Arlington Heights seeks input on new rules for signs

If you have strong feelings when you see signs, or there are a bunch of signs around town that you like or dislike, Arlington Heights wants to hear from you.

The village is inviting residents and business people to an upcoming session where they can vote on sign appearances.

“It’s really pretty cool,” said Charles Witherington-Perkins, the village’s director of Planning & Community Development.

With equipment used for focus groups, each participant will hold a control by which they can register their opinion on signs as they are displayed during the session.

The session has not yet been scheduled, but anyone wishing to participate should contact Planning & Community Development at (847) 368-5200.

Collecting opinions is part of the village Design Commission’s ongoing overhaul of sign regulations, Perkins said. The commission has recommended changes for downtown businesses and now will study signs for other parts of town.

The village board gave preliminary approval Monday night to two new ordinances for downtown signs.

One allows corner buildings to have so-called blade signs that project overhead from the corner of the building at a 45-degree angle. Businesses using a blade sign must forgo a sign on each wall that it would otherwise be allowed.

The second ordinance reduces the size of new free-standing “ground” signs from what was allowed previously. The signs will be permitted only on large sites with room for setbacks.

The board previously approved small blade signs to attract pedestrians’ attention, plaque signs that put the name of the business on the building, and menu boards, usually near the door of a restaurant.

Sandwich boards—two-sided boards that sit on sidewalks, parkways or parking lots—are not allowed anywhere in the village, said Perkins. There are violators, he said, and staff tries to make sign companies aware of the ordinances so businesses do not purchase items they cannot legally use.