Lockport NY

"You can tell by the size of their McDonald's sign how affluent a neighborhood is."

This line was a semi-joke by the person from the Dept of State. He was one of two who were conducting the zoning/planning board training earlier this week at NCCC (board members are required 4-hours of training annually).

It is another one of those comments that hit you upside the head with how "obvious" they are. The sad part here is that the task at hand, no huge obnoxious signs, does not depend on how affluent a municipality is. It only depends on how defined the local zoning/planning/sign/etc codes are.

Maybe it is just as simple as the more affluent communities having the courage to enact the limiting codes with the knowledge that "businesses will still come". I submit that businesses would 1) still come and 2) be willing to spend some more money/and or do things differently if they were assured that everyone was playing by the same rules. This would give added security in the additional investment while also making the area look more desirable.

As I have mentioned before, large backlit highway pole signs especially do not belong in a 30 mph urban area with pedestrians. They serve no legitimate purpose ( I am not trying to find them from a half mile away at 55 mph) and cheapen the look of the area.

If we want to improve our area we just need to legislate what we want and have the courage to do it.