Code enforcement officers have been moving down Martha Berry Highway, issuing warnings and citations to businesses violating sign and property maintenance regulations.
But some owners in the rural areas are questioning the rare crackdown and the provisions of the ordinance itself.
“We are in the county. They shouldn’t be treating us like we’re downtown Rome,” said United Auto Mart owner Buster Young, who has been told to remove the streamers and hanging signs he put up three years ago.
Young and several other Armuchee businessmen contend the 70-mile-per-hour traffic, abundant trees and wider rights of way in their area call for more relaxed signage rules.
“Banners are normal operating procedure in this business,” said Jimmy Holbrook of North Georgia Equipment Sales. “And, out here, you need something to catch people’s attention.”
Holbrook and Spencer Brewer of Lavender Mountain Hardware have had banners up at least eight years, and they are seeking grandfather status. The exemption, however, is available only for permanent signs, said Howard Gibson, chief building official for Rome and Floyd County.
Gibson has tightened oversight on building inspections and property maintenance since he was hired last spring, and is now turning his attention to the sign code.
Click here to see the ULDC sign regulations.
Click here to see an early draft of proposed changes.
All but seven of the more than 40 businesses along the highway that received warnings have complied, he said, and inspectors are preparing to tackle Shorter Avenue by the end of the month.
“This has not been enforced like it should have been, but now we’re moving into other areas and trying to treat everyone the same,” Gibson said.
Gary Yarbrough, president of Pinecrest Golf Carts and Auto Body, said he sees uneven application of the ordinance — such as the large, off-site “Stonebridge” sign on U.S. 27 that purportedly advertises the Berry Forest subdivision rather than the city-owned golf course.
Yarbrough and the others are keeping a close eye on a sign ordinance revision under way by the Rome-Floyd County Planning Department. They said they plan to provide input and suggest other business owners do the same.
“You’re a taxpayer, a business-owner and you’re on your own property — and you still have to get the government’s permission for what you want to do,” Young said.
