from the OV Chamber…
At the April 14, 2009 City Council meeting, the Council passed to a second reading, the amendment to the Zoning Ordinance regarding Outdoor Merchandise Displays. In essence, this means that barring anything unforeseen, the amendment will be passed into the books on April 28 and become law as of May 15, 2009.

Merchants will have the right to display examples of their inventory in front of their shops. There are specific standards and there will be City enforcement, especially on weekends. This is a victory for our members and all businesses in town. Chamber members and others worked diligently with City Planner Katrina Rice-Schmidt for roughly six months to produce the standards agreed upon by the Historical Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission, and Chamber staff spoke in favor of the amendment at Council meetings.
However, this is not a free hand to clutter the Arcade and other pedestrian thoroughfares. This amendment will be reviewed in 12 months (or sooner if warranted) from the effective date and adjustments will be made as necessary. So it is incumbent upon all participating businesses to adhere not only to the letter of the standards, but to the spirit of the standards as well. And you must be willing to “counsel” your neighbors when you feel the envelope is being pushed. Here is a link to the Final General Standards For All Outdoor Displays (PDF). Please print this out, read it and refer to it often. Be aware that support for the amendment was not unanimous among Chamber members and business owners in general. This ability to have outdoor displays was a long time coming. If Council decides it is not working, it will be a very long time gone.