Signs overflow, angering some
By NIKKI YOUNG
The Times
gainesvilletimes.com
Scott Rogers The Times
Clusters of subdivision signs line the shoulder of Spout Springs Road near Hog Mountain Road. Even though many residents find the signs distracting, Hall County isn't actively enforcing the ordinance that bans signs from the right of way.
Dolores Stevenson can't stand the sight of an intersection crowded with signs proclaiming "New homes in the $220s" and "Open house Sunday 12-6."
Booming residential growth in Hall County brings with it a host of signs, small and large, permanent and weekend. Stop signs, guard-rails and the public right of way have become billboards advertising new subdivisions.
While a newcomer cruising Hall County for a home might find these signs helpful, some residents like Stevenson consider them to be litter.
"It's gotten out of control," Stevenson said. She lives on Peach Mountain Road off Poplar Springs Road, an area of the county where houses are sprouting faster than trees.
County ordinances prohibit staking signs on public property. But the county's Code Enforcement Division does not routinely collect the offending signs, said Planning Director Bill Meyer, who oversees the division.
Officers respond to complaints or pick up signs if they have other business in the area, he said.
Many real estate agents put out signs for the weekend when most people house hunt. They leave the sticks in the ground all week and attach the signs on Friday night.
"There are some counties in the area where that's actually condoned in the ordinance, and we'll probably look at doing something like that," Meyer said.
For example, Forsyth County allows certain types of signs to be posted on the weekends. All must include contact information on the back for enforcement purposes. Each of Forsyth's five code enforcement officers is assigned a district to clean up weekly, according to county administration staff.
Hall County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tom Oliver said the solution is not stricter government enforcement.
"Being the free-enterprise person I am, I would like to see us work with the real estate people to set guidelines within themselves," Oliver said.
It would be beneficial to residents and real estate agents to clean up excess signage. Cluttered roadsides don't entice homebuyers to settle in Hall County, he said.
"I think visuals are important, especially as we compete with other projects going on," Oliver said.
Times regional staff writer Nancy Smallwood contributed to this article.
E-mail: nyoung@gainesvilletimes.com
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