(Dec. 10, 2020) The long and winding road to digital signs in Ocean Pines, which would update and condense a multitude of existing community marquees, inched closer to conclusion last week following a favorable recommendation from the Worcester County Planning Commission.

Final tweaks for an amendment to county zoning laws were ironed out during the commission meeting on Dec. 3, which, among other points, would limit the number of community signs in Ocean Pines to six.

The proposed amendment heads next to the Worcester County Commissioners for final approval.

In September 2019, the OPA Communications Committee began looking into replacing the community’s 13 manually updated community signs with electronic message boards.

Helping with the effort is committee board liaison Dr. Colette Horn, who informed her fellow OPA Directors in Oct. 2019 that county officials had advised a zoning code amendment specific to the Pines would be required.

Horn helped Communications Chairwoman Jenny Cropper Rines and OPA staff who were working with Worcester County Development Review and Permitting to develop code language specific to internal community signs.

After consulting last winter with Worcester County Director of Development Review and Permitting Ed Tudor, who had advised the process could take upwards of a year, progress was stalled after the covid-19 outbreak in March.

Speaking during the Planning Commission meeting last Thursday, Horn said the proposed text change would permit non-commercial internal community signs but also limit the allowable number to four.

“We would require 6-8 if possible,” she said.

Also on hand last week, Communication Committee member Cheryl Jacobs suggested the higher total was not significant since it was internal messaging for a residential community. Offering further insight was Rines, who told the planning commission the goal is to reduce an even higher number of long-employed, and labor intensive, manually operated marquee signs.

“Obviously, we don’t need all of those,” she said.

Rines said the intent would be to retain only a small number of the 13 existing signs while adding a few digital messaging boards.

“There were three that were useful and the electronic ones would take care of the rest,” she said.

Seeking locations lacking light pollution concerns, Rines said a trio spots identified for electronic signs are the entrances at the North and South Gates and nearby the Sports Core Pool.

“We would remove 10, leave three and than add electronic signs,” she said.

Marquee signs at White Horse Park and the Ocean Pines Yacht Club are among those proposed for retention.

Rines noted any new signs would likely be added over multiple years.

Rines said all proposed locations meet mandated 450-foot setbacks and would not be close to Route 589.

Jacobs raised issue with the amendment’s provision limiting signs to 40 square feet in area or 10 feet in height.

“We’re not talking about anything giant,” she said. “I’m just concerned we’re limited if it turns out to be 12 feet.”

Zoning Administrator Kristen Tremblay noted the size dimensions were amended previously.

“In our original discussions, we were talking about 20 square feet in size and six-feet in height and you guys increased it to 40 and 10,” she said.

Planning Commission member Marlene Ott noted the requested 6-8 sign count would need to be a specific number, with OPA representatives agreeing to a sum of six.

Newly appointed Planning Commission member Mary Knight asked about county officials’ concerns that the proposed amendment could be applied to far smaller communities in Worcester.

“Is there anyway to incorporate the relative size of the community?” she said.

Tudor said neighborhood boundaries are challenging to define in some instances.

“That’s why we included the 450-foot setback because it gets it internal,” he said.

Tudor said the most serious concerns for county officials were related to size, roadway setbacks and restricting commercial advertising.

“This was a comprise that we had worked out,” he said.