More businesses can use freeway signs after the Morgan Hill City
Council approved looser eligibility requirements on Wednesday.
Morgan Hill – More businesses can use freeway signs after the Morgan Hill City Council approved looser eligibility requirements on Wednesday.
In a 4-0, the council amended the city’s sign code to allow businesses at least 12,500 square feet in size located up to 750 feet from U.S. 101 to post their names on freeway signs.
Previously, the city’s code required businesses to be at least 15,000 square feet big and located within 200 feet from the freeway.
The looser rules will allow 33 additional parcels to become eligible for freeway signage. As a result, the Aquatics Center and the Sports Center on Condit Road may use tall signs next to U.S. 101 to attract regional patrons.
Despite the size requirement, the code still will allow smaller businesses like gas stations and fast-food restaurants to use freeway signs if they are deemed “freeway dependent.”
The council also changed the sign code to allow businesses to post their names on so-called “monument” signs that are located on other properties. For example, businesses such as Trader Joe’s and All Safe Mini Storage have expressed interest in sharing existing signs with other businesses on Dunne Avenue. Both businesses are geographically located such that they have limited visibility from passing motorists.
The Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce has long advocated the revising the city’s sign code to remove impediments to businesses. Chamber director Dan Ehrler praised the council on Wednesday for its actions.
Mayor Steve Tate, who is vacationing in Arizona, was absent from the vote.
