Archive: News

The Lansing Town Board scheduled a public hearing Wednesday for a proposed law to impose a six month moratorium on business and commercial signage in the town.  A previous sign ordinance was part of the Town's zoning laws until it was inadvertently repealed when Lansing zoning was updated in 2005.

"It will deal with just commercial and signs relating to places of business," Town Attorney Guy Krogh said.  "It is a six month moratorium because you need time to put a local law into place.  Whether it's an amendment to the zoning ordinance or a stand-alone law is something you would wrestle with.  As of now we have nothing."

Krogh says the moratorium will not affect temporary political signs, free speech signs, or real estate signs.  He said the moratorium might not span the entire six months if town officials put a law in place before it expires.

The issue arose when 41 neighbors petitioned the town to have an electronic sign removed on Asbury Road.   The sign belongs to Cayuga Signs, which is nestled among residences on that street.  In early November Caroline and Bob Rasmussen addressed the board, citing the sign as a safety hazard, and claiming that the sign defeats the intent of zoning and land use ordinances.

But town officials note that the sign is allowed according to current law, and note that the owner has been a good neighbor, agreeing to turn the sign off in the evening.  In November Supervisor Kathy Miller told the Rasmussens that the Town Board could not remove the sign because it is bound by existing law.  At that time she noted the law could be changed going forward.

The moratorium is designed to give town officials time to decide what that law should be.  Board members argued over the wording of a proposition to establish the moratorium, but ultimately voted to set a public hearing.

Miller said a land use ordinance committee is being formed to work on the new law.  She said the committee will be composed of two Town Board members, two Planning Board members, and two citizen members, and will receive input from Code/Fire Enforcement Officer & Building Inspector Lynn Day.  Miller said she and Councilwoman Katrina Binkewicz would represent the Board on the committee.

"One of the things they are going to do is look at other towns and their sign ordinances," Miller said.  "Dryden has a good one.  The Village of Lansing has a good one.  This will be one of the first things we'll tackle."

Councilman Ed LaVigne said that existing digital signs owners including Cayuga Signs, Lansing Market, and the Lansing central School District should be allowed to make repairs, if needed.

Krogh said the old sign ordinance had been repealed twice.  He noted that while other laws still refer to the missing sign law, any ambeguity in zoning law goes against the municipality in favor of the landowner.  He recommended putting a new law in place.

After much argument over the language of a resolution, the board voted to schedule the public hearing for March 20th at 6:05pm.

v9i7