The intent of this [Article] is to establish requirements for placement, installation and maintenance of business and advertising signs, in order to preserve and protect the health, safety, welfare and general well-being of the community's citizens. As regulation of placement, construction and maintenance of buildings and structures is a valid use of the police power, so too is regulation of placement, installation and maintenance of signs, since such signs in the literal sense must ordinarily be considered structures, and in a practical sense are capable of producing many of the same nuisances as are produced by buildings.

Regulation of placement, installation and maintenance of signs is further justified by their purpose which is to draw mental attention to them, potentially to the detriment of sound driving practices and to the safety of the motoring public to which a majority of signs are oriented. Therefore, it is the intent of the [Article] to regulate the size and location of business and advertising signs so that their purpose can be served without unduly interfering with motorists and causing unsafe conditions.

Finally, it is the objective of this [Article] to protect and preserve the aesthetic qualities of the community by regulating placement, installation and maintenance of signs. The fact that such signs are intended to command visual contact grants to business and advertising signs a proportionately greater role than other structures in determining the overall aesthetic quality of the community. The aesthetic impact of business and advertising signs is an economic fact which may bear heavily upon the enjoyment and value of property; therefore the regulation of signs is validly justified on the basis of conserving the value of property and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout the municipality. It is contended that it is not irrational for a community's citizens to plan their physical surroundings in such a way that unsightliness is minimized.

With this purpose in mind, it is the intent of the [Article] to authorize the use of business and advertising signs which are:

a.

Compatible with their surroundings;

b.

Appropriate to the type of activity to which they pertain;

c.

Expressive of the identify of the individual proprietors or of the community as a whole;

d.

Large enough to convey a message about the owner or occupants of a particular property, the products or services available on such property, or the business activities conducted on such property, yet small enough to preserve and protect the natural beauty of the town and limit distractions to motorists.