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A Tuolumne County proposal would make it easier for businesses in downtown Jamestown and other historical districts to change or alter their signs. The county Board of Supervisors heard a presentation Tuesday on a proposal that would remove a county Ordinance Code requirement for property owners in Historic and Historic Design Preservation districts to receive a permit to install signs or other advertising devices.
A permit is now required to construct a new building or alter the exterior appearance of an existing building or structure on a property zoned as part of a historic district, according to the Community Resources Agency. Bev Shane, the county’s community resources director, said on Tuesday that most special-permit requests emanating from those districts involve changing or adding signage. Shane said the permit process does not include a fee, but the requests must go through an approval process that includes, in some cases, approval by a historic design review committee. Tuolumne County zoning levels include “Historic” and “Historic Design Preservation” zoning. The only district under “Historic Design Preservation” is located in downtown Jamestown. A number of individual properties located in Columbia, Big Oak Flat and Groveland are zoned “Historic” as well, according to the CRA. Under the proposed changes, the Ordinance Code would exempt from the permit process signs, as well as roof replacements or work on other external features with similar materials and appearance, according to the CRA. New exemptions would also include repainting buildings in the zoning districts should the property owners use colors similar to the existing color palette, according to the proposal. Shane said the county’s Historic Preservation Review Commission and Board of Supervisors Planning Committee reviewed the proposal last month. The changes will go to the county’s various planning commissions for further review before returning to the Board of Supervisors for a vote. |