These comments were made before the Surprise City Council during the Public Comments section of the meeting on August 15, 2017. WeMAR requested the Council reconsider their vote in February 2017 to not extend the temporary sign ordinance allowing A-Frame and temporary directional signage. A letter accompanied by 22 pages of signatures was sent the previous week to the Mayor and City Council.
Imagine being a real estate agent hosting an open house. You are unable to place adequate directional signage in and leading to the community because of the current ordinance. Few potential buyers come through, but the few that do are there for another reason. They saw your open house ads but became frustrated when they neared the community and could find no signs. They then decided to make it their mission to hunt you down and find you. Their first question to you revolves around your lack of intelligence. After all, don’t you know it is very hard to find your way through this community and the GPS on their phone puts them about half a mile away? Only thing better than that is when your client returns a half hour early and wants to know why there are no signs leading people to the open house. Aren’t you a professional? Just as you are leaving you get stopped by a couple of neighbors, who can’t wait to tell you how much they have appreciated the knocks on their doors asking for directions.
So the question is, why would you hold an open house? The answer, I didn’t. In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, I did not hold open houses in Surprise. I provided a copy of the sign ordinance to my listing clients, 80% of whom were REO or short sales, so that meant banks and the federal government. My listings acknowledged in the listing contract that there would be no open houses.
By 2009, the city was concerned with the large number of vacant properties. Particularly in places like Marley Park and Desert Oasis, where you could walk for quite a while before seeing another person. Sierra Montana, Surprise Farms, Royal Ranch, Copper Canyon, Rancho Gabriella, Ashton Ranch, Litchfield Manor and most of the rest of surprise had numerous distressed for sale signs. I and other members of WeMAR suggested it would be helpful if people could find the houses we had open. We asked to city to consider allowing temporary directional signs at each place a potential buyer changed direction to find the property.
In addition to open houses, business, particularly small business, needs adequate signage so potential customers can find the business. Particularly businesses located in secret shopping centers. Centers in which store fronts are so far removed from traffic corridors that passersby cannot see the business or its name. Or businesses located in centers constructed so that store fronts face away from the street, all passersby can see is wall.
Business owners take an enormous risk. They risk their future and their family’s future. It is a hopeful sign when individuals believe in a city enough to take that risk. Please don’t make it riskier by preventing them from being found.
We are asking you to reconsider your February vote, and allow adequate temporary directional signage for residents and business.