New ordinance makes things easier for St. John signs

Published 12:09 am Saturday, February 11, 2017

LAPLACE — “Welcome Here” might finally be an appropriate sign in St. John the Baptist Parish.

An ordinance with specific changes to sign regulations easily sailed through Parish Council approval this week, a welcome addition according to many business representatives.

Overall, the ordinance diminished the complexity of previous guidelines regarding signs, exempts certain types of signs from permitting; provides a comprehensive list of prohibited signs; strengthens regulations for detached, pole and pylon signs; and even adds incentives for monument signs.

The issue of sign regulations has been a thorn for Council members on several occasions in the past few years, with members unclear as to what was acceptable and what did not meet the code.

“Now maybe we’ll get more businesses,” a relieved District 4 Councilman Marvin Perrilloux quipped during Tuesday’s Council meeting.

In other business, Council members approved a resolution to creating four cultural districts in St. John. Those districts would be located in Reserve, Garyville, LaPlace and River Road and include the communities of Edgard, Lucy and Wallace.

Parish President Natalie Robottom said the districts aim to revitalize local areas of artistic significance by strengthening and supporting connections between the St. John and local artists.

It would also create more funding opportunities through state historic tax credits and sales tax exemptions, Robottom said.

District 2 Council Member Julia Remondet, in response to questions from her fellow Council members, said the cultural district’s creation does not impact current historical districts and, in fact, would “only help them.”

“Also, (the districts) build on each other,” she said.

“The cultural district is another level of incentives.”