‘Movie posters’ too large, in wrong locations, Rast says

Advertising signs recently erected at The Avenue shopping center in Peachtree City aren’t exactly what city officials had in mind when they signed off on a special “sign program” for the development.

But with a few tweaks the signs can be brought into compliance with the sign program, which was adopted for The Avenue by the city’s planning commission, said City Planner David Rast.

The ads promote businesses not located at The Avenue. One of them touts a country music radio station, and others plug subdivisions in Peachtree City and Coweta County by John Wieland Homes and Pathway Communities.

The ads have drawn comparison to those seen on kiosks at area malls.

“It’s a new thing for Peachtree City, something the Planning Commission approved in concept,” Rast said.

Historically the city has a reputation, and city ordinances to match, to dramatically regulate the look and feel of signs, from those identifying corporate eateries such as McDonald’s to yard sale signs, which must be purchased from the city, and even neutral-colored real estate directional signs.

The Avenue’s signs were not meant to be placed along the roadway to the development, but rather in landscaped islands so they would be “less noticeable,” Rast said. Considering that at busy times traffic often backs up on the access road running past Books-A-Million, The Avenue has a captive audience in their cars for several minutes at a time.

The signs, which display advertising posters similar to movie posters, are also too big and must be lit differently to comply with the sign regulations, Rast said.

The Avenue’s signs should be lit from lighting on the ground, or by a maximum of two bulbs inside the sign, Rast said. Instead they are currently internally lit by about six or eight light bulbs, he added.

The signs are also larger than the allowed four feet by six feet tall, Rast noted.

The Avenue’s sign program was modified last year by the Peachtree City Planning Commission.

Rast said Tuesday that the city was in the process of putting together a letter to Cousins Properties, which owns The Avenue, outlining the matters that need to be addressed.

The signs are supposed to enhance the pedestrian feel of The Avenue, Rast said. The city hasn’t had many complaint calls from residents, but concern has been expressed by several city staff members, Rast said.