THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, March 21, 1995                TAG: 9503210020
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   38 lines

SIGN WOULD BE A WRONG STEP

I would like to express my very real concerns over the commercial electronic message board and zoning change scheduled for public hearing before City Council on March 21. This sign and any others like it would be a threat to all the design standards and guidelines that have been developed for Norfolk and downtown.

Norfolk has gone to great lengths and expense to provide strong zoning and design standards to make Norfolk not only a beautiful but also an outstanding city. This commercial intrusion would be a step in the wrong direction. This is a purely commercial venture, which will set a very bad precedent.

The proposed message board fails to meet the careful requirements provided by the zoning ordinance for signage. The City Council should not be in the business of choosing or endorsing private commercial ventures which seek to use public space for personal gain. This project is wrong because of its design, scale and many other reasons, but the commercial nature of this sign is not acceptable.

I have read recently of a concerted effort on the part of the mayor and City Council to give the neighborhoods more say in local matters which directly affect them. Yet the Ghent Neighborhood League has written to the city opposing these signs and zoning changes. One of the districts created by this proposal includes Yarmouth Street, which is included in the boundaries of Ghent.

City Council should vote to deny this application and the accompanying zoning changes.

ROBIN W. INGRAM

Norfolk, March 16, 1995 by CNB