OCTOBER 23, 2015, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
Keizer City Council updates sign code
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
All it took was one sentence.
Earlier this year, a somewhat
humorous battle took place
between city offi cials and Ni-
gel Guisinger, owner of Moles
Appliance at 3800 River Road.
In short, Guisinger wanted
to bring attention to the need
for updates to the sign code
portion of the Keizer Devel-
opment Code. In particular,
he took issue with not being
able to put up signs promot-
ing his business since the side-
walk became blocked. When
his sign was confi scated by the
city, Guisinger responded by
placing signs in front of Nate
Brown’s offi ce at city hall, in
addition to putting a dryer in
front of his business.
Guisinger said at the time
his intent was to bring aware-
ness to necessary updates for
the city code and pledged to
work with Brown, the director
of Community Development
in Keizer, on changes.
Fast forward to Monday’s
Keizer City Council meet-
ing, as Brown proposed a text
amendment to Section 2.203
of the KDC.
“That did trigger this,”
Brown said of the May show-
down between the city and
Guisinger. “We needed to
make this crystal clear.”
The permitted uses sec-
tion of the KDC hadn’t been
changed since May 1998, but
the proposed changes were ap-
proved unanimously on Mon-
day. A minor tweak was adding
“Use” to “Public Right-of-
Way Expansion.”
The bigger change was the
new sentence: “The placement,
storage or display of merchan-
dise, or other material for
commercial use in the street,
on the sidewalk, median strip,
or any other portion of the
street right-of-way or public
easement is prohibited.”
Brown noted members of
the Keizer Planning Commis-
sion voted 4-1 in favor of the
change, with the lone no vote
done to make sure there could
be the opportunity for side-
walk cafes.
“There’s barely enough
room for a sidewalk, much less
a cafe,” Brown said. “There was
lively discussion at Planning
Commission.”
Councilor Amy Ryan asked
if the revisions would outlaw
people waving signs in front of
a business.
“That’s not the intent,” city
attorney Shannon Johnson
said. “The language wouldn’t
prevent that. There is pretty
much free speech with the
sidewalks. The only thing is
if there’s anything that would
impede people in wheelchairs.”
In response to a question
from councilor Kim Free-
man about whether basketball
hoops on sidewalks in neigh-
borhoods would count, Brown
pointed out the emphasis in
the staff report about the sec-
tion only dealing with the
placement of commercial ma-
terial.
“There are a lot of differ-
ences between business and
residential,” Brown said. “This
doesn’t cover basketball hoops
or other residential things. We
deal with hoops on a neigh-
bor-to-neighbor basis.”
Council president Den-
nis Koho is hopeful tent signs
on street corners get removed,
noting he saw an elderly lady
in a walker have struggles with
one the day before.
Nigel
Guisinger
put a dryer
in front
of Moles
Appliance
last spring
to make a
point about
the city sign
code.
Craig Murphy/
KEIZERTIMES
fi le photo
“They are already unlawful
on the sidewalks,” Johnson said.
Councilors approved the
text amendment unanimously.
Brown said afterwards up-
dating the KDC will make
things easier for code enforce-
ment offi cer Ben Crosby.
“It’s clear for everybody
now in the Keizer Develop-
ment Code,” Brown said. “In
the past we had to quote state
statutes. It just wasn’t clean.”
Brown noted the business
community has been kept
up-to-date on the proposed
change.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise
to anyone,” he said. “You can’t
block the sidewalk with a sign
or merchandise.”
Guisinger said on Wednes-
day he wasn’t pleased with the
update.
“It’s disappointing this is the
way they’ve chosen to go,” he
said. “It’s the city saying their
sign codes are more impor-
tant than keeping businesses in
Keizer. They’re throwing out
rules that are not encourag-
ing businesses to stay in Keizer.
That is different than what
they had talked about doing.
They had talked about hav-
ing temporary access signs.
With this type of mentality in
place in the city, we will have
to pursue options of looking
elsewhere to have our business.
It sucks they have chosen to go
this direction.”
Submitted photo
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All boarded up
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
The former Haggen grocery store is now boarded up.
KAA readies B&W show WKNA’s new free library
One of the most popular
art exhibitions in Keizer, the
“Black, White and Gray” show,
will be held at the Keizer Art
Association’s Enid Joy Mount
Gallery at the Keizer Heritage
Center beginning Thursday,
Oct. 29.
The show will run through
Nov. 28.
Entry subjects and medium
are the artist’s choice but must
be black, white or gray in con-
tent as well as mat and frame.
ONE CLINIC
Show honors will be award-
ed at a free, public reception
on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 6 to
8 p.m.
The public can cast their
vote for the People’s Choice
which will be announced after
the show is completed.
Regular gallery hours are 1
to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays,
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Keizer Heritage Center is
located at 980 Chemawa Road
N.E. next to Keizer Civic Cen-
ter.
For information visit keizer-
arts.com.
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KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
looking back
in the KT
public
hearings
A proposal before the Keizer
City Council that would
halt purchase of fl uoridation
equipment for fi ve of the city’s
wells.
The Keizer City Council
will hold a hearing on Mon-
day, Nov. 2 to consider revi-
sions to sections 2.303 (off-
street parking and loading)
and 2.413 (RV storage) of the
Keizer Development Code.
The hearing starts at 7 p.m.
in council chambers at Keizer
Civic Center, 930 Chemawa
Road NE.
Councilor questions
whether to keep
buying fl uoride
equipment
Bike path
concerns mount
Ryan W. Lapour, M.D.
John G. Dodd, D.O.
Erika C. Bury, O.D.
A group of Keizer residents
plans to turn up the volume
on their protest concerning a
proposed bike path that would
provide access to a regional park
in West Keizer.
15 YEARS AGO
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Councilors irked at
being left out on
wetland plans
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Carol and Martin Doerfl er,
along with Rhonda Rich and
Carolyn Homan, dedicated
the new Free Little Library in
the Doerfl er yard Oct. 15.
5 YEARS AGO
10 YEARS AGO
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655 Medical Center Dr NE - Salem
KT on vacation
Some local farmers and Keizer
city councilors are bristling
at Salem offi cials’ tactics in
launching plans for wetlands
project at Willow Lake Waste
treatment Plant.
20 YEARS AGO
County poses land
swap to end dispute
Marion County offi cials last
week posed a possible land swap
to end Keizer’s squabble with
Salem over the Willow Lake
Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The Keizer Planning
Commission is holding a
hearing on Wednesday, Nov.
4 to consider proposed revi-
sions to Section 2.313 (acces-
sory structures and uses) of the
Keizer Development Code.
The hearing starts at 6 p.m.
in council chambers at Keizer
Civic Center.
Planning Commission will
also hold a hearing on Nov.
4 to consider proposed text
amendments to sections 2.108,
2.109, 2.110, 2.112, 2.113,
2.114, 2.115, 2.119 and 2.433
of the Keizer Development
Code and to add a defi nition
of marijuana retailer to Sec-
tion 1.200. The hearing takes
place in council chambers
at Keizer Civic Center. The
Keizer City Council will also
hold a hearing on the topic on
Monday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
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