What Should Orland Park’s Electronic Signs Look Like?

The Orland Park Village Board and staff are looking into changing code to allow electronic message boards on signs in the village, but with restrictions.

Orland Park’s current code restricts electronic message boards on signs, except for ones that only show date, time and/or temperature. As electronic boards become more common over boards where words are manually replaced, the trustees are now considering loosening restrictions.

Why do we care?

With the LaGrange Road widening, and a similar project on 159th Street not far behind, businesses along those stretches will soon have to remove their signs to make way for the work. If a business on either stretch (and in case you haven’t noticed, there are quite a few of them) was ever going to re-invest in their eye-catcher, that time is very soon.

According to Orland Park Development Services Director Karie Friling, 56 businesses in the village have signs with manual message boards.

So what needs to be decided?

Size, brightness, how often the messages can change, whether the words in such a sign can or can’t move and how close electronic message boards are to each other are among the issues at hand for the code change. Brightness in particular is an issue for businesses near residential areas.

The measurement unit for brightness of signs is “NITs.” Village staff is recommending nighttime brightness for signs of 50-150 NITs and daytime brightness at 1,000 NITs.

How violations are enforced is also an issue.  

Read the full list of suggested rules in the development services media packet.

What has been said?

Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Keloryn Putnam said businesses are “looking to move into the 21st century” with newer signs.

Lori Stengren, Darvin Furniture’s vice president of sales, merchandising and marketing, said electronic message boards will help alleviate the safety hazard of having people climb ladders, sometimes during harsh winter conditions, to change letters on manual signs.

“We also feel very strongly about it as an enhancement that’s important to business from standpoints of branding, advertising and information,” Stengren said at Monday night’s board meeting.

Trustee Ed Schussler said he understands the need for staying up to date with technology, and how an electronic message board alleviates issues with changing manual signs, but he wants the village “to avoid the Las Vegas look.”

Trustee Kathy Fenton said several other municipalities have substantial restrictions on their signs, and Orland Park should keep that in mind.

What’s next?

The code change was only up for discussion Monday night. The motion will come again before committees for a vote before going to the full board.

Looking for more government stories?

• Read Orland Fire's 2014 Proposed Budget Draft
• Orland Fire Looking at $1.4 Million More in Possible Costs for 2014
• Local Legislators Talk Springfield Pension Reform Process

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