Merchants take town to court over strip-mall sign

By The Associated Press

12.27.02

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GENOA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Merchants at a strip mall in this Livingston County community say they're practically invisible to passers-by and potential customers.

But the Genoa Township Board has rejected the Country Corners merchants' request for an electronic sign listing the names of the 20 businesses in rotation.

First-time customers at Colorado Coffee frequently tell owner Casey Mulder they never noticed his shop at the center on busy Grand River, where 29,000 vehicles pass daily.

"We know were losing business because we can't have a sign out front," Mulder told The Detroit News for a story yesterday.

Since July, the merchants have been trying to win approval to install an electronic sign along the road to display their names.

But township officials say it would be a dangerous distraction to drivers on Grand River and a violation of the township's sign ordinance.

The Genoa dispute is headed to court, where, increasingly, communities and businesses are fighting over sign issues.

Businesses say they have First Amendment rights to use a variety of billboards and blinking signs. Officials say they should be allowed to manage clutter and limit safety hazards.

"Issues related to sign ordinances are probably the most prevalent conflicts between local governments and businesses," said Michigan Townships Association lobbyist Bill Anderson.

In July, U.S. District Judge David Lawson ruled that Saginaw County's Thomas Township sign law violated businesses' First Amendment rights.

Genoa Township Supervisor Gary McCririe said his township's sign ordinance is for safety and aesthetics.

"The township is in no way trying to curtail the businesses First Amendment rights," he said.

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