A change in the town’s sign ordinance could pave the way for more public art.
At its Wednesday meeting, the Queen Creek Town Council unanimously voted to approve an amendment to the town’s zoning ordinance defining murals and which ones are exempt from sign regulations.
The item was on the council’s public consent agenda in which all matters are handled through one motion and vote following public comment. No member of the public or the council spoke on the ordinance change.
In looking at a proposal by the town’s Public Art and Placemaking Committee to establish a mural program for the Downtown Core, staff discovered that the sign ordinance includes no definition for murals.
“As development and redevelopment interest increases in the Downtown Core zoning district, the integration of public art into this environment is becoming a greater part of the discussion regarding pedestrian scale and the public realm,” according to a council staff report. “The proposed definition represents the opportunity for artistic freedom of expression while also ensuring that a mural does not clearly represent a business.”
The added language would make sure murals are not promoting a business, thus falling under the sign ordinance.
Under the new language, a mural would be defined as a “pictorial work of art that is painted, drawn, applied or projected on the exterior surface of a building or structure, that is non-commercial and does not name, advertise or promote a business, organization, service or product,” according to the ordinance change.
The Planning & Zoning Commission voted on Aug. 12 to recommend approval of new language covering murals, as well as exempting them from the town’s sign ordinance.
In drafting the new language, Les Johnson, principal planner for the town, told the commission that town staff researched the definitions of murals in neighboring municipalities such as Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa and Tempe.
Many commentators on the Queen Creek Independent’s Facebook page expressed support for more public art in the town, but a few were concerned about the possible use of public funds.
In response, Council Member Jeff Brown stated that “no monies are mentioned, there are no grants or public monies contemplated for this program. It’s simply a text amendment to the town’s zoning ordinance to treat a ‘mural’ differently than commercial ‘signage,’”
The proposed mural program by the Public Art and Placemaking Committee is expected to go before the council later in September, Johnson said.
Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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