Political campaign signs could soon be a thing of the past on Arlington medians.
County Board members in March are expected to consider a staff recommendation that would prohibit all signage — commercial, personal and political — on county-owned median strips and areas between sidewalks and roadways.
The proposal aims at eliminating driver distractions and litter, said Jill Hunger, an official with the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.
Hunger and her colleague Deborah Albert briefed members of the Planning Commission’s Zoning Ordinance Committee (ZOCO) at a Feb. 17 meeting.
Alexandria, Fairfax County and Falls Church already ban signage in medians, as does the Virginia Department of Transportation. An online survey conducted by the county government found that 58% of nearly 500 respondents were “not comfortable at all” with signage in medians, Hunger told ZOCO members.
The county’s current zoning rules allow candidates to place up to two signs per median strip beginning 31 days before an election. Because the county considers the start of early voting to be the beginning of an election, signage can be on medians for more than two months per election cycle.
Hunger acknowledged that eliminating political signs in medians “could limit access to election and candidate information to residents.” To address that, staff also presented alternatives to an outright ban.
Options could include reducing the number of allowed candidate signs from two per median to one, limiting them to weekends, limiting them to certain areas, or reducing the number of days in advance of an election they can be posted.
ZOCO members who spoke on the topic seemed inclined to support a complete ban.
“I would have been a lot more concerned a number of years ago,” said James Lantelme, who serves on the committee.
Today, he said, signs are not a major part of local electioneering.
“They really don’t move the needle,” Lantelme said. “It’s just that people [in politics] like them and it makes them feel good, but it doesn’t really do anything.”
Tony Striner, who chairs the committee, said political competition leads to clutter in medians.
“A person puts a sign out, then a person puts a sign in front of it. You have all these layers of signs,” he said.
Striner said an outright ban would be “a welcome change.”
How political parties and candidates may feel about a change is not yet clear. Paul Ruiz, who chairs the Arlington County Democratic Committee, told ARLnow the party would take a look at the situation.
“We may comment to the County Board, we may not,” he said.
At the Feb. 17 meeting, Lantelme said elimination of signage on medians would not benefit any particular candidate or party.
“If you get rid of it for everybody, it’s still a level playing field,” he said.
That may be true in theory, but in Arlington, the Democratic Committee has resources that far outstrip Republicans and independents. For non-Democratic candidates, median signs might have a greater value in bringing public awareness to their campaigns.
Any changes to rules would not impact the placement of political signage on private property.
Chamber backs proposed changes to commercial signage
Signage on medians is just one part of a broader package of proposed sign revisions being brought to the Planning Commission and County Board next month.
Many of those changes, under consideration since last fall, will impact signage regulations on commercial and retail property.
Kate Bates, president/CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, told ARLnow the package represents “strategic amendments … that would benefit our business community.”
“Allowing associated automatic changeable copy signage and off-premise advertising will improve wayfinding to local businesses and contribute to stronger placemaking efforts,” she said. “Increased flexibility for temporary banners will also help elevate and promote Arlington’s vibrant cultural offerings.”
Bates said this latest round of revisions shouldn’t be the end of the process.
“We appreciate county staff’s ongoing efforts to streamline the sign permit process and encourage the county to build on this progress so businesses can efficiently secure the signage they rely on for visibility and long-term success,” she said.
