NORFOLK
Without any debate, the City Council voted 6-0 on Tuesday to deny the Richway Beauty store in Ingleside the right to have an electronic sign in its window.
The city banned commercial electronic signs that display advertising in 2001 and has allowed few exceptions since. The city allows churches and other institutions to have electronic signs, as long as they are used to provide public service information.
Richway proprietor Cliff Edwards put up the $5,000 sign, only to be told that it is illegal.
He was told to turn it off and seek permission from the city.
Frank Duke, the city's planning director, said Edwards must take the sign out of his window.
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It's interesting how the city wants to hurt the revenue generation of tax paying businesses. In Virginia Beach you will see large box trucks with business names parked out front of hard to see/hard to find businesses. It's their only hope of getting around signage laws in the city. I contacted Bank of the Commonwealth and asked them to run notice of our community site, HRGeeks.com. If they refuse then I think it will be time to tell the city to tell them to turn off their expensive full color, poor dot pitch message sign set on Bousch street.
Norfolk Government has a very Narrow View of Public Service
How public service could just as well be served is in helping places like Richway Beauty's business improve. Richway could then put a few more dollars into the city coffers as a result of their increased sales. The city (wisely) spends this tax money providing goods and services for all of the people of Norfolk. Norfolk becomes a little nicer place to live and shop. Then (with the help of an electronic sign attracting) more customers spend more money with Richway, who continue to collect yet more revenue for the city. Repeat this cycle with enough retailers, and help make them profitable (rather than placing unnecessary obstacles in their path), which would allow them to pay employees better, provide benefits, and hire more people to meet their growth. That too is a public service. Our elected representatives say they want to help the struggling people of our community, but their deeds are often contrary to their words. I think promoting an environment that provides steady employment, provides more of a public service than giving a waiver to a church to promote bingo night...... "The business of America is business." --Calvin Coolidge--
BANK OF THE COMMONWEALTH
Bank of the Commonwealth has one in downtown Norfolk, and I've never seen anything community related on it.