Business owners in Wildwood were granted a reprieve Monday night from meeting city design district sign standards established in 2007.
The City Commission approved a change that only will require the sign standards to be met by new businesses or when an existing business has a change of occupancy.
All businesses in the design district had been required to change their signs to meet the standards by 2017, but few have complied even thought the city offered a grant program that paid up to half the cost.
“We were going to get pounded if we brought this up and forced all businesses to try to conform,” said Mayor Ed Wolf.
The standards set a maximum height of 8 feet and allow 1 square foot of signage for each linear foot of frontage.
In other business, commissioners also approved the proposed 400-home Grand Oak Manor subdivision recommended earlier this month by the city’s special magistrate. The development is on the north side of County Road 472 near U.S. 301.
Mike Orem, who will supervise the project for developer Milton S. Jennings of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., said he wanted to begin construction of the subdivision’s first phase within a month.
