§ 2201. Purposes.

The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners have determined that it is in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the county that a comprehensive and balanced system of control and regulation be enacted as to the placement, maintenance and removal of signs within the limits of the county, said determination having been derived from, but not limited to the following concerns:

(a)

The safe and efficient flow of motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic through the county which may otherwise be impeded by the indiscriminate proliferation of signage erected to attract the attention of the traveling public, and which if left unregulated, may result in hazards to travelers through the erection of increased numbers of larger, brighter or more distracting signs by owners attempting to convey competing messages;

(b)

The protection of property values, both public and private, by assuring the compatibility of signs with surrounding land uses while balancing the community's variant interests of enhancing the commercial and economic atmosphere of the county with the desire to maintain a tranquil aesthetic environment that eliminates visual clutter and blight through the management of hardscape features, including signage;

(c)

The interference with the ability of property owners to enjoy or use their property without undue visual obstruction, distraction or hazard;

(d)

The preservation and protection of properties and areas having historic, recreational, educational, cultural, or religious values and environments, and prominent community gateways and major thoroughfares which, through orderly design and maintenance of the built environment—including signage—provide for community pride and exhibit clear community expectations that promote investment through a predictable development pattern;

(e)

The elimination of potential hazards arising during times of inclement weather or other natural disaster;

(f)

The provision of some signage that has the targeted purpose of promoting public safety but is difficult to describe without referring to its incidental function, such as address numerals or subdivision or major development entrance signage, which signage is a tool for enabling the traveling public and emergency personnel to locate point of ingress and egress during visitation or emergency call response. While such signage is referenced based upon the function it serves within the context of this article, the provisions of this article are unrelated to the content of the speech provided and allow maximum expressive potential to sign owners;

(g)

The control of the proliferation and placement of signs in an indiscriminate manner so as to pose a threat to the aesthetic and environmental values and qualities of life within Bulloch County;

(h)

Increasingly vibrant and distracting signs, including those incorporating LED and similar technology, cause unique and substantial hazards to traffic caused by a higher level of distractability, are inconsistent with the standards established for major community thoroughfares and gateways, and demand greater diligence and resources in enforcing proper use and display than those signs not incorporating such technology; and,

(i)

In addition to the other concerns stated within this section, specific districts, thoroughfares and gateways throughout the community, due to traffic volumes, population density, proximity to major community facilities, or other similar factors, may—absent the provision of reasonable land management regulations—be more susceptible to the proliferation of signage, banners and other similar displays than other parts of the county; certain of these districts, thoroughfares and gateways that have otherwise been determined by the community to be of significant importance in maintaining an orderly, moderated and consistent development pattern and a community character free of visual clutter include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1)

Veterans Memorial Highway. The county's principal by-way alternatively serves as a community greenway, providing for areas of natural landscape; and, where flanked by development, a soft transition between the natural and built environment. With few direct vehicular access points to adjacent property, abutting properties will remain rural or develop in a residential manner. Signs on this thoroughfare must remain limited in number and scale to avoid the inadvertent placement of signage in proximity to the county's neighborhoods and greenspaces that would not otherwise be permitted in residential areas and on residential streets. The allowance for unregulated signage will further reduce the highway's function as a community parkway, contradicting the community interest of providing for an orderly visual environment.

(Amd. of 4-5-11(2))