 WeHo Real Estate agent Ronald Shore . WeHo News. |
West Hollywood made more stringent its real estate signage law during the building boom of 2004, restricting placement, size and content.
Real estate agents felt then that keeping signs off public areas near corners, sidewalks and preventing naming the listing agent, firm or phone number would hamper their ability to make sales – and then the economy tanked.
West Hollywood designed an economic hardship plan for the city when the depth of the recession became clear, loosening restrictions for businesses across the city, including banner signs restrictions and increasing the number of special events allowed, among other steps.
No mention in that plan about real estate businesses, though.
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 Photo by WeHo News. |
So, that day in March, 2009 when the West Hollywood code compliance officers came around to confiscate his signs and fining him $190 (charging him an additional $40 for the privilege of getting the signs returned), he began agitating for loosening of the restrictions on real estate signage, holding up as an example what the city did for all other businesses.
This week the city council the economic hardship ordinance to allow loosening of certain restrictions on real estate signs.
The amendment makes permanent changes to the zoning law on Open House signs, adding a day to the allowed schedule, Saturday, and extending the hours the signs can be shown from 11 am to 7 pm.
Additionally, a real estate agent may display one flag to attract attention to the property – if it is attached to a sign.
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The address of the property and the name of the brokerage house and/or the agent may be displayed on the signs.
 WeHo News. |
A temporary change to the law came in the form of an increased number of opportunities and increased length of time to display temporary sales and promotional signs.
Currently signs may only be displayed up to three times per year for a maximum of thirty days.
The new ordinance ups those numbers to four times per year and 45 days at a time.
A sunset date for this temporary mitigation was set for December 31, 2011, chosen to coincide with the sunset of the increase in special events and the flexibility in parking within the Avenues of Art and Design.
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