PIGEON FORGE â The planning commission rejected 14 site plans for new billboards Tuesday after staff said they didnât meet the cityâs new sign regulations.
Commission was reviewing site plans for new signs for the first time since Chancellor Telford Forgety overturned the cityâs old billboard regulations on First Amendment grounds.
Since then, the city put a moratorium on reviewing new signs until new ordinances were enacted. Those new regulations are now in effect.
In the meantime, a number of people offered site plans for new billboards. Tuesdayâs agenda featured site plans for 16 of them.
The planning commission turned down all 16 plans on the advice of staff, who said they didnât meet the regulations.
PIGEON FORGE â The public will get once last chance Monday to weigh in on proposed changes to the cityâs sign ordinances before commissioners vote on final approval.
City Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday in City Hall, and the public hearings typically lead off the agenda.
The commission has been discussing proposed wholesale changes to its sign ordinances for weeks, and issued a moratorium on new sign permits that started March 8 and is scheduled to end May 7.
Both moves followed a ruling by Chancellor Telford Forgety that essentially overturned the cityâs billboard ordinances.
Forgetyâs decision was based on federal court rulings that voided other billboard regulations like Pigeon Forgeâs, which categorized signs based on whether they advertised on-site businesses or off-premise businesses.
PIGEON FORGE — While city officials said Monday they were planning a moratorium on new signs due to a court decision involving the state, the city’s billboard ordinance was actually
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