings; and, prevents most from being located within or over any public right-of-way or attached to trees, utility poles or other supporting structures.

Temporary signs—such as banners—require a permit from the zoning administrator.

In other Planning Department news, a zoning officer has been hired effective March 31 to enforce the County’s zoning ordinance, the subdivision ordinance and certain sections of the County Code.
The zoning officer will perform site compliance reviews and inspections for non-residential and residential sites.

More information, regarding such things as signs that are exempt from regulation or prohibited, regulation regarding nonconforming signs, and definitions, will be available on line at http://www.gcva.us/dpts/plan/ords/htm, or at the County’s Planning Department in the County Administration Building, Stanardsville