Friday, October 13, 2000
Friday, October 13, 2000 |
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Outdoor storage
rules headed to City Council By JOHN
MUNFORD The Peachtree City Planning Commission has given its stamp of approval to the city's proposed outdoor display ordinance. The measure is aimed at regulating how retail stores display products outdoors. The ordinance, which must now be approved by the City Council, would limit the size of those displays to a space 6 feet deep by 12 feet in length. Jim Williams, the city's director of developmental services, said local merchants and members of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce have provided comments on the ordinance, and the recent revisions have made the language stronger. "We actually got some good ideas," Williams said. The ordinance would not cover such items as newspaper machines and ice storage machines, Williams said. Rather, it would be enforceable on displays such as cases of sodas and racks of tires. Businesses which depend on outdoor sales, like golf cart dealerships and lawn care products, could still store their goods outdoors by having a special site plan approved by the Planning Commission, Williams added. Any store can also get a temporary use permit to expand to a larger space for up to one week long for a maximum of four times per year, according to the ordinance. One local merchant, however, didn't like the idea of the restrictions the ordinance would put on local retailers. Tom Fancher, the manager of Gill-Roy's Complete Hardware and Lumber, said as a Peachtree City resident that he appreciated what the city was trying to do, but he felt it went a little too far. "We have a present signage law and I'm a little uncomfortable adding a couple of pages to it," Fancher said. Gill-Roy's has some equipment on display outdoors, although the store doesn't leave it out overnight and the size of the display is restricted because Fancher knows that's not what local residents want to see. However, the tactic works to spur sales, he added. "It works," Fancher said. "It's a significant tool in retail." Restricting that tool, however, would essentially "infringe on those of us who are here and our ability to do business," Fancher remarked, adding that he understands the ordinance is being developed to prevent large outdoor displays at large retail stores such as the proposed Home Depot. Fancher said Gill-Roy's has other stores that dedicate more space to outdoor displays than the Peachtree City store. About 25 of those stores are within a mile of a Home Depot and they are still doing well, he added. "I think your store looks pretty good," Planning Commission member Rich Schumacher told Fancher. "That's why I shop there." The commission debated limiting the space as a percentage of the storefront's length. But the commissioners eventually decided to drop that idea after considering it would give larger stores an unfair advantage. Local resident Phyllis Aguayo complimented the city for developing the ordinance. She added that she thought the ordinance was fair. The ordinance forbids trailers with signage from being parked in a commercial area unless they are parked in an area specified by the planning commission during the site review process. A similar requirement is in place for the sale of products from trucks, such as pinestraw. Vehicles which can be parked overnight must not be slept in during that time frame, the ordinance requires.
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