The Planning and Zoning Commission of Montgomery met via Zoom on January 5, 2021. Attending the meeting was Chairman Waddell, Vice-Chairman Ghutzman, Member Walker and Member Clark.
The P & Z Commission approved a new outdoor playground for Living Savior Lutheran Church, located at 309 Pond Street in the Historic Preservation District. This fenced playground will not be easily visible from surrounding streets. The existing playground will be removed.
The current sign ordinance does not allow for temporary banners and signs in the Historic Preservation District without direct approval from P & Z. Signs and banners must adhere to the City sign and billboard regulations. There have been a number of temporary banners and signs placed in the Downtown Historic District which have been displayed for longer than the thirty day limit specified in the City Code.
The City has been relaxed on enforcing the ordinance due to the Covid impact on local businesses.
The P & Z Commission asked city staff to contact local businesses in violation of the regulations and make them aware of the sign ordinances. Chairman Waddell expressed a desire for city staff to work with businesses to bring them into compliance.
The P & Z Commission decided to take no action on downtown businesses having their trash dumpsters visible in the historic downtown area. The Commission agreed to consult with the City Public Works Department on the possibility of constructing an enclosure to hide the City’s dumpster at the Old Community Center. The Commission is hopeful other businesses will voluntarily follow the City’s example.
This is a basic summary of the events of the meeting. For a more detailed review of the meeting, the City of Montgomery posts the minutes of every meeting on the city website. The video recordings of City public meetings are available on the City of Montgomery’s YouTube channel.