Electronic message signs will be permitted in the Frederickson and South Hill areas starting in mid-August.
The Pierce County Council voted Tuesday to adopt regulations allowing schools, churches, public safety agencies and parks to operate the signs in Frederickson and South Hill starting Aug. 15.
The council’s action Tuesday came after a months-long dispute over the sign changes. The Puyallup and Bethel school districts sought the changes, and the council amended its comprehensive plan in October to permit the signs. Several area residents appealed the changes to the Growth Management Hearings Board, but the county prevailed.
The council has decided whether electronic message signs are legal on a community-by-community basis. Such signs are already permitted in the Key Peninsula area.
The signs in Frederickson and South Hill can display messages but can’t have flashing, scrolling or video messages.
“The sign issue has not been thought out over time,” Jim Halmo, a Graham resident and one the appellants, said after Tuesday’s meeting. He said there should be a better definition throughout the county of what signs are permitted.
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
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