The majority of Northglenn City Council had a change of heart regarding proposed limitations to where garage sale and open house signs could be placed.

During its June 10 regular meeting, council decided to nix a provision in its new sign code that banned limited duration signs (which include garage sale and open house signs) from being placed in public rights of way within 50 feet of both streets at intersections.

A few Realtors showed up to the meeting to support their spokesperson, John Lucero, from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.

“The use of directional, open house and other signs are important tools our members use to assist Northglenn home sellers,” Lucero said during the public comment portion of the meeting. “The signs also assist buyers, potential Northglenn residents, to find and navigate to homes on the market,”

Council discussed the proposed updated sign code at its May 15 regular meeting, but did not vote on it because staff needed to make a few tweaks. At that time the proposed 50 feet setback remained in the code because council could not come to a consensus on how far back signs should be.

Northglenn current sign code has no specific distance for limited duration signs, and council decided to just eliminate the setback entirely from the new sign code. However, council agreed that if visibility issues occur in the future, council would amend the code.

“Fifty feet might be kind of a problem for the real estate industry as well as others,” said

Leslie Carrico, Ward II councilwoman. “But I don’t want it to be a visibility issue.”

Council also agreed to eliminate a provision in the updated sign code that mandated signs to be 10 feet apart from each other to prevent clustering.

The updated sign code passed the first reading by a 6-2 vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Susan Clyne, Ward III, and Councilwoman Kim Snetzinger, Ward IV, voting against the measure. Councilwoman Marci Whitman, Ward III, was absent.

Snetzinger did not agree with the updated sign code because it did not allow for limited duration signs to be posted Monday through Wednesdays. The code says they can only be posted from 12 p.m. Thursday through 7 p.m. Sunday.

“I think that’s an issue because we have open houses every day of the week,” she said.

At the May 15 meeting, Clyne said she preferred the sign setback to be 50 feet.

The updated sign code also bans signs from having any attachments, including balloons or streamers.

A public hearing on the updated sign code will be 7 p.m. Monday, June 24, at City Hall, 11701 Community Center Drive. Council will vote on the second and final reading after the hearing.

To view the entire draft sign code, visit webdocs.northglenn.org/file/57599/packet/index051313.html.