Elgin weighs downtown sign incentive plan

Recession or not, visibility is king for any business.

To that end, Elgin leaders have proposed a new program that could give the city's downtown businesses the royal treatment.

City council members Wednesday will consider a cost-sharing program to allow, and even help pay, for business signs that extend out from each building at the street at a 90-degree angle.

According to the proposal, the sign cannot have a surface area greater than 10 square feet and must be placed between nine and 18 feet above the sidewalk.

The city has set aside $550,000 to help as many as 229 eligible businesses downtown with grants up to $2,500, or 50 percent of the project cost.

Sue Olafson, city spokeswoman, said the program is in line with revitalizing the downtown. She said planners are confident the regulations will help businesses while ensuring the new signs don't get lost in the shuffle.

"The worst thing we could do is make the city look cluttered. That's not our intent," Olafson said. "It will certainly increase visibility."

Tonya Hudson, executive director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, said the group made a sign proposal to city leaders about a year ago.

"Signage is a huge part of the marketing and establishment of a downtown," she said, noting the plan could especially help businesses along downtown portions of Highland Avenue and Chicago Street.

Councilman David Kaptain said he favors the idea and plans to vote in favor of it. But he said some business owners have mixed feelings on the idea.

"I've had calls from downtown businesspeople who sit on both sides," he said. "They don't think it's going to be attractive.

If the results are favorable, Kaptain said, the sign program could be spread across the city.

"We'll have to see how it works and if people appreciate it and it looks good," he said. "I don't see why we can't expand it."

The council meets at 6 p.m. at 150 Dexter Court.