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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City's Planning Division is looking at ways to keep vintage business signs on buildings around the city from disappearing.
The proposal would make changes to the current zoning code and lift restrictions on what business owners could do with old, neon signs on their buildings.
"These are important aspects of the character of our neighborhood and we really want to have a pathway forward to preserve and reuse them into the future,” said Anthony Riederer, principal planner with the Salt Lake City’s Planning Division.
Riederer believes there are dozens of these signs around Salt Lake, each from different decades and in different stages of disrepair. He said over the years, many were lost to redevelopment.
"They are period specific, demonstrate history or craftsmanship. It would be sad to see them go,” he said.
Since these signs are considered non-conforming, there are significant restrictions on what an owner can do with them.
"There is nothing illegal about them as they are where they are,” he said. “They just couldn't be constructed under our current zoning code."
Riederer said this creates significant barriers for an owner who wishes to improve, relocate or modify a sign. Many times they are lost due to disrepair and removal.
Instead of getting rid of them, a change to the current zoning code would help building owners retain, restore and reuse the bold signs.
Salt Lake resident Erica Trauba said she was excited about the idea.
“If you don't, things fall into disrepair, everything kind of starts to look the same,” Trauba said. “That doesn't make for a very vibrant, diverse city."
She said the signs are important, especially for those who have for decades considered them as landmarks. Trauba hopes this proposal will keep them as part of downtown's historic look.
“I would like to see those unique little treasures of Salt Lake stay around,” she said.
Riederer plans to bring the proposed zoning changes before the city's Planning Commission in the coming months for a public hearing and recommendation.
