Sugar Grove mulls sign law change to improve business

After hearing the concerns of local business owners at Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting, the Sugar Grove village board directed staff to look into revising the village ordinance which prohibits off-site signs and limits temporary advertising such as balloon signs.

Business owners from Waubonsee Corporate Center on Heartland Drive told the board they would like to be able to erect signs on Route 47 for higher visibility. The center is about a block west of Route 47 across from Waubonsee College.

"The ordinance is very restrictive," said Carla Bumba of Nick's Custom Furniture, 760 Heartland Drive, Suite 6.

Bumba said she used cardboard signs to advertise a sale the first Saturday in June and her business increased by 85 percent. Those signs are prohibited under the present ordinance, however.

The board also heard from Adolfo Perez of Global Flooring Store, 769 Heartland Drive, Unit F, and Mike Carter, who owns Honey Do Rentals at 720 Heartland Drive, Unit B, with Carrie Bobrowsky.

Each business has its own sign as a tenant in the corporate center, but Bumba, Perez and Carter said their signs are not visible from Route 47, which carries a lot of traffic.

"Of course we'd want something that's attractive," Bumba said. "And if our business increased it would help the village with more sales tax. Everyone is feeling the crunch of this economy."

"We were at the farmers market and so many people told us they had no idea we were here," Bobrowsky said.

Village President Sean Michels asked development director Rich Young to form a committee to look into amending the sign code.

"The board has discussed this before and we know it has to be addressed," Michels said.

Young called the code "deficient."

"We'd like to get feedback from the board, from the public and from the chamber of commerce," Young said. "I know it's a matter of aesthetics but we are hearing about some real financial need."

Young said a committee could discuss amending the present code, and also look at a comprehensive rewrite.