Huntington Town targets banner ads

The Huntington Town board is expected to vote tonight on a measure to regulate temporary outdoor advertising banners.

The legislation would ensure that banner signs -- also known as "feather" sign advertisements -- are installed after getting proper permits. It would also enable the town to regulate the location and use of the banners.

"These banner signs violate our code," board member Mark Cuthbertson, the measure's sponsor, said Monday. "So we have come up with a new set of regulations to regulate banner signs that people seem to feel they can just put anywhere for their businesses."

Cuthbertson said he will be joined at a Town Hall news conference Tuesday at 2 p.m. by members of the Fort Salonga Civic Association to announce the details of the amendment that will strengthen town code.

"We received a number of complaints from beautification groups about the fact that these banners are just put up anywhere," he said.

Cuthbertson said the amendment will call for regulating the size of banner signs, which are classified as temporary signs in the town code. It also will require the square footage of all temporary signs -- on one lot at one time -- to not exceed 64 square feet. The amendment also redefines the term "banner" to include more types of signs such as those that are pinned to the ground.

"We need common sense sign regulation that maintains the aesthetic and appeal of our downtown areas," Cuthbertson said.

In December, the Brookhaven Town Board passed legislation that placed limits on the size of signs, and also barred the use of banners, streamers, flags, pennants and noise-making devices as signs.