Council directs outreach for historic signs, seeks ability to use facade grants for restoration
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Summary
The Development Services Committee recommended proactively contacting owners of historic commercial signs, inventorying them for potential designation and making them eligible for façade-grant funding; staff also raised the possibility of a future sign‑collection display or park.
Development Services staff briefed council on Oct. 20 about historic commercial signage in Garland and proposed a proactive outreach and program alignment to preserve or relocate noteworthy signs.
Assistant City Manager Andy Hesser and Development staff said that some historic signs require special permitting to deviate from current sign standards; there is an existing historic-sign permit process (the transcript noted the council’s authority related to historic designation). Staff proposed proactively notifying property and sign owners about the permit process, inventorying historically notable signs, and making those signs eligible for the city’s economic-development façade improvement grants so owners can restore and maintain neon or other historic elements.
Staff also floated the option of acquiring and relocating signs when owners have no interest in on-site preservation; any city acquisition or relocation would be handled carefully and only when funds are available. The committee discussed possible future sign-collection displays (examples exist in other cities) as a cultural-arts or public‑space option.
Council members asked staff to return with specific program language and funding options; staff said the facade‑grant eligibility change and proactive outreach would be handled administratively and come back for council action where necessary.
Provenance: Development Services Committee report on inventorying historic signs and aligning façade grants for restoration.