Kiefer Parker’s morning ritual doesn’t look like illegal activity.
Yet each time he puts J. Parker Limited’s sandwich board sign on the sidewalk in front of the Broughton Street store, he’s technically breaking the law. The city of Savannah prohibits business signage in the public right of way.
Parker is far from the only sign scofflaw in the city’s business district, however. Several dozen A-frame message boards dot the downtown streets. The placards promote everything from lunch and happy hour specials to clothing and merchandise sales.
And soon enough, the city will bless the signs rather than turn a blind eye to them.
The city of Savannah is revising the temporary use of the public right of way policy. The document focuses on two issues specifically: Sidewalk cafes and temporary signage, which the policy proposal refers to as “menu boards.”
The city’s Citizen Office has taken the lead and has worked with several organizations, both public (Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission) and private (Savannah Downtown Business Association), in crafting the policy. The proposal is likely to go before Savannah City Council in March and, assuming its approval, would legalize and standardize sidewalk signs.
The policy’s adoption will benefit businesses without sacrificing public safety, according to Susan Broker, director of the Citizen Office.
“We love these businesses. We want them to thrive,” Broker said. “If we can do something here to help them thrive without detracting from public use of the right of way, that’s a win-win.”
The move is being met with a mix of applause and eye-rolling in the downtown business community.
The city’s cooperative approach is refreshingly welcome after years of “jamming new regulations down business’s throats.” The president of the Savannah Downtown Business Association, Ruel Joyner, heaped praise on the city leadership for involving the business community in the process.
But by introducing restrictions — i.e. chalkboards are OK; dry-erase whiteboards are not — after years of not enforcing the existing policy, the city opens itself up to grumbling merchants.
“It seems a little silly,” said Rachael Perisho, manager of Civvies clothing store on Broughton, a business that utilizes a whiteboard sidewalk sign. “But we need the board, so we’ll comply. We ordered a new one this morning, in fact.”
Devil in the details
The sidewalk signs are invaluable to the merchants in pedestrian corridors, business leaders say.
J. Parker’s board translates into as much as “hundreds of dollars per day,” Parker said.
“Nobody knows what J. Parker’s is if they’re not local, and it’s easy to walk right on by given all the storefronts down here,” he said. “It’s as simple as this: If we don’t have that sign out there, where people can’t miss it, we lose money.”
The staff at Dino’s, a pizza-by-the-slice restaurant, agree. Many pedestrians who walk by the storefront window will double back after seeing the lunch special advertised on their menu board. Like Civvies, Dino’s management is buying a new sign to replace their old dry-erase board to be in compliance once the policy is officially revised.
The new law will “class up” sidewalk signage. Legal menu boards can include the business’s logo, but not commercial or product logos, such as beer brands sold by a bar with a sign. That stipulation is consistent with the sidewalk café rules that ban logos from table umbrellas.
The frame must be made of wood or metal and the message area must be a chalkboard. No posters or print materials are allowed. Moveable parts such as balloons, ribbons or pinwheels are prohibited.
The signs’ size will be limited to 43 inches high and 24 inches wide.
“Aesthetics are important,” said Joyner, the SDBA president and proprietor of 24e, a Broughton Street furniture store. “We are in a historic district, and there are guidelines that go with that status. Sidewalk signs should reflect the look of the district.”
Sidewalk signage will not be subject to scrutiny by the Savannah Historic District Board of Review, at least not initially. The review board must approve most signage downtown and can dictate details, including colors used. The process often takes weeks.
The policy proposal gives the city the authority to approve sidewalk signs on the spot. Businesses simply need to apply for a permit, show proof of liability insurance and pay a $25 permit fee, Broker said.
Once approved, businesses need to keep their boards within 18 inches of their property line. The guideline ensures pedestrian traffic flow and allows ample room for disabled citizens using guide dogs, crutches and wheelchairs.
Positive signs
The city’s approach to the sidewalk sign issue is billboard worthy, according to the SDBA’s Joyner.
City officials, led by Mayor Edna Jackson and Alderman Van Johnson, pledged to be more open and responsive to the needs of the business community during the last election campaign. The sidewalk sign policy is proof they are following through.
“It’s about communication, being able to have a dialogue, and the small business community didn’t have that for the eight years before the last election,” said Joyner, whose family has operated businesses on Broughton Street for decades. “We’re talking about a small issue here, sidewalk signs, but it’s a testament to the overall vision. There’s a desire to do what’s best for the Savannah community as a whole and not just a special interest here and there.”
Joyner credited the Citizen Office staff for taking the initiative. Established a decade ago to act as a liaison between citizens and contractors hired to perform large projects, such as the Casey South drainage improvement, the office took over the downtown services unit in 2011.
The downtown service unit is charged with zoning compliance and cleanliness in the central business district. The office’s official directive is to “proactively” work with citizens to ensure “public participation is a key component of city-led projects and programs.”
The sidewalk sign issue demonstrates the city’s commitment to “listening, reviewing, re-evaluating and, if necesseary, revising” policies, according to Alderman Johnson.
“Our city is in a constant state of constant improvement,” he said, “and we have to make sure that we are not regulating for regulations sake.”
SIDEWALK SIGN BASICS
Under a policy being revised by the city of Savannah, businesses would be allowed to place a sandwich board sign in the public right of way — the sidewalk in front of their storefronts provided the signs meet the following conditions.
• Measure no more than 43 inches tall and 24 inches wide
• Contain no posters, print materials or moveable parts such as pinwheels, bubble-makers, balloons or ribbons
• Feature no logos other than that of the business it promotes (no product logos, like beer brands)
• Contain a chalkboard writing area (no dry-erase boards)
• Be placed within 18 inches of business property line
Source: City of Savannah